Damp patches ceiling and walls

[AlexLuisBri]

Further to my previous post as I couldnt upload more picture...

Damp - So as you can see in the pictures in the attic chimney breast wall there are two patches of damp. The chimney stack was re-bricked and rendered about a year ago. The first damp patch appeared about 3 months ago and a roofer came, had a look, said the flashing / leading / roof tiles looked fine and suggested capping the chimney pots as the solution. This seemed to have worked as the first patch started to dry and hasn't got any bigger. Since then though the second patch appeared. Could this be trapped water finally soaking through? Any ideas about this?

There is also a patch of damp next to the kitchen window, which seems related to condensation. Does this need replastering or can it be sealed and repainted somehow? Suggestions on the best approach to what to do with this would be great.

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Sealing bathroom silicone. As you can see this needs replacing. Can I just go over it or do I need to remove it all first. What product would you recommend to use for it. A lot of the grouting is cracked missing aswell in the bathroom tiles. Can this just be patched up with ready made grout?

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Lastly and of most concern to me, the floors are very bouncy in the attic bedroom and first floor bedroom. The first floor bedroom also has an original lath and plaster ceiling (It looks fine-see picture) but I'm worried about its lifespan and if its just going to collapse one day. I understand the only option is to overboard or pull it down, but since we live in it there's no chance we can pull it down. Based on the springiness of the floor I would also be worried about loading additional weight on it by overboarding. I have no idea about the condition of the joists either. I don't really know what to do about this or even what kind of trader to contact.

Thanks again if anyone has any ideas about any of these issues.

Alex

 

[IT Minion]

Sealing bathroom silicone. As you can see this needs replacing. Can I just go over it or do I need to remove it all first. What product would you recommend to use for it. A lot of the grouting is cracked missing aswell in the bathroom tiles. Can this just be patched up with ready made grout?

Someone else can handle the difficult bits, but I can contribute to this.

You'll need to remove the silicone first. You can probably pull chunks of it off, but then you'll need to spend some quality time removing the rest. The closer you get to clean the better your new finish will be and the less likely you are to keep the black mould. There's various techniques recommend but elbow grease and a scouring pad tend to be my main go to options.

I don't know if there's any advantage to going for a brand name silicone sealant, but it's not going to break the bank for a single tube. Obviously get one that's bathroom and/or Kitchen rated.

For the grout you'll need to dig the old stuff out, clean out as much dust as possible then re fill. The pre mixed stuff is ok but the powered stuff is really easy to work with and is supposed to be better.

Having said that, if the grout is missing at the joint between wall and floor then it shouldn't be there anyway. For that you want a bead of silicone as expansion and contraction will fracture the grout. That might be why it's gone in the first place.

 

[AlexLuisBri]

Thanks that's a great help

 

[foxhole]

I find a sharp wood chisel best for removing silicon then Silicon eater will soften and make removing remnants easy.
Condensation and mold problems suggest poor ventilation, good ventilation usual solution for both problems .
Don’t know why you would render a chimney more likely to cause problems than solve any .

 

[AlexLuisBri]

Anyone have any suggestions regarding the ceiling / floor issue?

 

[bobasd]

your floor issues are separate from your other concerns.
typically, floors move as you describe because they are:
1. overloaded
2. undersized joists. undersized in section &/or span.
3. the joist seating in wall pockets is loose.
4. rarely in upper floors - the joist seating tails are rotting.
5. DIY flooring in lofts.(is your attic room original?)
6. even more rarely, structural issues.

ceilings rarely collapse - its simple to screw plaster lath securely to joists.

you need another inspection of the chimney stack, esp the flaunching and flashings - insist on having photo's or video provided.
are your chimney flue's in use or dormant?

pic 1. shows extensive damp staining on the return wall - is that an outside wall? is it rendered?
besides the above suggestions, the condensation in the window reveal could be from lack of external frame sealing.

fwiw: you appear to have minor interior cracking - do any cracks go from outside to inside do any openings show sagging -do any skirtings have gaps below them?

 

[AlexLuisBri]

Thanks for your reply.

With reference to the floor issues I can live with it as long as its not dangerous or going to contribute to the lath and plaster ceiling getting damaged.

The house is from 1860 so I guess the attic is not original but its clearly been there a long time. Do you think I should contact someone to look at the floor and if so who - a carpenter? Another point is that the downstairs has been knocked through and a wall removed, but an rsj was put in and signed off by building regs so I would have thought if there was any major problem with the joists it would have been noted at the time. What do you think?

With regards to the chimney stack the guy who capped the chimney took a video and the flaunching and flashing is all sound. 3 other roofers also said the flashing looked fine. The chimney flues are dormant.

In terms of pic 1, yes the wall the window is on is an external wall and yes it is rendered. Ill have a look tomorrow at the state of the external frame sealing.

Ive had a look around and cant see any external cracks anywhere. Over the past year next door at either side have both had major building works done (chimney breasts removed at one side throughout house, and a huge new driveway dug out and rebuilt at other side.) could these have caused some movement?

Cheers

 

[bobasd]

a carpenter/joiner is best for looking at the condition of the floors.
or have a general contractor builder come on site, and inspect your knock-thru, flooring issues, & damp issues?
you still have a small loft - if you have access, someone should go in that loft and inspect for water penetration.

why not post pics of the rendered gable, and the stack(s) from ground level view?
you could also help yourself by posting whatever you think would help us from the roofers pics and video?
pics showing all your open or blocked up fireplaces will also help.

did your neighbours remove their chimney breasts from your joint party wall?
do you share any chimney stacks with them?