Hi, I'm not much of a DIY-er, but wondered if anyone could give some advice on damp/plastering matters.
We recently paid for damp problems in our bedroom (in the basement of an old Victorian house) to be fixed, and moved out for two weeks for the work to be done.
The builder (whom we hadn't used before and who couldn't give us a damp-proof guarantee, but who came highly recommended by a friend) did the work, redecorated beautifully, and was completely on schedule.
He used the Sika-1 system and dealt with damp on a side wall, around an old (removed) chimney breast. However, a couple of weeks later, the paint had blistered above the (new) skirting board, and there were some cracks. He came back promptly and repainted, explaining that because we'd had to move back in quickly, the plaster hadn't had enough time to dry sufficiently.
This did not solve the problem. By a couple of weeks later, the paint blistered again (furry/fluffy patches). Our builder again responded quickly, coming back to paint on a coat of sealant.
So far, the paintwork now seems fine, but I have noticed the carpet at the corner of the room smells damp (below the skirting board, where one of the blistered patches was). I put a tissue there (under the carpet) last night and this morning it was wet so there is obviously something coming through. (This wasn't a problem before the work was done, or not that I had noticed.)
My question is: what action should I take next? Our builder is coming back this week to repaint over the sealant, but I am slightly losing faith that he has fixed the problem - or knows how to do so. He seems extremely professional and helpful but the leak under the carpet has me worried. I am wondering whether the whole job needs to be redone.
Obviously we should have gone for a contractor who had the insurances to give us a guarantee, but we've had damp-proof work done in a basement in a previous house, and the contractor there provided a guarantee but did an awful job that took six months to sort out: hence our decision to go for someone who seemed very professional and came recommended.
Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome - thanks.
We recently paid for damp problems in our bedroom (in the basement of an old Victorian house) to be fixed, and moved out for two weeks for the work to be done.
The builder (whom we hadn't used before and who couldn't give us a damp-proof guarantee, but who came highly recommended by a friend) did the work, redecorated beautifully, and was completely on schedule.
He used the Sika-1 system and dealt with damp on a side wall, around an old (removed) chimney breast. However, a couple of weeks later, the paint had blistered above the (new) skirting board, and there were some cracks. He came back promptly and repainted, explaining that because we'd had to move back in quickly, the plaster hadn't had enough time to dry sufficiently.
This did not solve the problem. By a couple of weeks later, the paint blistered again (furry/fluffy patches). Our builder again responded quickly, coming back to paint on a coat of sealant.
So far, the paintwork now seems fine, but I have noticed the carpet at the corner of the room smells damp (below the skirting board, where one of the blistered patches was). I put a tissue there (under the carpet) last night and this morning it was wet so there is obviously something coming through. (This wasn't a problem before the work was done, or not that I had noticed.)
My question is: what action should I take next? Our builder is coming back this week to repaint over the sealant, but I am slightly losing faith that he has fixed the problem - or knows how to do so. He seems extremely professional and helpful but the leak under the carpet has me worried. I am wondering whether the whole job needs to be redone.
Obviously we should have gone for a contractor who had the insurances to give us a guarantee, but we've had damp-proof work done in a basement in a previous house, and the contractor there provided a guarantee but did an awful job that took six months to sort out: hence our decision to go for someone who seemed very professional and came recommended.
Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome - thanks.
