Damp Question

[cosmarchy]

Hi,

I am renovating my vistorian house and have completely stripped all of the old lime plaster from the walls leavinf bare brick.

The intention is to batten out the walls allowing space for insulation.

My question is regarding water proofing the walls. Being soft red brick, they seem to soak up the water so I was wondering whether there was any sealant I could apply to ensure the water doesn't penetrate the insulation, battens then the plasterboard. I believe there are some sealants however I am not sure whether they are suitable. What about tanking?

Any advise is helpful.

Thanks

 

[spc]

aquaproof from the merchants does the trick, its a cold paint on solution. Apply in 2 coats. make sure there is at least 25mm air gap between the wall and the stud/insulation. TBH, if it was mine, I would re plaster in lime.

 

[Possel]

If you had lime plaster on the walls, then you really should replace it with lime plaster! The lime is breathable and allows for evaporation through the walls, which anything modern doesn't do. Old houses managed dampness; modern houses try to seal the dampness outside. Any mixing of these two principles usually has problems.

If you use anything which isn't breathable then you will always have dampness there, and any tanking or other solution will simply chase the damp round the place (as that is only fixing the symptom not the cause). If your house is damp check for faults with roof, gutters, downpipes, plumbing faults and high ground levels outside - fix those first and then see if the dampness dries out.