Mouldy cupboard

[Nerine]

We have a dresser that a carpenter friend built in alcove. The alcove wall was damp and he covered it with a sand/cement type coating to allow the wall to breath. He built the cupboard away from the wall and left a gap at the rear to allow air to circulate.

Unfortunately it is still quite wiffy and damp inside. We put one of those damp absorbing things with granules in it and it regularly fills up with water. Someone suggested boring a few decorative holes in the cupboard doors to allow more air circulation; but we wonder if its rising damp and need to rip it out and treat it.

 

[noseall]

what is causing this damp in the first place? leaky gutter, perished brickwork?

 

[big-all]

as said above you need to find the source of the damp

also the air gap is only usefull if theres airflow
to get aitflow you need a gap at the floor level where the damp is and a gap above to allow the air to circulate into the room otherwise the cupboard will absorb the dampness then if the contents stop airflow an you get mould in the cupboard

 

[Nerine]

Our house is a semi and its on a wall adjoining next door.

 

[JohnD]

what is on the other side of the wall

 

[Nerine]

Thanks for your interest people.

The other side of the wall is my neighbour who is rather elderly. I suspect he hasn't done anything to his house for decades. Could it be leaky pipes from his house? Our part of the house with the damp wall has concrete floors.

 

[JohnD]

could be

especially if there is a kitchen or bathroom on the other side, or above.

Or, less often, a leak from a radiator pipe.

It can even be from the loft or roof and getting down the wall.

 

[NickStone]

Nerine, if you want to know the cause of this damp it's probably best to get someone in who cannot benefit financially from 'fixing' the damp. This means a surveyor. I called one in last year when I found damp under the bedroom carpet of a flat that had previously been let out. The surveyor told me it had originated in the bathroom - the tenants had been using the shower without adequate curtaining and the floor had become soaked over a period of years. A surveyor can investigate this matter for you, and give you an unbiased expert opinion.

 

[Nerine]

Thanks everyone