what is up with the paint/walls please

[Bosswhite]

Is the seal around the handbasin in good condition, what about the grouting between the tiles, splashing water in the handbasin might be getting behind the hand basin,
check the pipes to the taps of the handbasin, if they are under pressure they could be making the wall wet.

 

[hotcookie101]

The seal and the grouting all looks really good (around the sink and the bath/shower) the taps have flexi hose and they all seem dry. there isn't any water leaking to the floor that I can see (unit sits on tiles so would think water would show around edges, but could be wrong!)

 

[geraldthehamster]

It couldn't just be that the paint started to fail (through lack of mist coat, or the through the use of PVA), and it's just got progressively worse every time the bath or shower fills the room with steam, which condenses on the walls?

Cheers
Richard

 

[hotcookie101]

when it first started I really did think maybe it was as the walls may have been sealed with PVA (before we bought house) but to clarify-the issue is paint on the walls in the living room, which backs onto the bathroom, not actually in the bathroom

Even if it is that though-how do I fix it?

 

[wrathkeg]

I had something which looked just like your very first photo in your first post on a wall which backs onto a bathroom which was fitted about 7 years ago. Turned out the grouting on the tiles just above the bath (where the taps/shower are) had failed and water was slowly getting through. I removed and replaced the loose tiles and that seems to have fixed it: the patches have got no bigger since I did that.

I know you say that your tiles and grouting look fine. I guess what I am saying is I would be looking very carefully for ways water could be getting through.

 

[geraldthehamster]

when it first started I really did think maybe it was as the walls may have been sealed with PVA (before we bought house) but to clarify-the issue is paint on the walls in the living room, which backs onto the bathroom, not actually in the bathroom

Even if it is that though-how do I fix it?

Sorry, my mistake.

I wondered about the sealant behind the basin, but the problem seems to go higher than that. It looks from the tiles as if the damage is confined to the metre or so behind the bsain unit, before you get to the shower screen, so it's difficult to see how it could be coming from the shower.

Having said that, once leaking water has got in somewhere, it can track in mysterious ways before emerging. So as Mr Keg suggests, I would check minutely all the sealant and grout. There is only a limited number of sources of water.

Cheers
Richard

 

[hotcookie101]

Thanks
The grouting all looks fine-I can't see any cracks or gaps in it at all. Where the shower riser is there is a section about 10-15cm high where the cream grout is slightly discoloured, but it looks sound otherwise.
The border is travertine, but it was sealed with 4-5 coats prior to being fitted.
I have bought a damp meter thing, just need to get a battery to use it. I presume it is pretty straightforward?

 

[hotcookie101]

So it looks like it is damp, but I cannot see any cracks or gaps in grout or sealant.
Could it be he used the wrong grout? or tile adhesive? That would allow water to seep through to the other side of the wall? If I remember correctly it was a tubbed tile adhesive.
Is it possible to spray or paint a coat of sealant over the tiles etc to stop this?
Then paint the patches with a damp proof undercoat and then repaint over the top?
Thanks for any help

 

[geraldthehamster]

Could it be he used the wrong grout? or tile adhesive? That would allow water to seep through to the other side of the wall?

That doesn't strike me as very likely.

Cheers
Richard

 

[hotcookie101]

I have checked all the grout and sealant and cannot see any cracks.
however the shower screen doesn't seem to have any sealant on it (it is a metal/glass bolted to the wall job, think it is Coram) Should the vertical edge have had sealant applied? There isn't much of a gap, but wondering if water could get in and through the screw holes? considering the shower is pretty powerful and the edge is right beside it?
Should I just apply some sealant?

 

[geraldthehamster]

I have checked all the grout and sealant and cannot see any cracks.
however the shower screen doesn't seem to have any sealant on it (it is a metal/glass bolted to the wall job, think it is Coram) Should the vertical edge have had sealant applied? There isn't much of a gap, but wondering if water could get in and through the screw holes? considering the shower is pretty powerful and the edge is right beside it?
Should I just apply some sealant?

Worth a try.

Cheers
Richard