Hello everyone,
We are buying a house and want to address moisture issues in the laundry room: about 15cm (6 inches) above the baseboard, mold has developed in several corners and caused the wallpaper to peel. According to the current seller, this has been the case for around 10 years, since they bought the house back then. The plaster is not completely wet, but damp.
Apparently, they didn’t pay much attention to it. The moisture does not come up from the floor, but rather the room’s humidity simply accumulates there. The rest of the house is dry.
The current occupant has a dryer in the laundry room, occasionally hangs laundry there, and there is only a small window. Presumably, they do not follow correct ventilation practices (seasonal differences like summer and winter).
Question: Is it sufficient to remove the damp plaster, replaster, and paint the entire room with a vapor-permeable silicate paint? Then, minimize drying laundry in the room itself and follow proper ventilation rules? (We do not have a dryer.) Or should a specialist definitely be involved?
Example picture attached.
Thank you
We are buying a house and want to address moisture issues in the laundry room: about 15cm (6 inches) above the baseboard, mold has developed in several corners and caused the wallpaper to peel. According to the current seller, this has been the case for around 10 years, since they bought the house back then. The plaster is not completely wet, but damp.
Apparently, they didn’t pay much attention to it. The moisture does not come up from the floor, but rather the room’s humidity simply accumulates there. The rest of the house is dry.
The current occupant has a dryer in the laundry room, occasionally hangs laundry there, and there is only a small window. Presumably, they do not follow correct ventilation practices (seasonal differences like summer and winter).
Question: Is it sufficient to remove the damp plaster, replaster, and paint the entire room with a vapor-permeable silicate paint? Then, minimize drying laundry in the room itself and follow proper ventilation rules? (We do not have a dryer.) Or should a specialist definitely be involved?
Example picture attached.
Thank you
S
Sebastian7920 Sep 2015 17:51Warm air normally condenses higher up and not just down there at the edge.
But sure, you can tell the seller to not dry anything for 1-2 months and then make a decision 😉
Especially basements and moisture, combined with such careless statements, would make me VERY cautious...
But sure, you can tell the seller to not dry anything for 1-2 months and then make a decision 😉
Especially basements and moisture, combined with such careless statements, would make me VERY cautious...
Sebastian79 schrieb:
Warm air normally condenses higher up, not just at the bottom edge.Moisture condenses at the coldest spot.
But of course, you could tell the seller not to dry anything for 1–2 months and then decide 😉From what I understand in the energy certificate, the purchase is already done.
Especially basements and moisture, combined with such casual statements, would make me VERY cautious...I have personally completed a basement renovation involving all four exterior walls. If it’s only one spot in a room that is also used for drying laundry and is presumably poorly ventilated, I honestly don’t see any reason to panic. Especially since a professional on site has already inspected it, even though you (for whatever reason) doubt their assessment.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
S
Sebastian7920 Sep 2015 18:20I didn’t say anything about panic either – but you seem too relaxed here.
However, if it’s already done, I would wait 1-2 months without doing anything and see what happens.
Sure, condensation occurs at the coldest spot – but it is usually near the ceiling area.
However, if it’s already done, I would wait 1-2 months without doing anything and see what happens.
Sure, condensation occurs at the coldest spot – but it is usually near the ceiling area.
If there is underfloor heating above or generally a warm room, the top is not the coldest spot. When the dryer is running, it also produces heat that rises, so the upper area is warm and the lower area is colder.
Even if the cold comes from outside or below, it can be managed.
Yes, because almost every house on this street has such a corner, and as I said, I have had significantly more damage of this kind in the house.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
Even if the cold comes from outside or below, it can be managed.
Sebastian79 schrieb:
I didn’t say anything about panic either – but you are too calm here for my taste.
Yes, because almost every house on this street has such a corner, and as I said, I have had significantly more damage of this kind in the house.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
M
membersound20 Sep 2015 18:59@Dirk Grafe: This is the problem: the laundry basement is located in a house that we might buy next month. Until then, we have no influence on it.
To explain the condition in more detail: the laundry basement is not heated by the current landlord; it only contains a washing machine and dryer. Ventilation through the basement window seems to be arbitrary so far; usually, it is just left open.
The dampness on the walls is only present in the bottom area, 15-20 cm (6-8 inches), but not continuously. Several spots are affected, which look similar to the corner shown in the posted picture.
These damages are found on both the exterior wall and a completely interior wall. However, on the interior wall, the damage is only on the laundry basement side. The other side of this interior wall (facing the basement hallway) is dry. If the moisture were rising from the floor, wouldn’t both sides be affected?
All other rooms in the basement, including, for example, the unheated storage room, are dry.
Basically, all rooms have underfloor heating. Since the kitchen is above, the ceiling of the laundry basement is partially heated. Therefore, I suspect that the greatest cold or moisture occurs at the basement floor.
To explain the condition in more detail: the laundry basement is not heated by the current landlord; it only contains a washing machine and dryer. Ventilation through the basement window seems to be arbitrary so far; usually, it is just left open.
The dampness on the walls is only present in the bottom area, 15-20 cm (6-8 inches), but not continuously. Several spots are affected, which look similar to the corner shown in the posted picture.
These damages are found on both the exterior wall and a completely interior wall. However, on the interior wall, the damage is only on the laundry basement side. The other side of this interior wall (facing the basement hallway) is dry. If the moisture were rising from the floor, wouldn’t both sides be affected?
All other rooms in the basement, including, for example, the unheated storage room, are dry.
Basically, all rooms have underfloor heating. Since the kitchen is above, the ceiling of the laundry basement is partially heated. Therefore, I suspect that the greatest cold or moisture occurs at the basement floor.
S
Sebastian7920 Sep 2015 19:02With this description, I would also agree with Dirk – although it still isn’t ideal.
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