Hello forum,
Over the past two days, we had our hallway plastered with mineral plaster (Knauf) in the basement, ground floor, and upper floor, including the staircase area.
Yesterday, just before the work was finished, I noticed a lot of condensation on the glass panel of the front door. According to the plasterer, this is normal because of the work and the plaster being "breathable." We were advised to ventilate thoroughly over the next two days, which can only be done through several rooms (office upstairs, bedroom, bathroom, guest toilet) since there is no window in the hallway itself.
This morning, I noticed that besides the plastic front door, which was very damp, there were also droplets on the built-in LED spotlights, likely due to the metal surrounding them. Additionally, there were droplets on the attic hatch, but only on the thick metal screw heads, which are cold. The walls and ceiling themselves were not damp anywhere.
Now I have two questions:
1. Is there a risk of mold in this situation? I did not ventilate overnight because I do not like to keep the windows open towards the street or garden. This morning, I opened everything up again.
2. If the LED spotlights are damp, could this cause electrical problems? In the ground-floor hallway, the lamps are currently only hanging from their sockets; a third lamp in a small cloakroom is not connected at all—the cables there are secured with electrical tape. The sockets and switches have also not yet been installed because the plaster was not fully dry yesterday.
Or am I worrying too much again?
Over the past two days, we had our hallway plastered with mineral plaster (Knauf) in the basement, ground floor, and upper floor, including the staircase area.
Yesterday, just before the work was finished, I noticed a lot of condensation on the glass panel of the front door. According to the plasterer, this is normal because of the work and the plaster being "breathable." We were advised to ventilate thoroughly over the next two days, which can only be done through several rooms (office upstairs, bedroom, bathroom, guest toilet) since there is no window in the hallway itself.
This morning, I noticed that besides the plastic front door, which was very damp, there were also droplets on the built-in LED spotlights, likely due to the metal surrounding them. Additionally, there were droplets on the attic hatch, but only on the thick metal screw heads, which are cold. The walls and ceiling themselves were not damp anywhere.
Now I have two questions:
1. Is there a risk of mold in this situation? I did not ventilate overnight because I do not like to keep the windows open towards the street or garden. This morning, I opened everything up again.
2. If the LED spotlights are damp, could this cause electrical problems? In the ground-floor hallway, the lamps are currently only hanging from their sockets; a third lamp in a small cloakroom is not connected at all—the cables there are secured with electrical tape. The sockets and switches have also not yet been installed because the plaster was not fully dry yesterday.
Or am I worrying too much again?
D
Doc.Schnaggls30 Dec 2014 10:03Hello Campino,
Since the plaster was mixed with water, it is completely normal that the house is more humid now (is your heating already running?).
Opening the windows fully two to three times a day should help control this without causing any mold issues.
For us, the humidity was extremely high after the screed was applied, and even after the wallpaper was hung (due to water in the paste) there was a noticeable increase in moisture. We also had water droplets (condensation) on all smooth and cold surfaces such as windows and metal panels.
Best regards,
Dirk
However, we managed this well with regular ventilation.
Since the plaster was mixed with water, it is completely normal that the house is more humid now (is your heating already running?).
Opening the windows fully two to three times a day should help control this without causing any mold issues.
For us, the humidity was extremely high after the screed was applied, and even after the wallpaper was hung (due to water in the paste) there was a noticeable increase in moisture. We also had water droplets (condensation) on all smooth and cold surfaces such as windows and metal panels.
Best regards,
Dirk
However, we managed this well with regular ventilation.
D
Doc.Schnaggls30 Dec 2014 10:41Well, airing out the room while running the heating at full power doesn’t really help much.
In theory, drying by using heating and ventilation should work like this:
1. Open all windows (cross-ventilation) for about 10 to 20 minutes to achieve a complete air exchange.
2. Close all windows and turn on the heating. This warms up the cold air, allowing it to absorb moisture present in the room (the warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold).
3. => repeat from step 1.
Ventilating longer than 10 to 20 minutes is not recommended because surfaces can cool down too much.
However, I’m not an expert in plaster – so I’m not sure if a wood stove is a good idea. From a layman’s perspective, too much heat might not be good for the plaster either...
Best regards,
Dirk
In theory, drying by using heating and ventilation should work like this:
1. Open all windows (cross-ventilation) for about 10 to 20 minutes to achieve a complete air exchange.
2. Close all windows and turn on the heating. This warms up the cold air, allowing it to absorb moisture present in the room (the warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold).
3. => repeat from step 1.
Ventilating longer than 10 to 20 minutes is not recommended because surfaces can cool down too much.
However, I’m not an expert in plaster – so I’m not sure if a wood stove is a good idea. From a layman’s perspective, too much heat might not be good for the plaster either...
Best regards,
Dirk
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