Insulated plaster board question

Mr_BOOMBASTIC

Hi all,

I have a problem with condensation to my bay window in my bedroom. Basically by the time morning comes there is water run marks down the 3 walls underneath the window in the bay, these walls are really cold to touch compared to the rest of the walls. I assume the condensation is because we need to keep the bedroom door locked at night as our new born baby is in our room and we have 2 cats, who can be trusted but you just never know.

My question is could i knock off all the plaster back to brick on these 3 walls. Then dot and dab insulated plaster board onto the brick then re-skim. Would this do the trick of stopping the cold surface of the brick and hopefully eliminate or reduce the condensation, i'm just not sure if this would work or would this be a waste of money.?

Also if this would work what is the best type of insulated board to buy?

Thanks.

bengraves38

Please be carefull!

I have found from experience that damp under bay windows can be more commonly caused by leaking or draughty windows. Make sure there is no route that moisture can take form the outside into your room.
The most common way is through gaps under the window sill.

Also bare in mind if you do put insulated plasterboard on then this can be up to 70 - 100mm thick as opposed to 15 - 20mm of plaster. Therefore possibly removing any window sill overhang you have in your room.

Hope this helps.

Mr_BOOMBASTIC

Hi,


It's definatley condensation. Only started happening since we needed to close the bedroom door at night. Plus the window get all steamed up now. The board i was thinking of using was something like Gyproc thermaline 22mm.

thebaldwindowfitter

have you tried putting the window on night vent if it is upvc .condensation can also be caused by your heating pattern .try putting your heating on all day but lower temperature .with 3 people in the room you will get condensation if your heating is off during the night

Mr_BOOMBASTIC

The heating is on all night due to storage heaters albeit a little cooler at night though they still chuff out some heat until well after 11pm then the economy seven kicks in at 12 to re-heat.

I dont think my windows have any vents though they are only 12 months old. Should they have vents? or are there some window types designed without them? they were not cheap ones and i got them from a reputable local company.

I still think it condensation caused by the cold bay window walls as they are freezing compared to all other walls. It's like putting your hand on a wall that outside thats how cold it gets.

Any idea's if the plaster board idea would work?

newnhak

I had a bad condensation problem in my bedroom. All the walls were black, the window running with water and the wallpaper was falling off. I tried treating the walls with special paint but that didnt work.

Last year I completely gutted the room and had the walls re-skimmed so that I could paint them rather than have to wallpaper (the finish was so bad before even lining paper didnt hide it). The idea was that if I had painted walls I could just wipe them down at the first sign of mould.

But I also put an airbrick in at the same time and so far this seems to have solved the problem - however I have no heating in there at the moment as the radiator has still not been rehung.

I considered the plasterboard but decided to try this route first because it is a small room and I didnt want to make it any smaller.

In your case I would try venting somehow first (like the previous suggestion of opening a window or an airbrick) and see how well you go with this. Also remember if there is any mould that it has to be killed completely otherwise it will regrow - use some mould and mildew spray and a mask! I guess knocking the plaster off entirely would also acheive this aim but if you go this route I would make extra sure you have killed all mould before replastering in case it ends up behind the new board.

Fire_Fox

If the air is saturated with water vapour then it will always settle on the coldest surface, if not the wall then the windows themselves. You must ventilate the room more thoroughly and/ or use a dehumidifier. There are many cases of people finding mould in or behind their wardrobes due to the poor air flow - the mould spores are not good for anyone, let alone your baby.

Alternatively can the cats be shut in to, say, the downstairs instead of out of the bedroom? I think you can buy protective covers for cots, or sprays or plug in devices that deter cats from going near an area. Not sure if they would work only for keeping them out of your bedroom or the entire house tho!

blue_monkey_2

Have you thought of a dehumidifer. Also, we have also shut our cats downstairs at night and leave the bedroom door open so the air can circulate. Can you just shut the cats downstairs? Lovely as they are I worried about them sleeping on the baby too.

Make sure you keep on top of wiping the condensation down so you do not end up with mould spore growing. This tends to be a problem in older houses. Do you have any damp stains as you could use this: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=20001&catalogId=1500000701&langId=-1&searchTerms=damp+seal

or this: http://www.screwfix.com/prods/43531/Building/Building-Chemicals/Thompsons-One-Coat-Damp-Seal-2-5L

I clean mine down with a strong bleach/water mixture and that cures the mould for a long time as we have this problem. Please be sure not to store anything against the wall else it'll get damp too.

thebaldwindowfitter

Mr_BOOMBASTIC wrote: »

I dont think my windows have any vents though they are only 12 months old. Should they have vents? or are there some window types designed without them? they were not cheap ones and i got them from a reputable local company.

are the frames upvc if they are open the window (sash) then put your fingers in the gap and pull the sash back towards you fingers and try pressing the handle down to lock usually locks in a ventilated position leaving 10-15mm air gap