redecorating a cold, condensation prone room

dixie_dean_2

Hi

Want some general advice about the best options for redecorating. Our house is generally very cold and the upsdtairs rooms suffer terrible condensation and resultant mold. We have taken the usual steps, keeping doors closed when cooking etc, a dehumidifier, opening the windown when possible but the situation is still quite bad. We are going to redecorate the room, including new carpet, removing wallpaper from the ceiling (!) and replastering and also painting the walls. Is there anything I can do to make the room warmer, reduce the condensation or, failing that, at least have a finish that mold can easily be wiped off? Was thinking of possibly papering the worst wall as thought insulation may help but have now heard wallpaper is generally a bad idea with condensation.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

WhiteHorse

Why is it so cold?

poppyolivia

my old room was like that...(but the house is ancient)...my mum and dad got new double glazing and got the radiators working and it seems alot better now...it is old stone walls and the paper always felt cold and damp...the mould was on the old windows and in winter the ice was thick as anything on the inside...no wonder I moved to the town!!lol

Good luck anyway but I think thats the only thing thats helped them.

dixie_dean_2

High ceilings, no cavities so no insulation. Don't know why else.

ohyeahitssorcy

Have you thought about battening, insulating with celotex and plaster boarding on the external walls maybe a membrane between wall and battens/celotex .....

thats what i would do ... just a thought

Owain_Moneysaver

You can use a vinyl silk finish paint that the condensation can be wiped off, and use a fungicidal undercoat to kill any spores in the wall.

Barneysmom

Thanks Owain, I might try some in my conservatory, it's a real mess now with damp.

ohyeahitssorcy

The only real way to stop the condensation and mildew is to remove the underlying problem which is cold walls in a warm house (even if its just slightly warmer) if there is no cavity then no matter what you paint on the walls it will keep returning time after time after time not to mention the fact that eventually the condensation and mold will destroy the plaster/woodwork and anything else in its way.

keystone

You have to fix the condensation / cold issues before decorating otherwise you'll just be "papering over the cracks".

Cheers

dixie_dean_2

ohyeahitssorcy wrote: »

The only real way to stop the condensation and mildew is to remove the underlying problem which is cold walls in a warm house (even if its just slightly warmer) if there is no cavity then no matter what you paint on the walls it will keep returning time after time after time not to mention the fact that eventually the condensation and mold will destroy the plaster/woodwork and anything else in its way.

How though?

WestonDave

Given what you are doing it sounds like you have at least 4 options - firstly increase the heating such that the walls are warmed enough, and the relative humidity reduced enough that condensation no longer forms. That way lies big heating bills.

Secondly consider adding something like a Drimaster to add more ventilation without cooling the air further. Not sure on costs of these but the damp experts on here seem to recommend them, and I don't think we are talking telephone number costs.

Thirdly dry line the walls - adding a layer of insulation and new plasterboard inside the rooms. That is going to be more expensive again, and will reduce the size of your rooms.

Fourthly forget trying to resolve the condensation problem and concentrate instead on avoiding the mould. You could try a paint like Zinsser Perma White which is supposed to be guaranteed mould free for 5 years (mine has only been up for a month so I can't comment on that although its already worked better than anything else I've tried). The downsides are that for a paint its about double the price of normal paint - you need two coats of it, it only comes in white (although apparently you can get some colour stuff to make it pastel colours) and they recommend you don't paint normal paint over it, as mould will live on normal paint. In other words its not cheap and you need to like white (or nearly white).

Trouble is its not just the walls that are suffering - the furniture, the carpets and your clothes are all suffering because of the cold damp air. You really need to find a way to lower the relative humidity either by drying the air or by making the room warmer to offset the amount of water in the air.