Damp Cupboards

gatita

Please could someone advise. In a couple of my kitchen cupboards (outside wall) there is an awful smell of damp. I cannot figure out why that should be as the outside walls seemvfine, and of course the cupboards do have a back on them. The flooring is the original red tiles.

gatita

Can someone help please?

lizimuffin

hi there,
I could be that when the cupbaords were put in, they were 'boxed in' so there is no ventilation in the cupboards. If the cupboards are on an inside wall, it's not a prob as the walls don't get cold, but an outside wall they get cold and therefore can be prone to damp. I would knock through the panel at the back of the cupboard and put an air vent in. We had a similar problem and this seemed to cure it.

Hope you get this sorted, we left ours and all the insides of my cupboards started growing mould...not good!!!!

David_Aldred

Hi gatita,
Comments by lizimuffin make good sense when they recommend improving airflow within the cupboard area as one of the cheapest things to try first which should always be the best approach where possible. If you are going to duct through the wall to allow increased ventilation be mindful of ducting all the way through the wall and not simply into the wall cavity if present because what you don't want is warm moist air from the kitchen entering the cavity and condensing out.

Quarry tile floors are sometimes depending upon how they are laid meant to be a breathable floor and not meant to have a closed void over the top of them which a fitted kitchen with unventilated kicker sections / fitted backs may create.

Be mindful that if you see mould at all it is unlikely to be a fault with the damp proof course as the moisture form the ground tends to contain salts that do not encourage mould growth such that mould tends to be associated with a purer form of moisture such as condensation / penetrating dampness / leakage.

If the wall is a cavity wall check any insulation within it is not wet / there are no voids to it and check the cavity for debris within it and if present clear it to well below the level fo the damp proof course. Preferably provide a means by which any moisture that occurs within the cavity can vent externally before it can migrate internally which is important with solid floors where no sub floor void exists.

Humidistat controlled extractor fans to kitchens may help where condensation is an issue and these automatic fans are much better than relying on manually operated units that seldom may be turned on. They should be rated at least 150mm diameter 60 litres / second units ducted through to the outside, set to overrun 15 minutes once activated and to commence at a relative humidity below which mould will commence. Hope this helps David Aldred Indpendent damp and timber surveyor

gatita

Thank you so much for that very detailed reply David Alfred, I THINK!! I can understand what you are talking about........all very complicated. My house is a 1920's Bungalow hence the quarry tiles. Neither the walls or the floor are wet and I cannot see any signs of mould, its just this horrible damp smell.

I think I will try lizimuffin's suggestion first its by far the easiest! Thank you for that Liz, fingers crossed that a few holes drilled in the back of the cupboard will do the job.

lizimuffin

Good luck x

belfastgirl23

Sorry to resurrect but I have a similar problem - did this work Gatita?

gatita

Hi Belfastgirl, Yes, I am pleased to say this did work, certainly worth a try before spending lots of money!

abankerbutnotafatcat

We have a similar problem aswell!! A mouldy smell in 2 kitchen floor units. 1 backs on to an internal wall and 1 backs on to a party wall. Our kitchen is in a semi basement and our property was built in 1901. I believe the flooring is ceramic tiles although there is a laminate above it in the kitchen and we can't see what's beneath the kitchen units (we've seen ceramic tiles in other areas).

I have already removed the back panels to the units to improve ventilation and washed down with bleach but it hasn't helped. The only thing that helps is keeping the doors open!!!

Any thoughts very gratefully received as it's driving us mad having the doors open all the time.

belfastgirl23

We will give drilling a hole in them a try and report back thank you gatita