Paint looks like foaming and damp patches but not damp - please help!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Hi, just wandered if anyone could help me out here.

We are living in a early 1900 build house, basically it isnt in great condition in terms of the wall around the covered chimney breast, and the walls are quite uneven and a little soft in some places. It is a rented place and we were given permission to paint so did so as the decor was stuck in the 60's browns and yellow and greens when we moved in.

Ok more to the problem, it was painted just over a year ago and now some parts of the wall looks like it is foaming, when you wipe you hand on it dry powder comes off. Also some parts look like they are damp as the colour is a few shades darker (often near the foaming) however they are very dry to the touch and feel crumbly.

Does anybody know what is causing this and how to deal with it?

We have done the place up quite nice (on a very tight budget obviously) so this is the only thing that is letting it down. The problems are only in the living room and the kitchen, (kitchen on a very large scale) We used special kitchen/bathroom paint in the kitchen so i am a little confused as i could understand why if we used cheap basic paint in there.

Anyway i would really be greatful if someone could help - thank you in advance!

x

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Even if there is no solution does anyoine jknow what is causing this. Cheers again! x

ben500

Are these interior or exterior walls or a combination of both, are the walls single skinned or cavity? It sounds like effervescence caused by exposure to damp/moisture and an acidiuous reaction resulting, have you tried testing with a damp meter? In timbers for example it would be an indication of dry/wet rot.

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

I dont know much about them really - as they are old i assume they are single skinned. The affected is mainly on the inside of the house on the exterior kitchen and living room walls but also some parts are on walls joining the exterior walls, but these parts arent nearly as bad. I thought it may be damp at first but thought i would feel some cold to that part of the wall (if that makes sense) but it all seems overly dry and the paint comes off as built up powder.

How would i go about getting them damp tested? Will i have to call someone in or is this something i can deal with myself?

The walls are in disrepair and it seems like they have never been looked after. Is there any kind of damp proofing i can do to the inside without requireing major work (I only have me and a friend to try and fix the problem and dont want to spend a fortune because i'll prob only be here for a max of 2 years longer)? I would like to repaint them so if there is anything that can be done to prepair/prime the walls before painting them that would be fab - but knowing my luck it is prob not that easy lol!

Thanks tons for your help, it is much appreciated! x

pboae

What is it built of (stone, brick, etc), and do you know whether it is lime plastered and/or lime pointed?

If it is, then the walls are meant to be slightly damp, in as much as they are supposed to breathe. If you paint over them with an impermeable paint (like kitchen/bathroom paint) you trap the moisture behind it. You can also get problems when someone has tried to patch up a lime plastered wall with modern plaster.

sandy2_2

In these old houses, lime plaster was used which enabled the wall to breathe. Also a lot of lime was used in the brickwork. If there was any or too much salt (natural) this means over a period of time the wall floreses (spelling?) and there´s not a lot can be done. In the old days they used distemper (which is breathable) to paint the walls which you can still get now. Using Unibond or something similar or even modern emulsion is not an answer I´m afraid.

nickj_2

do not use pva - unibond , emulsion paint will not stick to it
try a stabilizing solution or a sealer suitable for powdery surfaces
these will be available from your local trade paint merchants