Dot & Dab Plaster Query

CE85

We have recently had a new kitchen put in in our flat and I'm after a bit of advice.

Before the work started we had a bit of a damp smell in one of the cupboards and we made it very clear to the kitchen fitter (designer & 'project manager') that we wanted the damp sorted properly. Once the old kitchen had been removed, he told us there was a leak in the roof and that rain water had soaked into the bricks over time causing the issue. We had the roof tiles fixed (by a separate builder) and our kitchen fitter suggested we hire a dehumidifier to dry out the wall before he plastered it. He ran this for two days and then advised us that, although the wall was still wet, he could 'dot and dab' onto it, put up plaster board and then skim that. He said that the bricks would dry out naturally now that the leak had been fixed and we would have no further issues. We are now around 6 weeks later and we have noticed that mould has started growing in the same corner as before. We have asked another builder about this and they said that 'dot and dab' should not be used on old brickwork and the fitter should have properly dried out the wall and they used sand and cement.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Has our kitchen fitter just bodged the job to get it done more quickly? (We have had other issues, so this is not beyond the realms of possibility.)

Any help/advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

boo_star

CE85 wrote: »

We have recently had a new kitchen put in in our flat and I'm after a bit of advice.

Before the work started we had a bit of a damp smell in one of the cupboards and we made it very clear to the kitchen fitter (designer & 'project manager') that we wanted the damp sorted properly. Once the old kitchen had been removed, he told us there was a leak in the roof and that rain water had soaked into the bricks over time causing the issue. We had the roof tiles fixed (by a separate builder) and our kitchen fitter suggested we hire a dehumidifier to dry out the wall before he plastered it. He ran this for two days and then advised us that, although the wall was still wet, he could 'dot and dab' onto it, put up plaster board and then skim that. He said that the bricks would dry out naturally now that the leak had been fixed and we would have no further issues. We are now around 6 weeks later and we have noticed that mould has started growing in the same corner as before. We have asked another builder about this and they said that 'dot and dab' should not be used on old brickwork and the fitter should have properly dried out the wall and they used sand and cement.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Has our kitchen fitter just bodged the job to get it done more quickly? (We have had other issues, so this is not beyond the realms of possibility.)

Any help/advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Ask the other fitter to provide an assessment of the current situation and the cost.

Then speak to the previous installer and show them that.

shaun_from_Africa

Two days use of a dehumidifier was only a token effort and wouldn't have made any noticeable improvement to the wet bricks.
I had a damp problem in my house and once the cause had been sorted out, it took a good couple of months for the brickwork to dry out before my plasterer would consider touching it.

Your fitter stated that the bricks would dry out naturally once the leak had been repaired but for them to dry out, the moisture must get to the surface and this means that it will go straight into the new plaster which would act like a sponge.

CE85

Thanks for your replies.

I was just wondering if there is a damp survey or building inspection service that could look at this and give a professional view point? The only building inspectors we can find seem to only do structural inspections.

Is there such a thing as a service that inspects building work you have had done to see if due skill has been used?

Thanks again.