Whats wrong with my wall?

Mr_love_monkey · 05-07-2006, 20:36

Hi,

About a year/ 16 month ago, we had our kitchen replaced - with all walls replastered, painted etc...

All fine and dandy, until about 2 months ago the paint in the corner of the room started cracking and flaking, until a chunk of it just came off, exposing what looks like wet plaster underneath it - the plaster now looks like it's coming away from the metal strip things, that they put on the corners, as well as what seems like powder coming out of it - see the pictures to see what I mean - anyone got any ideas what it is, what's causing it, and what I can do to stop it?

Ta

Nugget · 05-07-2006, 20:38

I could be wrong matey, but it looks like there's damp in there - is it an exterior wall?

When we were decorating Baby Nugs room, the walls looked quite similar (without the plaster actually coming away - yet!), and the damp meter told us that it was soaking.

Fingy · 05-07-2006, 20:39

Girlie reply - not allowed to dry properly or bad mix? I know it cracks if its dried too quickly.

Nugget · 05-07-2006, 20:41

To dry it out, all we did was get loads of heaters in there - took a while but the walls did dry out completely

05-07-2006, 20:47

Did you notice if it started at the bottom or top of the paint issue?
It looks as Nugget says like damp, but is it rising damp? As part of the kitchen refit was the flooring replaced?
Alternativley could there be pipework behind the wall that sticks out, which may have a slight leak?

Mr_love_monkey · 05-07-2006, 20:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nugget

is it an exterior wall?

Course it's not exterior, it's in the kitchen

- yeah, it's an exterior wall....

I had a feeling people were going to start talking about damp...

To answer all the others bits...

Fairly sure it dried out normally, there was a space of several weeks (due to MFI losing our kitchen) between plastering being done and any painting.
Unsure about the mix quality, but as it's only happening in one place (that I know of) - hopefully not.

I think it did start at the bottom, but can't be 100% sure on that.
Floor was replaced as part of the refit.

As far as I can recall there are no pipes behind there.

Nugget · 05-07-2006, 21:02

MFI lost your kitchen? Couldn't you just have directed them to the back of the house

It does look like damp though - stupidly enough, do you know any plasterer-type peoplw who could have a look, as it may just be that damp was sealed in the wall when it was done originally.

Mr_love_monkey · 05-07-2006, 21:05

ok, just decided to have a bit of a look by taking some boards off the cupboards.
It's very damp behind there - looks like something is leaking. ****.

looks like the fitters will be getting a call to come and sort it out

Nugget · 05-07-2006, 21:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

ok, just decided to have a bit of a look by taking some boards off the cupboards.
It's very damp behind there - looks like something is leaking. ****.

looks like the fitters will be getting a call to come and sort it out

Is your bathroom above the kitchen? If so, could it be a pipe leaking under the bath, maybe?

05-07-2006, 21:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

Course it's not exterior, it's in the kitchen

- yeah, it's an exterior wall....

I had a feeling people were going to start talking about damp...

To answer all the others bits...

Fairly sure it dried out normally, there was a space of several weeks (due to MFI losing our kitchen) between plastering being done and any painting.
Unsure about the mix quality, but as it's only happening in one place (that I know of) - hopefully not.

I think it did start at the bottom, but can't be 100% sure on that.
Floor was replaced as part of the refit.

As far as I can recall there are no pipes behind there.

Is the new floor solid (i.e. concrete) or floorboards on an air gap?

EDIT : Now seen the cupboard post. Hopefully its only a minor leak, which is easily fixed.

Mr_love_monkey · 05-07-2006, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nugget

Is your bathroom above the kitchen? If so, could it be a pipe leaking under the bath, maybe?

It is, but I don't think its coming from there - from what I can see the leak is happening on one wall, and just running around the wall, so it seems to be coming from some other piping. it looks like there's been a lot of water

Nugget · 05-07-2006, 21:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

It is, but I don't think its coming from there - from what I can see the leak is happening on one wall, and just running around the wall, so it seems to be coming from some other piping. it looks like there's been a lot of water

That's harsh mate - the plaster should be fine if it's allowed to dry out, but the bugger's going to be getting to whatever pipe's apparently leaking.

Hopefully, it's a mild leak that just happens to have been going for a while, as opposed to a recent major one

Mr_love_monkey · 05-07-2006, 21:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nugget

gut the bugger's going to be getting to whatever pipe's apparently leaking.

It's going to be even harder for him to get to it with a kitchen cabinet up his jacksie.

Halcyon · 06-07-2006, 09:05

I know what you are going through.
We had a central heating pipe fitting come loose and if we hadn't spotted it in time the whole celing would have become like a sponge and collapsed in.
Good luck with getting it all sorted out.

Mr_love_monkey · 06-07-2006, 20:16

Hmm.. guy came round to look at it, he claims it's from condensation from the lead water pipe coming into the house, where the weather is hot.
I pointed out that the back wall is soaked, the floor is soaked and the wall (in the picture is soaked) - that's a lot of condensation.

He's coming back next week to take out a cupboard to prove it to me