How do you choose a damp proofing company you can trust to stop rising damp
When choosing a damp proofing company the first thing you should know is, there are no quick fix solutions. You may have been told ‘It can all be done from outside’ ‘It will only take a day’ or ‘It doesn’t need re-plastering’ but unfortunately none of these are true. The truth is if your property has ‘rising damp’ the only way to treat it is properly. It will bring with it other problems like hygroscopic salt contamination which deposits in the wall plaster, or wood rotting fungi which will rot the flooring and joinery timbers which are in contact with the damp walls. No magic one day ‘Damp Proofing fix’ can possibly deal with any of these problems and if you don’t do it right we advise you save your money and don’t do it at all.
Rising damp is more common in older properties and is usually caused by the walls either not being built with a damp proof course (DPC) or an existing DPC breaking down. The latter can be for several reasons, maybe it’s slate which degrades and breaks with normal movement over the years or it may have been bridged by high external ground levels or concrete floors that have been installed too high. Whatever the cause the the outcome is the same, you’re property has ‘Rising Damp’.
Damp rises up the wall by capillary action and can sometimes rise as high as 1.5 metres. Because the source of the moisture is from the ground it brings with it hygroscopic salts which deposit in the masonry and wall plaster, so no matter how effective your new damp proof course is, the plaster will never dry out. Because these salts are hygroscopic, every time it rains or there’s a damp day they absorb moisture from the atmosphere so your walls become visibly damp again. For this reason alone it is very important that all of the remedial work, including specialist re-plastering, is carried out strictly in accordance with Tapco HomeDry’s and the Property Care Association’s recommendations.
Our damp proofing work includes taking the skirting timbers off and removing the wall plaster to a minimum height of 1.2 metres or above the visible line of damp, whichever is the greater. We then inject a high performance horizontal chemical (cream) damp proof course solution to the correct level at the base of the walls and re-plaster strictly in accordance with our damp proofing specification. Each stage of work and preparation is an important part of the damp proofing system and should never be compromised or carried out by anyone who is not a member of the Property Care Association (PCA).
Why you should use Tapco HomeDry to damp proof your property
Tapco HomeDry has been established since 1971 and is recognised as London, Surrey and the Home Counties’ premier damp proofing company. We are long term members of the Property Care Association (PCA) and TrustMark (Government Endorsed Standards) and corporate members of the British Damage Management Association (BDMA). All of our damp proofing is covered by our own established long term guarantee which can be protected by Guarantee Protection Insurance (GPI). Our fully qualified timber and damp surveyors have many years experience and will advise you on the extent of the problem and recommend the right method of treatment for rectifying it, while our fully trained and helpful operatives will consider your needs at all times whilst the work is being carried out. Do it right, do it once