Damp and mould, treated in two stages.
Wet weather comes in and the mould creeps back into the same corners. I offer a two stage treatment that clears it and leaves the room feeling fresh again, and I'll point out what's causing it while I'm there.
Where it turns up
Almost always the cold corners, and almost always the same rooms.
- Behind wardrobes and beds on an outside wall
- Around window frames and along the sills
- The ceiling corners of bathrooms and bedrooms
- Inside cupboards on a north-facing wall
- Sealant round a bath or shower that has gone black
- Rooms that feel damp as soon as the heating goes off
A treatment deals with what's there now. If something structural is feeding it, you'll hear that from me too.
The two stages
One clears what's grown, the other makes it harder for it to come back.
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Stage one, clear it
The growth is treated and removed rather than painted over. Painting over mould hides it for a month and then it's back.
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Stage two, treat the surface
The surface is treated so the same patch is harder to colonise again. The room comes out smelling clean rather than bleached.
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Find out why
Condensation, a cold bridge and an actual leak all look similar on the wall and want different answers. It's worth knowing which.
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The easy wins
Often it's ventilation, a bathroom fan that stopped working, or furniture against a cold wall. Those cost nothing to change.
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Making good
Once it's clear, the wall can be filled and decorated. If sealant is the problem it comes out and goes back in properly.
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A straight view
If what you've got needs a damp specialist or a builder rather than me, I'll tell you that instead of selling you a treatment.
Want a price for this?
Ring, text or WhatsApp me with roughly what's going on. A photograph helps, and it often means I turn up with the right part.
Questions about this one
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It depends on how many rooms and how far it's spread. Send me a photograph and I'll give you a figure.
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If the cause is still there, eventually. That's why I look at the ventilation and the cold spots as well as treating the patch.
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Paint sits on top of growth and the growth carries on underneath. Clearing it first is what makes the decorating last.
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It's worth dealing with promptly, particularly in a bedroom or where anybody has a chest complaint. If you're worried about health effects your GP is the right person to ask.
The other things I do
While I'm there, it's worth asking about the rest of the list.
Fitting a new one, swapping a dead one, and working out why the one you have runs cold halfway through.
Have a look
Radiators that stay cold at the top, leaking valves, towel rails and immersion heaters.
Have a look
Dripping taps, slow drains, leaking waste pipes and the blockages a plunger has given up on.
Have a look
Panelling goes straight over uneven walls, and it costs less than tiling and goes up in a day.
Have a look
Key safes, meter boxes, shelves, handles, hinges and the list that has been on the fridge since spring.
Have a look