If you spot bubbles appearing on the plaster in your property, be sure to act on it – this situation will get worse before it gets better.
Plaster bubbling is caused by damp or salts within the wall underneath the plaster. And, unless you identify and treat the source of the damp, the problem of plaster bubbling will continue to escalate.
So to help you address this common concern, the team at British Damp Proofing have shared this full guide to plaster bubbling. Keep reading to find out more about the problem, what is causing it, and what to do if your plaster is bubbling.
What does bubbling plaster look like?
You can easily identify plaster bubbling. It has the appearance of little pockets of air, underneath the plaster. These create a series of bumps, spread across a patch of plaster.
If you feel the surface, you can tell that it is bumpy, as if a series of air bubbles have emerged in between the wall and the plaster. These bubbles separate the plaster from the wall that it is adhered to. Over time, if left untreated, the plaster will crumble away altogether.
This is not the fault of the plaster – it’s actually caused by moisture coming from the wall itself.
Beyond simply being visually unpleasant, and requiring you to replace the plaster, this is a key sign of a much bigger problem – damp in your property walls. Without quick and professional treatment, this could quickly build up to be a major issue. Below, we’ll help you to identify the cause of plaster bubbling, and take you through the next steps that you need to take.
How to stop plaster bubbling – 3 main causes of bubbling plaster
There are three main causes of plaster bubbling. When you identify which one is at work in your property, you can undertake the appropriate measures to fix the problem:
Condensation
Condensation isn’t caused by a structural problem within your walls. Rather, it’s caused by your daily routine, and the amount of moisture you create within your property.
When you create steam, this warm air that holds moisture (humidity) settles on to the walls, where it condenses back into a liquid. If this cycle is allowed to repeat, salts within your wall will absorb this moisture and crystallise causing bubbling plaster.
As you can imagine, bathrooms and kitchens are the two main contributors to this problem. So, think about how you can change your habits, to fix this issue. For example, add a ventilator to your bathroom, an extractor fan to your kitchen, or buy dehumidifiers for your living spaces. Also, try and reduce the moisture you create from your day to day routine, for example dry more of your washed clothes outside instead of on a radiator
Penetrating Damp
Unlike condensation, penetrating damp is caused by issues with the building structure itself.
Penetrating damp is the name for damp that has been able to reach your internal surface, by passing through the wall.
There are many potential causes for penetrating damp, such as faulty seams around your windows (which allows moisture to seep in around that area), a crack in your exterior walls (exposing your property to the elements), or clogged gutters (which cause rainwater to consistently pour down the side of your property), or high external ground level where the external ground level sits significantly higher than your internal level allowing water to travel through.
The key to tackling penetrating damp is arranging a professional damp survey. During this service, a specialist will survey your property, and identify what is causing the case of penetrating damp, before recommending the best way to tackle it.
Rising Damp
Rising damp is another example of damp that arises due to structural problems.
However, in this case, it is caused by a failure in the property’s damp proof course.
This means that water is able to seep through the damp proof course, and settle into your property. The damp rises from the ground, and settles at a point about halfway up your walls.
Since it will only reach a point of about a metre from the ground level, rising damp is easy to identify. You’ll be able to see bubbling plaster arising on the lower portion of your wall, but the upper half remains unaffected.
In addition to causing bubbling plaster, rising damp (if left untreated) can also ruin your wallpaper, floorboards and skirting boards.
Rising damp is very tricky to fix, and so, it can only be addressed by a professional damp proofing company.
How can I fix bubbling plaster?
Firstly, an important point.
You cannot fix bubbling plaster by simply removing this plaster and reapplying a fresh coat. The problem will only reappear a few weeks later.
Instead, you need to treat plaster bubbling at the root of the problem – i.e. the damp in your walls.
And, without a doubt, the best way to ensure that damp is eliminated – once and for all – is to enlist the help of a professional damp proofing company.
At British Damp Proofing, our specialist team have extensive experience identifying and treating all of the common causes of bubbling plaster. When arranging damp surveys with us, our customers receive a rapid response, a comprehensive survey, and a step by step, personally tailored damp proofing report.
What’s more, our team can also provide you with professional damp proofing solutions. We’re so confident in the quality and dependability of our service, that we’ll even provide you with a 20 year guarantee.
Then, once we have tackled the cause of the damp, all you need to do is remove the bubbled plaster, and replace it with a fresh coat. You can have complete confidence that the issue won’t reappear.
To find out more about our damp proofing or damp surveys services, contact our team today.