How to Damp Proof your house from Mother Nature

Building a house can lead to a deep dent in the owner’s bank account. For middle-class workers, it is often their biggest investment.

It therefore imperative to protect the building – and it doesn’t get any more fundamental than the basic construction of the building.

Tanking or damp proofing is a type of structural construction that ensures moisture is stopped from seeping through the surfaces and walls into interior spaces.

Moisture can destroy a building’s foundations, hence the need for damp proofing.

No matter how dense the concrete used is, water slowly and patiently eats the walls until they succumb to its destructive efforts. It can take up to 50 years but the damp will always win in the end!

Additionally, no one wants a damp household, especially during extreme weather conditions like the winter – it can be unforgiving and dangerous to the health of anyone living there.

How does damp affect bricks?

Take a look at the image below:-

By fixing materials such as butyl rubber, semi rigid asphalt, hot bitumen, plastic sheets, copper sheets, impervious bricks, concrete and stones, walls and surfaces can be seamlessly constructed to brave whatever conditions Mother Nature throws at them.

Damp proofing can be achieved in different ways depending on the type of structure, environmental conditions and the budget of the owner.

A damp-proof course is one way of keeping a structure free of moisture. By laying down a damp-proof layer below each and every masonry wall, the rising of moisture by capillary action is inevitably cut shot.

And the good news is it can work both vertically and horizontally.

The importance of damp-proofing membranes

Materials such as polyethylene are called damp-proof membranes.

By laying them below concrete slabs, the foundation is protected from disastrous moisture levels. Moisture transmission is cut short hence the foundation structures and the interior sections of the building are protected.

It is easy, cheap and reliable with no complicated installation requirements.

Polyethylene is non-biodegradable, hence the guarantee of many years of unending and faithful service.

Integral damp proofing involves mixing the slab concrete with material that will give waterproof properties.

By expertly placing the waterproof concrete on surfaces, destructive moisture is kept away.

Surface coating is a tanking method that involves making surfaces resistant and waterproof by spraying waterproof cement or placing thin waterproof materials on surfaces.

Cavity wall construction entails separating all interior and external walls with a cavity between them.

If you need help with your damp proofing or you have any questions, give us a call and we’d be only too happy to take you through your options.