Fairly new MDF skirting board bulging

[Andrew]

Hi,

I've used this stuff all over the house, but inside the front porch there is once short piece that looks like it's taking on water as it is becoming mis-shapen and swollen.

It's hard to explain but it's a pillar on the front exterior wall. However, there is a flat roof porch that's always been there since the property was built in the mid 60's so it's not the true outside wall in that respect. ie it's shielded from the elements by about 2 metres!

It's on the side attached to neighbours (who a couple of years ago had a similar problem apparently although they've moved since so I can't ask further details.). Is it not near anything like a pipe, etc, so I can't see what might be causing it apart from rising damp.

The wall above doesn't look affected. There are no spores or anything.

It is colder in this room and it is a corner where something is kept in front of it. But's that's true for the other corners as well, and they are fine.

I haven't got a photo, but it wouldn't be that telling if I did as it doesn't look too bad at the moment as it's all been recently decorated.

Any ideas? Much appreciated if so. Everywhere you look, people are arguing whether rising damp exists, and if the treatments do anything, etc.

[wes56]

you could post photos of the outside walland the inside wall showing wall and floor surfaces.it helps us work out whats going on.
are the walls solid?
remove the swollen piece of skirtin and photo the wall behind it and the back of the skirting .

rising damp exists.so does penetrating damp

[Andrew]

Hi,

Having trouble getting the picture on, sorry.

It can't be penetrating, as it's on the attached side of a semi-detached.

The walls are solid.

Cheers.

[Andrew]

Hi.

Just an update if it helps anyone out there.

Turns out it was bridging damp. The render and plaster had been put on the walls first before the concrete floor was laid which them.lapped up over it. Therefore it had bridged the damp proof course and was making the wall soggy.

Hacked off the plaster back to brick two inches high and also dug out as much as I could below the floor level.

No more wet wall!