DAMP PROOFING
GREEN POINT

• Get a quote from 5-Star reviewed Green Point damp proofing specialists
• Rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation correctly diagnosed
• Subtropical humidity creates significant damp risk in Green Point homes

Why Damp Is So Dangerous - and Why You Must Act Fast

• Damp creates the perfect environment for mould and mildew, which are serious health hazards - particularly for children, the elderly, and anyone with asthma or allergies
• Rising damp destroys plaster from the bottom up - once the plaster is saturated, it falls away from the wall taking the paint with it
• Damp walls conduct heat away from your home, making it harder and more expensive to keep warm in winter
• Prolonged damp exposure weakens mortar joints and can compromise the structural integrity of walls over many years
• A home with visible damp or mould is very difficult to sell and will achieve a significantly lower price than a dry, healthy home
• The musty smell of damp is almost impossible to eliminate without fixing the underlying water source - air fresheners do not work

How to Identify Damp in Your Home

• Dark patches on walls or ceilings that appear or grow worse after rain
• A persistent musty or earthy smell that does not go away even when windows are open
• Paint that is bubbling, flaking, or peeling - especially near the bottom of walls or around windows
• White fluffy crystalline deposits on exterior walls (efflorescence)
• Tide marks on skirting boards or low walls showing where water has repeatedly risen
• Black mould spots appearing on walls, ceilings, or in cupboards built against external walls
• Wallpaper that is lifting, staining, or coming away from the wall

Our Damp Proofing Process - Finding and Fixing the Real Problem

• Step 1 - Moisture assessment: We use moisture meters and visual inspection to map the affected areas and identify the type of damp present - rising, penetrating, or condensation
• Step 2 - Source identification: We trace the exact pathway of water entry - could be a failed damp course, cracked plaster, inadequate waterproofing, plumbing issue, or condensation problem
• Step 3 - Root cause treatment: We treat the actual cause of the damp - chemical damp course injection, crack repair, waterproofing, ventilation improvement, or drainage correction
• Step 4 - Removal of damaged material: We remove all affected plaster, paint, and material - there is no point treating damp without removing the damaged substrate
• Step 5 - Algae-resistant treatment: We treat all affected surfaces with fungicidal wash to kill mould and prevent regrowth
• Step 6 - Waterproof re-plastering: We re-plaster affected areas with waterproof render containing hydrophobic additives
• Step 7 - Finishing and painting: Once the wall is completely dry and stable, we apply primer and quality paint or a specialist damp-pRoof Painting to finish

Preventing Damp in Your Green Point Home

• Ensure good ventilation throughout the home - extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms are essential for preventing condensation damp
• Keep gutters and downpipes clear and in good repair - overflowing water against walls is a leading cause of penetrating damp
• Check and maintain the damp proof course (DPC) in older homes - a failed DPC is the most common cause of rising damp
• Grade garden soil and paving away from the house walls - soil that slopes toward the house holds water against the walls
• Inspect window and door frames annually for gaps in the seals - these are common entry points for water
• Do not store materials against external walls - this traps moisture and promotes damp

Damp in Green Point: Three Very Different Problems

Damp gets treated as one condition and it is not. In Green Point we deal with three, and the treatments are close to opposites - which is why misdiagnosis here is expensive.

Rising damp affects the older stock in the streets climbing toward De Waterkant and Somerset Road. Victorian and Edwardian cottages here were frequently built with solid walls and either no damp proof course or a degraded slate one. Moisture wicks up from the ground, carrying salts that crystallise in the plaster and blow it off the wall. The tell-tale is a tide mark roughly a metre up with a band of crumbling plaster and white efflorescence above it.

Penetrating damp is the coastal one, and it is by far the most common on the seaward side. Winter north-westerly fronts drive rain into cracked plaster, failed sealant at window perimeters, and porous face brick. It shows as patches on internal walls that appear during a storm and fade in dry weather, always on the elevation that took the weather.

Condensation is the apartment problem. Green Point's density, the number of short-let and tenanted units, and poor cross-ventilation in older blocks produce black spot mould in bathroom corners, behind wardrobes and on cold external corners. No damp proofing product will fix this - it is a ventilation and thermal issue, and any contractor who quotes you a membrane for it has diagnosed it wrong.

The critical point on older Green Point buildings is breathability. Original lime plaster needs to release moisture through its surface. Sealing it behind a hard modern acrylic or a cementitious tanking slurry traps water in the wall, pushes it higher, and typically causes the plaster to fail worse than before. On heritage-age stock we specify breathable mineral systems for exactly this reason.

How to Tell Which One You Have

• A tide mark with crumbling plaster and salt bloom around a metre off the floor - likely rising damp
• Patches that appear on internal walls only during and after a north-westerly front - likely penetrating damp
• Black spot mould in bathrooms, on cold corners and behind furniture - almost always condensation, not rising damp
• Failed sealant around window and door frames, a very common entry point on Green Point's exposed elevations
• Any building over 60 years old, where a breathable system is required and a Heritage Western Cape permit may apply

Why Choose Painters Green Point for Damp Proofing

• We correctly diagnose the type of damp before recommending any treatment - different types need completely different solutions
• We treat the cause, not just the symptom - no point repainting damp walls without fixing the water source
• We use professional damp proofing products from Sika, Chryso, and specialist damp course suppliers
• We do both the damp proofing AND the painting - one team, one quote, seamless result
• We provide a written guarantee on all damp proofing work

Our Commitment - What You Always Get

• Free on-site assessment and detailed quote
• Full surface preparation
• Premium quality materials only
• Final walkthrough with client
• Complete clean-up included
• 100% satisfaction guaranteed

Damp Proofing Questions

Damp Proofing Across Green Point

Damp is a particularly common problem in homes across the Atlantic Seaboard, where Green Point winter rainfall, poor drainage on sandy ground, and slow-drying walls combine to create challenging conditions. Painters Green Point provides professional damp assessment and treatment throughout Green Point - throughout Green Point, and surrounding areas. Our local experience means we know the specific damp challenges each area presents.

Damp does not fix itself - it only gets worse. Contact Painters Green Point today for a free damp assessment. We find it, fix it, and finish it beautifully.

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