Membranes for damp control… the good, the bad and the rotten.

What has damp-proofing using membranes got to do with Dry Rot?  Read on… This article is about the use of vertical damp-proof membranes in buildings as a way of controlling damp. DPM’s have been used for years under floors and such, but recently they have really taken off for use above ground, just to stop […]

Penetrating damp? – you can avoid this problem with some simple home maintenance

Okay so it’s raining all the time and my phone is ringing off the hook. The thing is though, most of these callers, sought me out because of damp that has just appeared, or got much worse, they don’t need my services – I am a damp proofer and they need a good old fashioned […]

For Property Care Association Members – It’s safety first

“You can’t make a cake without breaking some eggs” well so the saying goes. The construction industry. including the damp-proofing and timber treatment section, used to have the same mentality – it was almost accepted that accidents happened and that’s part of life. Thankfully, after years of effort by the Health & Safety Executive, our […]

Hard cement pointing can destroy stone buildings within a few decades

  It’s a sad irony that within 100 years of the introduction of cement and its complete dominance in new buildings, that the downside should be the destruction of buildings which have stood for hundreds of years; well before cement was invented. Cement is a truly wonderful product, easy to use, forgiving and offering incredible […]

Mould, damp and condensation seminar for Leeds Met Building Surveying students

Last week I was summoned to Leeds Metropolitan University to speak to the students. Dr Beverley West is senior lecturer in Building surveying at the University and asked me to speak to the students as part of their building pathology module. So once more it was a boot full of diagnostic equipment and armed with […]

Copyright © 2010 Preservation Expert. Legal Stuff: All the advice and information in the posts on my blog is made in good faith and is based on my experience and knowledge at the time of writing. However, nobody is infallible and whilst I’m confident that most of what I write about preservation issues is accurate, there’s a good chance there’ll be an error or two somewhere. I do change my mind about stuff, as I gain more experience. In view of this you must make your own decisions on whether to follow any advice I write and think about this; I could be wrong. No responsibility will be accepted by the author for any losses anyone may suffer as a result of any mistake or for the consequence of any action you take as a result of reading this blog. If you do suffer a loss, resulting from anything I’ve written, a verbal heartfelt apology will be your only compensation.