Send in your questions to Steve. . .

Q What is the best material to put on a damp wall inside, under the stairs? All the plaster is ravelling away. I have put plaster board on the stairs wall. Is there anything easier that I could get to cover the damp wall?

Eileen Kerins, Cork

As you say the plaster is ravelling away this is a sure sign that you have a damp problem and it is better to "x the problem rather than cover it up. I would guess that there are other walls in your house showing the same signs. If this is the case, you can inject a damp proof course into the walls. This is a major job requiring the removal of plaster to a height of one metre from the floor level, drilling holes and injecting damp proof liquid into the wall, then re-plastering the wall. A better method would be to have a physical damp proof course put into the walls if possible.

This would necessitate the removal of sections of wall and placing a damp proof course into the joint. This is the best and most reliable method of curing rising damp in walls. It could also be that the cavity wall has been bridged which would provide a way for dampness to enter the building. If either of these methods are not the way you wish to proceed, you could always go to your local builders merchants and purchase a damp proof liquid which you can paint onto the wall, this will provide some relief but it is not a long term solution.

Q The tiles on one wall . . . the solid wall . . . in my bathroom, in a separate shower cubicle, are bulging and cracking and a few tiles have come off the wall.

What has caused this to happen? I'm going to have to remove the tiles and tile again but what do I need to do differently?

Mary Bradshaw

This is a very common problem caused by water getting behind the tiles. The grout will actually soak water to such a point that it becomes saturated. The water then gets behind the tiles and corrodes the tile adhesive which in turn lets more water behind the tile which causes them to bulge and come away from the wall. If you have a new house the walls may not have fully dried out before the tiling was done, the walls may not have "settled" which would cause some movement which in turn would lead to the cracking of the grouting, letting in the water. All this is a gradual process and does not become apparent until the damage is done. Did you tile the walls yourself? Why not engage a competent tiler to carry out the work for you. You will "nd a list of tilers for your area on my website at www. tradesmenireland. com

Q I've just noticed that my radiator is leaking and my wooden floor has turned black and started to rot along the radiator. How do I stop the leak and what can I do to restore my floor?

Toni

You do not say where the leak is coming from. My guess is that it is from the valve and may just need to be tightened. I would suggest employing a competent plumber to stop the leak as if you attempt to stop the leak you may end up causing further damage. It sounds to me that your floor has gone beyond repair and there is no way of restoring it. I would also suggest to you that you notify your insurance company as you may have a possible claim.

Q I bought a second hand home last year. The floors are beautiful dark wood solid boards but it looks like the previous owner didn't remove the skirting when laying them. To compensate for movement they've put down wood beading all along the edge of the skirting board. It looks messy. Can I remove the beading? How can I fix the floor? I don't want to go to the expense of buying a new one.

R Smith

I'm afraid I have not got good news for you. Yes the timber bead was put down to mask the expansion gap as the previous owners did not remove the skirting boards. You say the bead looks messy. This shouldn't be the case as I have seen floors done this way and they did not look out of place. Perhaps if you purchased a more suitable bead to match your flooring it might help. The only other way I can think of would be to employ a carpenter/joiner and get them to run off some thicker skirting boards to cover the gap or alternatively build out the skirting boards.

WRITE TO US

If you have a building/renovation-related query that you'd like Steve to help you with, email: doorstepdoctor@tribune. ie

Steve Guerin is managing director of www. tradesmenireland. com, the one-stop website that will help you find a tradesman, a site for sale, a property to rent or buy and all the plant hire and machinery you need to complete your house build or renovation