Wind driven rain is a major problem especially in coastal areas, as it can saturate the building fabric, leading to staining, spoiling of internal decorations, even to structural damages long-term.Salts dislodged by driving rain from the fabric can be deposited…
At our last conservation workshop in Venice, we had the chance to visit one of saltiest buildings in the world - The Old Salt Storage of Venice. But before I dive into the challenges that building meant in terms of…
NO DAMP PROOF COURSE + HIGH WATER TABLE = PROBLEMThis is a case study of a 250 years old stone farm house, with a high water table, where nothing seemed to work... Old buildings built prior to the 1870s often do…
Due to their importance, salts have already been mentioned several times in previous sections. We mentioned them when we looked at the key differences between sweet and saline water wetting. We discussed the role of salts as a moisture barrier…
Drying out basements and cellars is a more complex task than drying out freestanding walls. The main difference between underground and free-standing (above ground level) walls is the presence of sideways penetrating damp as some external walls are in direct…