Damp walls after the monsoon: fix them before you paint
Why paint bubbles and peels on damp walls in Bengal homes, how to tell rising damp from seepage, and the right order of work before repainting.
Every October, people bring us the same photo: paint bubbling near the floor, white powder on the wall, a dark patch under the roof. New paint on a damp wall fails, often within months. Fixing the damp comes first.
Three kinds of damp, three causes
1. Rising damp: a band of peeling paint and white salt marks up to 2–3 feet from the floor. Ground moisture climbs into the wall. It’s common in older houses, low-lying plots and homes near the river.
2. Seepage from outside: patches on the inside of an outer wall, worse after heavy rain. Rain is getting through cracks or porous plaster on the outside.
3. Roof leaks: stains on the ceiling or the top of the walls, spreading after rain. Water is coming through the roof slab or the parapet.
The right order of work
- Let the wall dry out. After the monsoon, give it a few dry weeks. Painting a wet wall traps the water.
- Find the source. A moisture meter reading tells us how wet the wall really is, and where it’s coming from.
- Scrape off what’s loose. Remove flaking paint, salt deposits and loose plaster.
- Treat the cause: a waterproof coat on the roof or terrace, crack filling and a damp-proof coat on outside walls, or a damp-proof primer on the lower part of inside walls.
- Then putty, primer and paint, in that order.
What paint alone can’t do
Even the best paint cannot stop water that keeps coming. If the roof leaks or the ground is wet, a new coat only hides the problem for a while. That’s why we check before we sell you a single tin.
Get it checked
Our team can visit, take moisture readings and photograph the problem spots before quoting. See our painting and waterproofing service, or send photos of the damp patch on WhatsApp and we’ll tell you what it likely needs.