Gendros, Swansea & South Wales 07850 123302 idealworksltd@gmail.com
Our Services

Damp Proofing Services in Swansea

Six specialist services covering every damp, timber and weatherproofing problem a South Wales property can throw at you — all diagnosed properly and guaranteed in writing.

Service 01

Damp Proofing in Swansea

Damp proofing is the umbrella term for stopping unwanted moisture entering the structure of your building. In Swansea's wet, coastal climate — with plenty of older solid-wall terraces and Victorian stock — it's one of the most common problems we're called out to.

The critical part isn't the treatment, it's the diagnosis. Rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation all look similar to the untrained eye but need completely different remedies. We survey first, confirm the cause with calibrated moisture readings, then recommend only the work that's genuinely required.

Signs you may need damp proofing

  • A tide mark or dark staining along the base of a ground-floor wall.
  • Plaster that is blown, crumbling or lifting away near the skirting.
  • White, fluffy salt deposits pushing through the wall surface.
  • Skirting boards, floorboards or door frames that feel soft or springy.
  • A persistent musty smell in a room that never quite clears.
  • Damp flagged on a survey during a purchase or sale.
  • Free survey
  • Fixed price
  • Written guarantee
  • Domestic & commercial

Damp proofing at a glance

Best for
Ground-floor walls with tide marks, blown plaster or salting
Typical job
1–3 days for a standard domestic property
Aftercare
Allow roughly one month per 25mm of new plaster before decorating
Guarantee
Long-term written guarantee

Worth knowing

A surprising number of “damp proofing” jobs turn out to be drainage jobs. If a downpipe is discharging against the wall, no damp proof course on earth will fix it — which is why we always inspect the outside before quoting for the inside.

What our damp proofing includes

  • Injected damp proof courses — forming a new chemical barrier where the original DPC has failed or is missing.
  • Salt-retardant replastering — specialist render systems that lock hygroscopic salts out of your new plaster finish.
  • Basement & cellar tanking — cementitious tanking or cavity drain membranes to create dry, usable space.
  • Penetrating damp repairs — repointing, render repairs and remedying defective rainwater goods.
  • Damp reports for mortgage lenders — written specialist reports where a surveyor has flagged damp on a sale.

Rising damp at a glance

Height affected
Stops at a consistent line, usually below one metre
Never affects
Upstairs walls — if it is upstairs, it is not rising damp
Typical job
1–2 days per affected wall, plus replastering
Guarantee
Long-term written guarantee

Why replastering matters

Replastering is not cosmetic. The old plaster holds hygroscopic salts drawn out of the wall over years, and those salts keep pulling moisture from the air indefinitely. A new damp proof course without new plaster will still read damp on a meter.

How we treat it

We inject a water-repellent DPC cream into the mortar bed at the base of the wall, forming a continuous barrier that blocks moisture rising any further. The contaminated plaster is then removed and replaced with a salt-retardant replastering system, because the old plaster holds hygroscopic salts that would keep drawing moisture out of the air indefinitely if left in place.

Once complete, the wall dries out naturally and stays dry — and the work is covered by a long-term written guarantee.

Service 02

Rising Damp Treatment

Rising damp happens when ground water is drawn up through the porous masonry of a wall by capillary action. It occurs where a property has no damp proof course, where the existing DPC has broken down with age, or where it's been bridged by raised ground levels, a new path or a render coat carried down over it.

How to spot rising damp

  • A horizontal tide mark, usually up to around one metre above floor level
  • White, fluffy salt deposits on the wall surface
  • Blown, crumbling or hollow-sounding plaster near the skirting
  • Peeling wallpaper and flaking paint low down on the wall
  • Rotting or damp-stained skirting boards and floor timbers
  • Chemical DPC injection
  • Salt-retardant replastering
  • Bridging & ground level advice

Service 03

Woodworm Treatment

"Woodworm" describes the larval stage of several wood boring beetles. The larvae tunnel through timber for years before emerging as adults, and by the time you see the tell-tale holes the damage inside is already done. Left untreated, a serious infestation can weaken floor joists and roof timbers to the point where they need replacing.

Signs of active woodworm

  • Small round exit holes, typically 1–2mm across, in floorboards, joists or furniture
  • Fine powdery dust (frass) beneath or around the timber
  • Crumbling edges to floorboards, joist ends and rafters
  • Weak or springy floors underfoot
  • Dead beetles on window sills, usually in late spring and summer
  • Species identification
  • Insecticidal treatment
  • Timber repairs
  • Guaranteed

Woodworm at a glance

Most common here
Common Furniture Beetle, by a wide margin
Active infestation
Clean, pale-edged holes with fresh frass below them
Typical job
Usually a single day for a domestic floor or roof space
Guarantee
Long-term written guarantee

Treat the cause, not just the beetle

Wood boring beetles need damp timber to thrive. Treating the infestation without resolving the moisture behind it simply resets the clock, so we deal with both as one job rather than coming back in two years.

Our woodworm treatment

We survey the timber, confirm the infestation is active and identify the species — Common Furniture Beetle, Deathwatch Beetle and House Longhorn each behave differently. We then expose the affected timbers, apply a professional-grade insecticidal treatment, and repair or replace anything that's been structurally weakened.

Crucially, we also deal with the moisture that attracted the beetles in the first place. Dry timber doesn't get woodworm — so damp control is a permanent part of the cure, not an optional extra.

Dry rot at a glance

Key giveaway
Cuboidal cracking in the timber and a damp, mushroom-like smell
Spreads through
Masonry as well as timber — it can cross an entire wall
Urgency
High — this is the one damp problem that should not wait
Guarantee
Long-term written guarantee

Cut off the water and it dies

Dry rot cannot survive without a moisture source. That is why every rot job we take on starts by finding and stopping the leak, rather than by treating the fungus and hoping. Remove the water and the fungus has nothing to live on.

Our rot treatment

We trace and eliminate the moisture source first, because rot cannot survive without it. We then remove all affected timber back beyond the visible damage, sterilise adjacent masonry where dry rot is present, apply fungicidal treatment and install pre-treated replacement timbers with proper isolation and ventilation to prevent recurrence.

Service 04

Dry Rot & Wet Rot Treatment

Dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) is the most destructive timber problem a building can suffer. Unlike wet rot, it can spread its strands through masonry and plaster to hunt out new timber in other parts of the property — which means a small outbreak under a floor can end up affecting an entire wing of a house.

How to recognise dry rot

  • Timber that cracks into cube-shaped sections and crumbles when pressed
  • Grey-white cotton-wool-like growth, sometimes with lilac or yellow tinges
  • Rust-red spore dust around the affected area
  • Flat, pancake-like fruiting bodies
  • A damp, musty, mushroom-like smell

Wet rot is more common and far less aggressive. It stays confined to timber that's actually wet — around leaking gutters, failed window frames or under bathrooms — and is usually resolved by fixing the leak and replacing the damaged wood.

  • Dry rot eradication
  • Wet rot repairs
  • Structural timber replacement
  • Fungicidal treatment

Service 05

Condensation Control & Mould Removal

Condensation is by far the most common form of damp in UK homes, and it's frequently misdiagnosed as rising damp — sometimes resulting in expensive damp proofing that was never needed. It occurs when warm, moisture-laden internal air meets a cold surface and releases its water, feeding the black mould that appears in corners, on ceilings, around windows and behind furniture.

Modern insulation and double glazing have made homes far more airtight, which is great for heating bills but leaves nowhere for everyday moisture — from cooking, showering, drying clothes and simply breathing — to escape.

Signs of a condensation problem

  • Water running down windows and pooling on sills in the morning
  • Black spot mould in room corners, on ceilings and around window reveals
  • Mould on the back of wardrobes and behind furniture on external walls
  • Damp, musty smelling clothing and bedding
  • Steamed-up rooms that take a long time to clear
  • PIV systems
  • Extract ventilation
  • Mould eradication
  • Landlord compliance

Condensation at a glance

Best for
Black spot mould, streaming windows and persistently musty rooms
Seasonal pattern
Noticeably worst between November and March
Typical install
A PIV unit is usually fitted in half a day
Running cost
Low — these units are designed to run continuously

Why damp proofing will not help

An average household puts several litres of water into the air every day through cooking, washing, drying clothes and breathing. Ventilation removes that moisture. An injected damp proof course does nothing for it whatsoever — and costs considerably more.

Our condensation solutions

  • PIV (Positive Input Ventilation) units — loft or wall-mounted units that gently push filtered fresh air through the property, diluting humid air and driving it out. The single most effective whole-house fix.
  • Humidity-controlled extract fans — for kitchens and bathrooms, switching themselves on automatically as humidity climbs.
  • Trickle and passive ventilation — restoring background airflow in rooms that have none.
  • Mould treatment — professional fungicidal wash to kill spores rather than just wiping the surface.
  • Insulation & cold bridge advice — reducing the cold surfaces that condensation forms on in the first place.

Masonry coatings at a glance

Best for
Exposed, weather-beaten or previously painted external walls
Included
Render and crack repairs carried out before any coating goes on
Typical job
3–5 days depending on property size and access
Guarantee
Long-term written guarantee

Breathability is the whole point

A non-breathable masonry paint traps moisture inside the wall and causes exactly the damp problem it was bought to prevent. A proper coating works one way: it sheds liquid rain from outside while still letting water vapour escape from within.

Our process

Walls are cleaned down and treated for algae and moss, cracks and defective render are repaired, a stabilising primer is applied where needed, and the coating is applied to the manufacturer's specification. Windows, doors, drives and planting are fully masked and protected throughout.

Service 06

High Performance Masonry Coatings

South Wales gets more than its fair share of driving rain, and exposed properties around Swansea and the Gower coast take a battering. Once render or brickwork becomes porous, water soaks straight through the wall and shows up internally as penetrating damp — cold, patchy stains that appear worst after heavy weather.

A high performance masonry coating is a thick, flexible, textured coating applied to your exterior walls. It sheds rain like a raincoat while staying breathable, so any moisture inside the wall can still evaporate outwards rather than being sealed in.

Why choose a masonry coating?

  • Stops penetrating damp — a genuinely weatherproof barrier against wind-driven rain.
  • Breathable — allows water vapour out, so walls dry rather than trapping moisture.
  • Long lasting — vastly outlives standard masonry paint, which typically needs redoing every few years.
  • Crack bridging — flexes with the building and covers hairline cracks in render.
  • Warmer, drier walls — dry masonry insulates far better than saturated masonry.
  • Transforms kerb appeal — a clean, uniform, self-cleaning finish in your choice of colour.
  • Breathable finish
  • Colour choice
  • Render repairs included
  • Long-term guarantee
Not Sure Which You Need?

Try Our Free Damp Symptom Checker

Tick off what you can see in your property and we'll point you at the most likely cause in about 20 seconds — no details required.

Call for Free Advice Or Just Call Us
Service FAQs

Technical Questions, Plainly Answered

What is a chemical damp proof course?

A chemical damp proof course is a water-repellent cream or fluid injected into a series of holes drilled along the mortar bed at the base of a wall. It forms a continuous horizontal barrier within the masonry that blocks moisture rising from the ground. It's the standard modern remedy for rising damp where the original DPC has failed or was never installed.

How do I know if woodworm is still active?

Active woodworm produces clean, light-coloured exit holes around 1–2mm across along with fine powdery frass (bore dust) beneath the timber. Old, inactive holes look dark and dusty with no fresh frass. Misdiagnosis is common, so we always confirm activity during the survey before recommending any treatment.

What's the difference between dry rot and wet rot?

Dry rot can spread through masonry and travel across a building to find new timber, causing cuboidal cracking and a distinctive mushroom-like smell — it needs urgent specialist treatment. Wet rot stays local to the wet timber and is far less aggressive; it's usually resolved by fixing the water source and replacing the affected wood.

Will a masonry coating stop penetrating damp?

Yes. A high performance coating creates a flexible, weatherproof skin that repels driving rain while staying breathable so trapped moisture can escape. On exposed South Wales properties suffering penetrating damp through porous render or brickwork it's often the most effective long-term solution — and it typically lasts far longer than conventional masonry paint.

Does a PIV unit really stop condensation and black mould?

A positive input ventilation unit gently introduces filtered fresh air into the property, diluting humid internal air and forcing it out through natural leakage points. By holding relative humidity below the level at which mould can grow, it stops black mould returning — without you having to leave windows open through winter.

Can I decorate straight after replastering?

Not immediately. New plaster needs to dry thoroughly — allow roughly one month per 25mm of thickness. You can mist-coat and use a breathable emulsion in the meantime, but avoid vinyl paints, wallpaper or anything that seals the surface until the wall is fully dry.

Do you work with landlords and letting agents?

Yes. We work with landlords, letting agents and housing providers across Swansea on damp and mould issues, including ventilation upgrades to meet housing health and safety standards. We can provide written reports for tenancy and compliance records.

Do you handle the replastering as well as the damp proofing?

Yes — we carry out the complete job, from injection through to finished plaster ready for decoration. You don't need to bring in a separate plasterer, and there's a single point of responsibility for the guarantee.

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Tell us what you're seeing and we'll diagnose it properly — no obligation, no pressure, fixed written quote.

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