ABSTRACT
Problems start to happen in old buildings when people expect them to behave like modern buildings. Floors are sealed with damp-proof
membranes and walls with impervious paints and renders. Groundwater still rises of course, but it has nowhere to go, so it collects in the fabric, causing staining and decay. Not understanding quite what has happened, elaborate damp-proof courses are installed in the walls to try to stop the water rising. This technology, borrowed from use in more stable modern buildings is not always successful in old buildings.
