Rising damp in a Stanmore terrace is almost inevitable given enough time. This property — like so many on the inner west’s terrace-lined streets — had reached the point where the damage was impossible to ignore. Peeling paint at the base of walls, white salt deposits pushing through the plaster, and skirting boards that were soft and stained from years of hidden moisture.

The homeowner had repainted twice. Both times, the paint bubbled within months.

Stanmore’s terraces were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s with sandstock brick and lime mortar — materials that absorb moisture readily. Most were constructed with either a rudimentary damp-proof course or none at all. After more than a century, the result is predictable: moisture from the ground wicks upward through the brickwork, carrying dissolved salts that crystallise and destroy the plaster, the mortar, and eventually the brick face itself.

Repainting over rising damp is the most common wrong fix homeowners try — and it never works. The moisture is inside the wall. Paint sits on the outside. The salts keep crystallising behind the new coat and push it off within months. Every repaint is money wasted on the same result.

The traditional permanent solution — excavating a trench around the perimeter and installing a physical DPC membrane — is difficult enough on a detached house. On a mid-terrace with party walls on both sides and no side access, it’s impractical. The repair had to treat every affected wall from inside the property, without excavation, without impacting the neighbours, and without weeks of disruption.

Small holes were drilled at close intervals along the base of each affected wall. DampBlock™ — a silicone-based cream — was injected into the mortar course. The cream spreads through the surrounding masonry by capillary action and cures to form a continuous waterproof barrier, creating a new damp-proof course from within.

Salt-contaminated plaster was stripped back, and a SaltBlock™ salt-retardant base coat was applied before replastering with a breathable finish. The breathable finish is critical in older masonry — standard cement render traps moisture and defeats the purpose. The breathable coat lets any residual dampness escape while the new DPC takes full effect over the following weeks.

The treatment was completed in a single day.

No trench dug. No membrane installed. No impact on the adjoining terraces. The treatment was completed entirely from inside the property — the only practical approach for a mid-terrace home with zero side access.

The paint that kept bubbling and peeling now has dry masonry behind it — not a wet wall slowly pushing it off. Every DampBlock™ treatment is backed by a 20-year warranty. Seeing similar signs of rising damp in your terrace? A free assessment tells you exactly what's going on inside the wall.