Leak, mould or otherwise? - please advise

[menwall]

Hi all,

Looking for a little advice. We have moved into our new 2-floor apartment and after living here for a little over a week, we have recently noticed some stains in ALL 4 corners of the living room since we got it painted - the severity varies but the darkest corners are on the inside of the house with different neighbors either side. The paint is grey but the patches appear a bit dark and they streak from the very top (at the ceiling) down to the skirting board, so a few metres. Only one of the corners has a patch on the roof. None of the patches feel wet or moist to touch and I'm not picking any residue off with a dry cloth. I can't smell anything off them either. One of the corners has a bathroom above it. Another corner has a bedroom with no water source directly above the stain. The bedroom wall/floor shows no sign of any damage or patches.

This is the corner under the bathroom. The bathroom shows no visible sign of leakage and is very rarely used: postimg.org/image/99unv473z/

This is the corner under the bedroom with no water source directly above it: postimg.org/image/wt8k02kx7. You can see how this one appears quite thick at the top then gets narrow into a straight line the closer it gets to the skirting board. There is also a streak along the roof for a meter or two.

I am a plumbing novice so would really appreciate some opinions. I have a more savvy friend calling round on Wednesday but until then, any help or suggestions is appreciated.

Many thanks

 

[rpm]

Was there any marks there before you had it painted? If yes then it should of been sealed before using a water based emulsion.

 

[menwall]

Thanks RPM. There were no marks before we had it painted, but we hadn't moved in at that point either. The walls were originally lemon colored but there was definitely no stain like this before the decorating was done.

 

[rpm]

Other than getting up in the loft (if you have one) and having a search I can`t add anything else.

 

[Simon F]

did you use a roller on the main part of the wall and then cut in the corners with the brush?
with a grey paint you could well see the difference in colour depth/texture.
so it might not be plumbing related??

you could use a damp meter to check the damp levels.

 

[rpm]

Like that Simon, bit of logical thinking.

 

[Deleted member 7121]

Is there ventilation in the room ? Trickle window vent as condensation will always form in the corners if ventilation is poor

 

[menwall]

did you use a roller on the main part of the wall and then cut in the corners with the brush?
with a grey paint you could well see the difference in colour depth/texture.
so it might not be plumbing related??

you could use a damp meter to check the damp levels.

Thanks Simon and RPM. I will give the loft a check again and hopefully my friend will have a damp meter so I will check it out; if not I will invest . Thanks for the initial tips, I'll keep the thread updated with progress. Not sure on how the decorator painted as we were not in at the time but I imagine he did use a brush for the edges rather than roller - will also investigate. Thanks guys

 

[menwall]

Is there ventilation in the room ? Trickle window vent as condensation will always form in the corners if ventilation is poor

Thanks pipeman - there are trickle vents in the window (just checked that this morning) and they were in open position for as long as we have been here

 

[dean.diy]

+1 on being condensation, esp if double glazed.

 

[jonnyswamp]

You drying clothes on the radiators? It'll probably be mould, keep the house well ventilated