What can I do with all these black circles appearing on my walls?

Question

Every nine months into having my flat decorated black circles appear on the outside walls.Every time a decorator calls he says its the nails that have been used by the former builders on the cavity walls?? I am waiting for my management co. to inspect,but I have waited 3 months for them and still not arrived,so can anyone help me out there.It all sounds spooky but its not.I have tried talking to builders, but no one can say what it is so please help ( this has been occurring for 10 years) and now its getting expensive.Each time i have it decorated the chap says i'll put a coat of this or that but it never does the trick.They have now started appearing the the other rooms on the outside wall ?? very distressed homeowner

Answer 1

I would have a roofer check your roof for leaks. If they are dry circles, (not mold) then it is being caused by the walls not being insulated. It happens every 10 months because when it gets cold outside, the wall cavities get very cold. This cold transfers to the nails. Because the nails are colder than the surrounding wall, inside moisture, in the air, is drawn to these cold nails where the moisture condenses and is absorbed by the wall around each nail. Dust from inside the house is then attracted to each moist spot and collects there. If the wall paint is in otherwise good condition, washing the outside walls every spring should take care of the problem. To eliminate the problem, walls should be insulated, and an air cleaner installed. But cleaning the walls will eliminate the circles.

Answer 2

I cant see it being nails because why would you put nails all over the walls ? You say it is now happening on most of the outside walls,well because it's a cavity wall then I think you will find that it will be the wall ties rusting. They used to be made of galvanised steel & over time thay rust ( very expensive to replace ) but you say your managment co should be coming out to inspect the problem,well just tell them if thay don't get there a*s into gear then there walls could fall apart. Hope this helps

Answer 3

I am a painting contractor and recently had a similar situation, it was an old home with plaster walls, the nail heads wrer rusting and showing through the plaster, they were not on the surface but little rusty naol heads showing through from behind, here is what worked for me, I got the best primer/stain blocker I knew of ..a product called mad dog. I had it tinted a grey similar to the grey of auto primer> i painted on the tinted primer and let it dry for 48 hours, then,I applied a coat of flat latex paint over the primer in the color the homeowner wanted, I let that dry overnight and did my final top coat in a flat acrylic. So far no nail heads have returned....I did the job in early October of 06

Answer 4

It could be some sort of mold.I would have it checked out for health sake.Or you can try a product called KILZ.It covers a lot of problem areas such as where your ceiling might have a circle because of a leak.And also it cover mold spots around moist areas like bathtub.I hope I helped you a little.

Answer 5

you need to have the walls treated with a anti fungal + dampness treatment,, the walls were damp when the place was built and will keep reappearing unless treated
a good builder would know what to do so if anyone starts to give you a story you will know that they do not know what they are talking about
good luck

Answer 6

Sounds like condensation on something in the walls, since it is on the exterior walls.

Try Dry-Lok on those walls. But be prepared. It STINKS! I'm sure it will seal out the problem.
Good luck

Answer 7

there is a product called "zinsser" its an american product
and it great just pop in to a crown dec centre and they will help you choice the right one

Answer 8

Play backgammon.