Damp does not have a single cause. It may come from water ingress, services, the ground, insufficient ventilation or several overlapping phenomena. A serious response therefore begins with a diagnosis, not a choice of paint.
Observe the building and the weather
The position of marks, how they change after rain, the season in which they appear and the room’s uses guide the investigation. We inspect facades, roofs, terraces, wall bases and services before drawing a conclusion. On an old building, successive alterations matter as much as the original material.
A single reading does not always describe the phenomenon. When doubt remains, repeated observations and targeted probes distinguish water entering the fabric from vapour condensing within it. That distinction avoids applying a treatment that conceals the defect without treating its cause.
Restore the routes of water and air
Depending on the cause, the work may concern an outlet, waterproofing, ventilation, drainage or a service. There is no universal product. The repair must stop the unwanted supply, allow the substrate to regain equilibrium and remain compatible with the materials already in place.
A finish does not cure a wall. It reveals whether the diagnosis was right.
Allow it to dry before closing it up
The programme is part of the solution. A substrate still carrying water should not immediately be sealed beneath a new build-up. We allow time for observation and choose a finish suited to the substrate, particularly during a complete renovation in Nice where several works meet.
In a residence in Èze as in a town house, our rule remains restrained: document the symptoms, treat the source, monitor the change, then finish. That order protects noble materials and avoids redoing work that has just been handed over.
