Damp and moisture meters
Where a report pairs distemper over limewash with the pantry wall, what stays open about salts the meter was not asked to map?
The salts on that pantry wall stay unmapped. The report pairs distemper over limewash with the wall, which records the coatings that were seen. Distemper and limewash are both traditional breathable finishes, and salts can sit in or on them without a map of where the crystals are. The meter was not asked to map those salts, so their type, their spread and whether they are pulling moisture from the air stay open. The survey has not decided the cause is rising damp, and it has not prescribed a tanking treatment.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Limewash is a thin lime coat. Distemper is a water-based paint often used over it in pantries. Both let vapour move, so salts from the masonry can show as a crust or a fuzzy band. Mapping those salts would mean plotting where they sit. This visit was not asked for that plot. A glance does not separate hygroscopic salts, an old decorative line and present damp on the pantry wall.
Tell the solicitor the coatings were named and the salts were not mapped, so the pantry wall has no damp diagnosis from this report. If the crystals worry you, a damp specialist can map them and say whether they are inactive deposits or a live source. Do not strip the limewash as a cure the survey never gave. The lender has a description of finishes, not a salt map and not a guarantee of dry masonry. Any treatment specification has to come from a later investigation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the meter left out of any salt map on the pantry wall?
- Did you record distemper over limewash without naming a damp cause?
- Have you left rising damp undecided at that wall?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the salts as unmapped, not as a rising-damp verdict.
- Ask a damp specialist to map the deposits if you need a cause.
- Tell the solicitor the pantry coatings were described, not diagnosed.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does breathable paint mean the pantry cannot be damp?
No. Distemper and limewash let vapour through, which is why salts can show on them. They are not a barrier and not a test. The survey did not map moisture behind them. A traditional finish can sit on masonry that is dry, salty or actually wet. This report has not chosen which.
If there is no tide mark, can the salts be ignored?
Not on that basis alone. Salts the meter was not asked to map may be faint, patchy or hidden in the coating. Absence of a classic tide was not a survey conclusion here. The deposits stay undescribed in extent. Ignoring them would add a decision the visit did not make.