Rising Damp Specialists · Brisbane
Salt tide-marks climbing the wall, peeling paint, a musty smell along the skirting boards. We diagnose and permanently treat rising damp in Brisbane's older Queenslanders and brick homes — with a proper chemical damp-proof course, not a paint-over.
Tell us what you're seeing — or what your building report said — and we'll arrange a no-obligation on-site inspection and written quote.
We connect you with QBCC-licensed damp specialists servicing inner Brisbane. No obligation. The specialist's assessment fee is $450 plus GST. That includes up to two hours on site diagnosis, that may include camera inspection of the stormwater drains.
Why Brisbane homes get rising damp: a huge share of the inner city's housing stock was built before 1946 — timber Queenslanders on brick piers and early masonry homes that were never given a damp-proof course, or whose slate and bitumen barriers failed decades ago. Add a humid subtropical climate, clay soils that hold moisture, and the 2011 and 2022 floods that saturated subfloors across the river and creek catchments — and ground moisture keeps wicking up through the masonry, surfacing as salt staining and rot a metre up the wall.
Know the signs
Rising damp only affects ground-floor walls, because the moisture comes from the soil. If you're seeing these signs low on the wall, it's worth a proper look before it damages the timber and brickwork. Not sure it's rising damp? Here's how to tell rising damp from condensation or a leak.
SIGN 01
A horizontal stain about a metre up the wall, where the rising moisture peaks and evaporates.
SIGN 02
Efflorescence — ground salts crystallising on the brick or plaster surface.
SIGN 03
Finishes lifting and crumbling near the base of the wall.
SIGN 04
Soft, damp or warped skirting boards, architraves and floor timbers.
SIGN 05
A persistent damp, earthy odour, often strongest in closed rooms and low cupboards.
SIGN 06
In bad cases, the face of the brick crumbles away as the salts destroy the mortar.
How we fix it
Rising damp is often misdiagnosed as condensation or a leak, which need completely different fixes. We diagnose the actual cause first, then treat the source — not just the stain.
We inspect with moisture meters, confirm it's genuinely rising damp, and rule out condensation or lateral damp.
We inject a new DPC into the mortar course — a water-repellent barrier that stops moisture rising, without removing bricks.
We strip salt-damaged plaster and apply a salt-retarding render so the damage doesn't return through the new surface.
We make good the wall and back the work with a 2-year warranty. If it's needed, we'll advise on subfloor ventilation too.
Our services
Building report flagged damp? We confirm the cause, extent and cost — fast enough for contract deadlines.
Learn more →A new damp-proof course injected into the wall to permanently stop rising damp.
Learn more →Fans and vents to dry out the subfloor of Queenslanders on brick piers.
Learn more →Removing hygroscopic salts and re-rendering so the damage doesn't creep back.
Learn more →Fixing damp bridging from garden beds, paths and retaining walls.
Learn more →The full toolkit — diagnosis-first damp proofing for every kind of moisture problem.
Learn more →Transparent pricing
Most rising damp work is priced by the linear metre of affected wall.
Chemical DPC injection: roughly $200–$400 per linear metre
A typical single-room job runs into the low thousands; a whole-house Queenslander with salt-damaged plaster can be more. See the full guide, or get a fixed written quote after a free call.
Where we work
We focus on the inner suburbs where pre-1946 Queenslanders and early brick homes are concentrated — the same belt hit hardest by the 2011 and 2022 floods.
Common questions
Rising damp only affects ground-floor walls and peaks at a fairly even height — about a metre up — often with a salt tide-mark. Condensation usually shows higher and in corners or on cold surfaces; a leak is more localised. We confirm which one it is with moisture meters on site, because the three need completely different fixes.
A building inspector flags the problem but doesn't fix it. We come out, confirm the extent, and give you a written quote you can use to negotiate on the purchase or plan the repair. See our rising damp inspection page for how it works.
If it's treated properly — a correctly installed chemical DPC plus salt-retarding render — it shouldn't. The 2-year warranty covers the workmanship. Paint-overs and quick fixes are what come back, because they don't stop the moisture at the source.
Yes — that's the bulk of the work across inner Brisbane. Older Queenslanders often have no damp-proof course and poor subfloor airflow, so we frequently pair the DPC treatment with subfloor ventilation to keep the underfloor space dry.
Most residential jobs take one to a few days depending on wall length and how much plaster needs replacing. In most cases you can stay in the home; if a room needs to be closed off during treatment we'll let you know in advance.
Yes — the work is carried out by QBCC-licensed damp and waterproofing specialists, fully insured, to Australian standards.
Tell us what you're seeing — or what your building report said — and we'll arrange a no-obligation on-site inspection and written quote.
We connect you with QBCC-licensed damp specialists servicing inner Brisbane. No obligation. The specialist's assessment fee is $450 plus GST. That includes up to two hours on site diagnosis, that may include camera inspection of the stormwater drains.
Rising Damp