Demolition begins

The first picture shows what was left after ripping out the wardrobe. The units were sitting on the bare floor boards and the carpeting had been laid upto the edge.

What we found was the smoke was coming in from several locations along the wall. We started by injecting expanding foam into every crack and hole we could see. this was made easier as when the skirting board was removed it took away a lot of damaged plaster exposing the dodgy brickwork. (second pic) The other thing discovered was there was no attempt to finish the wall properly and the whole thing that been covered in layers of patchwork lining paper. Some painted, some just papered over with another layer of some brown crap.

Once the foam had hardened we waited for a couple of days to see if we had in fact cured the problem. Short answer, no. Apart from the leaky exposed bricks it was determined the brickwork under the floorboards was also leaky. As the pictures show, the floorboards run end on to the affected wall. Rather than rip up 25 or so boards it was a lot easier to drill bore holes along the floor at 6" intervals. These were filled with expanding foam to create a sealed barrier all along the party wall.

We still found a couple of more leaks where the joist was attached to the wall but these too have now been sealed. After a week I think we can call it a success.

A couple of tips if you are going to be doing this.

1: wash the brickwork down first and use a vacuum cleaner to clear out the dust and grit in the holes you are going to fill. For better results damp the brickwork with a plant mister just prior to injecting the foam.

2: wear gloves. This stuff loves to stick to skin. The £2 you will spend on those fashionable disposable gloves is money well spent. If you do get the foam on your skin. Ignore the instructions on the tin. Let it harden first then gently peel off while wetting the skin with soap. If you try to wash it off while its still goey, you will end up with a thin layer that takes days to get rid of. Trust me I know these things all too well.

3: wear very old clothes. Again this stuff will stick to you. It doesn't come out in the wash either.

4: inject less than you think. It will keep expanding for a few minutes after you stop spraying.

5: lastly don't try to sculpt it or trim it back until its set hard. Use an old saw to trim it back.