Hi Everyone,
Last night I was moving my couch away from the wall in the basement and I noticed weird discolored spots in the paint finish. I repainted the basement this past winter and this is the first I have seen it. The discolored paint isn't happening anywhere else in the base, just behind the couch (approximately a 7' lg area) The whole level is below grade for reference.
We just moved into this hose this past December so I could contact home warranty if it is a severe issue. I also know the basement was refinished in 2012 and as far as I know there was no type of issue with the walls during the walk through or inspection.
I can tell you that our whole house during the winter has very low humidity. Now during the summer the humidity in the basement is low, but the humidity on the upper level is OK ( according to my meter). I also use the basement as a work out area. Before my workouts the humidity is rather low (somewhere in the 30s). By the time I'm done the humidity level in that area is close to 60%.
The reason I bring this up is in my limited research it appears that rapid change in humidity coupled with the exterior vs interior temperature could be leading to this. However if this was the case wouldn't I see the blemishes on other walls ? I have attached a few photos showing the issues I'm experiencing. Has anyone experienced anything like this before?
The fact there is some discoloration around the outlets is leading me to believe that section of the wall may not have a vapor barrier installed, but I'm not sure. The issue only occurs low to the ground too. I would say the highest it travels up the wall is maybe 14". The first 2 pictures are of the affected area. The last picture is the wall right next to this area that is also under a window. I did some electrical on that outlet this winter and there was definitely plastic on that side.
Thank you for any help ! :beer:
Last night I was moving my couch away from the wall in the basement and I noticed weird discolored spots in the paint finish. I repainted the basement this past winter and this is the first I have seen it. The discolored paint isn't happening anywhere else in the base, just behind the couch (approximately a 7' lg area) The whole level is below grade for reference.
We just moved into this hose this past December so I could contact home warranty if it is a severe issue. I also know the basement was refinished in 2012 and as far as I know there was no type of issue with the walls during the walk through or inspection.
I can tell you that our whole house during the winter has very low humidity. Now during the summer the humidity in the basement is low, but the humidity on the upper level is OK ( according to my meter). I also use the basement as a work out area. Before my workouts the humidity is rather low (somewhere in the 30s). By the time I'm done the humidity level in that area is close to 60%.
The reason I bring this up is in my limited research it appears that rapid change in humidity coupled with the exterior vs interior temperature could be leading to this. However if this was the case wouldn't I see the blemishes on other walls ? I have attached a few photos showing the issues I'm experiencing. Has anyone experienced anything like this before?
The fact there is some discoloration around the outlets is leading me to believe that section of the wall may not have a vapor barrier installed, but I'm not sure. The issue only occurs low to the ground too. I would say the highest it travels up the wall is maybe 14". The first 2 pictures are of the affected area. The last picture is the wall right next to this area that is also under a window. I did some electrical on that outlet this winter and there was definitely plastic on that side.
Thank you for any help ! :beer: