Salt Damp Treatment prices in Adelaide
This page sets no price: no government source states what salt damp treatment costs, and a figure from a sales page would be the seller's number, not yours. It lists the guidance and legal lines that bear on a quote, each linked to its source and dated.
Call (08) 8330 4909Salt damp treatment costs and rules check
The guidance from the heritage bodies and Adelaide council and the South Australian building-work lines that can apply to treating salt damp in older walls, each with the source it comes from and the date it was read. They turn on the wall and the work, so ask the provider which apply.
| Rule | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The salt damp guide says not to use hard cement mortar to repoint failed lime mortar joints, because that drives the damp further up the wall and may damage the bricks. The Norwood Payneham & St Peters fact sheet says older stone or brick walls should not be pointed with strong impervious Portland cement mortar, which could inhibit breathing. Ask what mortar a repair will use and why.About cement, render and paint on old walls | repointing old brick or stone walls | Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read |
| The council fact sheet says masonry walls should not be rendered at the base with a strong impervious Portland cement mortar plinth to keep damp out, because it only traps moisture in the wall.About cement, render and paint on old walls | rendering the base of an old wall | City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read |
| The council fact sheet says old masonry walls should not be painted, because that can trap the moisture and force it inside.About cement, render and paint on old walls | painting an old masonry wall | City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read |
| The council fact sheet says downpipes should discharge into a sealed stormwater system, not at the base of walls, and that ideally at least 100 mm of wall should be exposed below the original tar-and-sand damp-proof course. The technical guide's checklist says to maintain about 200 mm between damp-proof courses and ground level. The two figures are as printed in each source; ask which applies to your wall.About fix drainage before a damp course | any wall with damp at its base | City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read |
| The technical guide says not to insert any form of damp-proof course until all the basic housekeeping measures have been completed and their effectiveness assessed over a period of time, at least a year.About fix drainage before a damp course | before agreeing to a new damp-proof course | Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read |
| The technical guide lists the ways of inserting a damp-proof course: undersetting with a mechanical course, slot sawing with a mechanical course, impregnation of a chemical course, and active electro-osmotic damp-proofing. The council fact sheet says not all walls can be injected, and that it may take a few treatments to make the damp course continuous.About damp-proof course options | choosing a new damp-proof course | Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read |
| The technical guide says that when salts abound, do not just insert a damp-proof course; also remove excessive salts from above it. The council fact sheet says a new course stops new rising damp but the wall above it will still contain salts deposited by decades of previous rising damp.About damp-proof course options | after a new damp-proof course | Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read |
| The technical guide says not to accept the cheapest quote for chemical damp-proofing without checking the contractor's references and the details of the proposed works, such as drill hole spacing and depth, and how the contractor will determine when sufficient fluid has been impregnated.About salt damp quotes and who may do the work | a chemical damp-proofing quote | Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read |
| The technical guide says that if a building is founded on reactive (expansive) clay soils, excessive drying of the soil could lead to structural cracking from differential settlement. Ask whether the soil under the house has been considered.About fix drainage before a damp course | a house on reactive clay soil | Salt attack and rising damp, a 2008 guide by four heritage bodies · read |
| Under the Act, every domestic building work contract carries an implied warranty that the building work will be performed in a proper manner to accepted trade standards and in accordance with the plans and specifications agreed to by the parties. Whether a particular salt damp job is domestic building work was not established.About salt damp quotes and who may do the work | a domestic building work contract | Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA), version current from 15.1.2026 · read |
| The Act lists, among the formal requirements for a domestic building work contract, that it must be in writing. Whether a given salt damp job is domestic building work was not established.About salt damp quotes and who may do the work | a domestic building work contract | Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA), version current from 15.1.2026 · read |
| The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters says owners of listed heritage places in its area can obtain free advice on rising damp from the Council's Heritage Adviser. Other councils were not read; ask yours.About salt damp quotes and who may do the work | a listed heritage place in Norwood, Payneham or St Peters | City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters: Fact Sheet, Heritage Buildings, Rising Damp & Salt Attack · read |
This lists each source's own lines as read; the guide's dos and don'ts are guidance, not law. It is not legal advice, and it sets no price.
What changes a quote
The method comes first: undersetting, slot sawing, chemical impregnation and electro-osmotic damp-proofing are four different jobs in the guide's list, and not every wall can be injected. What has to be done to the wall around the course comes second: the mortar, the render band and the paint the sources warn against, and the removal of salts above a new course. The drainage and ground levels at the base come third, because the guide wants them dealt with and watched before a course goes in. Where the building sits is fourth: in a State Heritage Area, or on a council's heritage list, the work may need approval before it starts. This site publishes no figure for any of them.
What a quote should list
Ask for the method, the mortar, render or coating, the drainage work and the contractor's authority in writing, with the contract on paper. The checker below lists each line with the source it comes from and the date it was read. Treat it as a set of questions for the provider, not as advice about your wall.
Costs and fees by service
- Salt Damp Treatment
- Why Adelaide Has Salt Damp
- Cement, Render and Paint on Old Walls
- Fix Drainage Before a Damp Course
- Damp-Proof Course Options
- Salt Damp Quotes and Who May Do the Work
No price is shown for any service on this site, and this site sets none. The only dollar figures anywhere on it would be fees a government body sets; none appears for this trade.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (08) 8330 4909.
Last reviewed · Updated · First published