Been looking at a condo, and noticed damage to the balcony ceiling. Management says it is from the rain, but in my opinion, the problem is bigger than that.

Please look at the video and tell me what you think

 

 

It looks like moisture damage, probably made worse by improper primer coat, or non at all. 

It does not look serious to me,

Scrape,  sand. primemer, than paint. if the problem reappears. it might be that the roof above, or the balcony above is not waterproof.  

 

In my experience, it’s almost certainly caused by rain.

 

It looks so bad because no one has bothered to fix the problem for several years. The responsibility to fix it lies with either the owner above or, if the roof/balcony is common area, the condo management.

This outside , so how can moister build up? Also the ceiling in principle never can get wet from the rain, since it is higher than the concrete beam in the front.

 

If it reappears, it is obviously too late, as that mean I own the condo already

Agree with poor surface prep before painting.   Possibly using watered down primer & paint.   Never add water to either.  Also agree above roof may not have been properly waterproofed, and chapping on side of upper wall poorly waterproofed, primed & painted.

 

That the rest of the wall doesn't show the same damaged means moisture is not being retained in the wall itself as it is in the ceiling and beam.

 

You see this quite a bit at the bottom of walls on ground level floors, when no moisture barrier was used.  Ground moisture seeps up through the cement & block and paint peels from moisture behind.

I would say the paint job is very old, and guaranteed to have been done incorrectly. The paint lifting and bubbling is indicative of poor surface preparation. The "professional" painter probably didn't even clean the surface, let alone seal or prime anything.

 

The rainwater is wicking inwards from the balcony above. The capillary action of the water has got under the paint and into the concrete, and is wicking much further inwards than any rainwater would actually reach.

 

Only solution is a full strip down, allow any residual moisture to dry out, correctly seal and paint.

 

You might want to seal the gap of that outer border area with silicone, and attach an aluminium strip that will prevent further wicking.

The damage seems to be only at the open side of the balcony. You don't show the rest of the walls, presumably because there is no damage.

That brings up the question of what is at the open side of the balcony which is not on the "inner" parts. Rain and sun. 

Only the parts in the video have damage. The reason I have doubts it is from only rain is that, why does every exterior wall not have the same damage since they are in rain and sun 365 days a year

13 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

The rainwater is wicking inwards from the balcony above. The capillary action of the water has got under the paint and into the concrete, and is wicking much further inwards than any rainwater would actually reach.

 

But how you explain the paint peeling at the highest point/

 

I understand water getting between paint and concrete at the front of the balcony, then spreading over the horizontal part of the beam.

But how does the water climb again at the inside of the beam, then start further spreading over the ceiling?

9 hours ago, BenStark said:

 

But how you explain the paint peeling at the highest point/

 

I understand water getting between paint and concrete at the front of the balcony, then spreading over the horizontal part of the beam.

But how does the water climb again at the inside of the beam, then start further spreading over the ceiling?

Because water in Thailand is able to defy gravity. 

 

Seriously, capillary action of water defies gravity. That's how plants and trees absorb water from the soil and transport it to their uppermost leaves and branches. Hold a sheet of tissue paper vertically and gently touch the surface of a glass of water and see what happens - that's capillary action, and your concrete is the tissue paper.  

 

Your paint problem is a combination of poor paint preparation, and poor building design that allows water to wick from the outer wall when it rains. Repaint everything correctly, and install a wicking barrier to prevent it happening again.

4 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Because water in Thailand is able to defy gravity. 

 

Seriously, capillary action of water defies gravity. That's how plants and trees absorb water from the soil and transport it to their uppermost leaves and branches. Hold a sheet of tissue paper vertically and gently touch the surface of a glass of water and see what happens - that's capillary action, and your concrete is the tissue paper.  

 

Your paint problem is a combination of poor paint preparation, and poor building design that allows water to wick from the outer wall when it rains. Repaint everything correctly, and install a wicking barrier to prevent it happening again.

 

Thanks, could you give an example of how to install a wicking barrier please?

26 minutes ago, BenStark said:

 

Thanks, could you give an example of how to install a wicking barrier please?

 

Google window sill flashing - the principle idea is the same.