Best way to dry out a new build ?

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Birroc

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What is the best way to dry out a new build?

Some say turn on heating twice a day (an hour each).
Others say turn on heating all day (hour on, hour off)
Others say turn on heating constantly.

Should I also open the windows? The house is seriously humid when the heating is on. Clouds of steam rush out the front door when I open it.

How will I know when its dry enough to paint?
 
Open the windows in the daytime and close them in the evening and at night.
Don't dry it out too quickly ie too high a heat too quickly or it may create cracks.
When the dust is very dry in the walls is a good rule of tumb that its ok to paint.
 
I wouldnt use a dehumidifyer at this stage, as it might let it dry out too quickly and you will get cracks.

I would put heating on as normal in a house, maybe low throughout different stages of the day. Keep opening the windows as you would a normal house again following the rules as if you lived there.

As JMRC said, the dust on the walls will show you when its dry
 
Plastering was November, Floors early December. Did not get the heating on until new year though.
 
Apologies for jumping in here aswell - my walls were plastered back in Sept/Oct but my floors are only going to be poured in 10 days time - when is the soonest I could lay tiles/do timberwork ...
Is most of the moisture on the walls...or in the floors?
 
copied this from another reply about "floor laying", it may help with your question here
"just a late tip, if you tape a clear polyethene sheet 1 meter square in the centre of the floor,and leave it overnight,you can check next morning whether it has some moisture inside the clear sheet.if there is no moisture then the floor should be dry enough for flooring. "
 
AlbacoreA said:
As the others have said slowly is best...
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Leave internal doors open, and make sure the room vents to the outside are open as well. Crack all windows open to first notch on catch in day-time, close at night.

Turn the heat on at night to maintain temperature at day-time level (8 - 10 deg max) but in anycase just enough to ensure inside can't freeze.

mosstown's tip above is pretty foolproof, but once you establish that the centre of the floor has dried sufficiently, try the same tip with the darker corners of the floor furthest away from windows and radiators.
 
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