HELP - damp new paint!

[BeeInYourBonnet]

We have a small leak in our chimney which has appeared over the winter, obviously exacerbated by constant rain for the past 3m.

We had seen no problem apart from in the loft, and planned to get roof/chimney sorted professionally as soon as the bloody weather improves.

So, we ( possibly ill advisably in hindsight!) decorated DDs room, and after painting a yellow stain appeared. We painted with a stain block primer and then coated with matt emulsion. Now we have a ginormous damp patch, which feels slightly wet to touch and looks hideous. We are too scared to repaint as it will likely make damp patch bigger, and I have put a heater and dehumidifier in the room which is having little effect so far.

What can we do?! And is it OK or unsafe to move DD back in. She is currently squished in DSs room which is a nightmare especially as they are having to share a bed. Roof will hopefully be sorted in next couple of weeks but god knows when damp will go - argh!

Bump - please help

Repainting is pointless until the damp has been resolved. I am no expert, but it sounds like flashing on the chimney to me. Good luck with it! I see no reason why DD can't sleep in the room though.
PS We also have a wet patch in our porch, but have no idea how to cure ours. The lead roof has already been replaced to no avail. Yours should be easier!

Thanks.
I'm not attempting to paint any more until damp is sorted. I'm just trying to eradicate/minimise the big wet patch on the wall which appeared when we painted it. Hopefully chimney/roof will be sorted asap, but in the meantime the wet patch is driving me insane!!!

Think I will move DD back in on the weekend and hope for the best! Good luck with your porch. Damp sucks!

My ex flooded our house deliberately. He turned the taps on upstairs, put the plugs into the sink and bath, and left for 12 hours. Suffice to say that I have some experience with drying a place out!

Obviously, if you don't fix the roof, the problem will get worse every time it rains, so this needs to be a top priority.

Once you've sorted the source of the water, keep the air moving in the room - this helps so much. Open windows, and try to create a through-draught if you can. if you can afford the electricity bill, get a fan on in there as well as a dehumidifier. Be patient- it takes a loooooong time - I'm talking a couple of months or even more. My house (which admittedly was very soggy) took 5 months. However, I don't think it'll create problems for your DD to sleep in there provided it is ventilated. Fortunately, the weather is mild, which will help.

Resist the temptation to repaint - not until it's completely dry. You may well need to take the plaster off the damp patch and have it redone before you redecorate.

Thanks Struggling . Great advice. Sorry your ex is such a piece of work .

Can I also add that when you get the plaster replaced, it needs to be done with a cement based plaster, not just a normal skim. We had a similar issue - damp wall from a leak in the chimney. Got the lead flashing fixed, waited some months for it to dry out, asked a plasterer to reskim, got it redecorated and the next day discovered that the salt crystals were pushing through the lovely new paint. Rang a damp expert who told me it would continue to push through unless sealed with cement based plaster. So now need to get the wall redone...grr...