Mystery plaster dust

[SunsetSongster]

Hello. Please can you help me solve this mystery. We had a new kitchen fitted last year (not sure if that's relevant). Over the last couple of weeks we've noticed plaster dust on the upstands under a wall cabinet. There's a bit each day which looks like someone has spilt a spoon of flour.

What could be causing it? It's an external wall and there is some ivy growing outside. Could that have penetrated the brickwork. I'm guessing whatever it is won't be good news and the walls might be more susceptible to water. Please help. Thank you.

Mice?

What colour is the dust? It has to be coming from somewhere. What is above the dust?

A spoonful is quite a lot.

It's got a slight red/pink colour. It's maybe a teaspoon every few days. I'm not quite sure who you would call in about it. I could send a photo to the builder who did the kitchen but not sure what he would be able to do.

I think our cats would be more interested if it was mice though they are a bit lazy these days.

Just realised I can post a photo. That's built up since Thursday so maybe a bit less than I said (and it's in two spots).

We had this, it was like it snowed everytime we shut the cabinet doors. It was dust from the drilling to put the cabinet onto the wall and the extraction pipe through the wall for the extractor fan.

Possibly from holes drilled by kitchen fitter (assume there is a wall cupboard above?). As you put things in the cupboard, the slight movement is probably allowing plaster dust to gradually drop down.

We have just had the kitchen painted (it took us a while to get everything finished up). I didn't think there could be a connection but maybe the painter disturbed something?

We had this. Turns out it was from a shower leak upstairs making the kitchen wall damp and thus the cupboard was slowly pulling out of the wall. Had me stumped for a fair few days.

I was talking to DH about this and he's pointed out the kettle is under where it is happening. Maybe it's moisture from this? There is a bit behind the microwave as well...(also an external wall)

I don't know, but have a look on top of the cabinet in case it is coming down from the ceiling. While you are up there, look to see if it is pulling away from the wall.

If you look inside the cabinet near the top, in the corners, you will probably see the adjustable hangers where hook onto little brackets screwed to the wall, perhaps the dust is directly underneath one of them.

I think I would be tempted to remove any crockery from the cabinet because (1) it is very heavy and (2) it is breakable.

The cabinet is probably screwed to others on either side. At they moving, or is a gap appearing?

As I write, I am talking myself into wanting to take the cabinet down and look at the fixings.

Adjustable hangers usually look something like this

If the plaster is very thick, or the screws happened to hit a loose mortar joint, or it is screwed to plasterboard, there are several ways of correcting it, but in each of those cases the cabinet has to come down. After loosening the adjusting screws, it can be lifted off the little grey metal plate that it hooks onto. A cabinet is moderately heavy and best lifted off by one strong, or two weedy, people. Take the doors off first.

if you are lucky it might just be that the decorator sanded the wall to smooth it before painting, but in that case you might see some kind of sign above the wall cabinet.

Good advice as ever from PigletJohn. That is a fair bit of plaster dust which has to be coming from somewhere.

Thanks everyone.