We examined the microclimate conditions and humidity of the wooden ceiling structure in Grm Castle and the effects on the falling off of painted ceiling plaster. Measurements were carried out in four groups of rooms, separated according to the condition of the windows: rooms with new windows (1.), with a combination of new and old windows (2.), with old windows (3.) and in the attic (4.). We monitored the temperature and relative humidity of the air and the equilibrium moisture content of the wood in the period between 30.11.2024 and 30.3.2025. The results show that rooms with new windows have a more stable microclimate with smaller fluctuations in temperature and wood humidity. The largest daily fluctuations were in rooms with a combination (2.) or with old windows (3.). In the attic, the climatic conditions were significantly different, comparable to the climatic conditions in the surrounding area, and the values coincided with the long-term average. We also studied the impact of installing insulation in the ceiling, as a combination of glass wool and vapor-impermeable PVC foil. We found that the insulation effectively separates the attic from the interior spaces. As a result, a dry climate was created in the interior spaces of the castle, especially during the heating season, which led to shrinkage of the wood in the ceiling structure and weakening of the mechanical anchoring and falling off of the ceiling plaster. By identifying the wood species in the studied structure, we found that it was made of fir, oak and spruce. Differences in temperatures between the working spaces and the attic could cause the occurrence of thermodiffusion of moisture from the interior spaces and potentially cause condensation of water vapor in the insulation layers.
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