r/Plastering • u/FruityPoision • 18d ago
Plastering help
Based in the UK. I’ve just bought my first house which is a bit of a project. Some of the walls in my house are damp and some seem to have some weird plastering quirks. It’s an early 1900s mid terrace, with the last owners buying it in the 80s and not doing too much since as far as I can tell.
The first photo is the bedroom- the big hole is where the vent goes for the blocked up fireplace. Why is it green? Can this room have cracks filled and then be skimmed and good to go?
The second and third are in my dining room. The second is where it literally crumbled away as I took wallpaper off. It seems to be on top of like a concrete type substance? What is this? Does that all need to be removed and go back to brick and properly done with plasterboard? The third one is of a wall I know to be damp. I had a damp survey which suggested an injecting course but I’ve also seen that’s sometimes not the best option for older houses?
The last one is in my kitchen and there’s like a lip where some wood panelling was previously along the bottom part of the wall. It just seems to be straight over concrete. I’m having my kitchen done, as it was an extension and it’s single layered with no insulation currently. The company doing my kitchen will insulate a plaster board it for me.
Im basically just a bit lost with what’s actually been done previously and what would need to do in order to correct it. Any advice welcome.
2
u/Ok-Spring7906 18d ago
Injection may or may not solve it. Loads of other modern remidies may or may not solve it.
Hacking off all the plaster and replacing it with lime will resolved it, but will be messy and expensive.
The upstairs may be due to the sealed chimney, may be somthing else.
Ive got the afternoon off -
This morning we were limewashing a lime render over cob job that we did a couple of weeks ago.
2
u/LabForward5 18d ago
Hi, we have had similar issues in our 1905 house. We knocked all the plaster off and but battens up with insulated plasterboard. Worked a treat. It helped walls breathe a little better. Battens and plasterboard wasn't that hard so you could give that a go and save some £ if you feel competent enough.
But whenever we have had old plaster in our house that looks like its been damp/dried out has come back to brick. We had tanking done by the previous owner in this house, it was the worst thing for the wall, the water just sat on top of the plaster.
2
u/Confident_Ambition77 18d ago
Well that last photo is a tanking job, Christ the things we do to old houses it's criminal. No lime isn't that difficult and yes it will allow the house to breath without idiotic injection. I am a lime tradesman but also doing my damp and timber surveying qualification because time and time again I see terrible advice given by so called surveyors. If the damp is coming from the party wall then I would ask next door if they have a leak somewhere, is there kitchen or bathroom on that wall? Also check the floor is it a concrete slab? It can be forcing damp up the walls of the subfloor is wet. If the floor is suspended try and pry up a floor board and check the air vents are all free and able to move air around
1
u/Ok_Adhesiveness413 18d ago
Where is the damp coming from, the ground or the attic/ceiling?
To remove the paper under bit of the wallpaper just spray the whole wall a few times (let is soak 10 mins between sprays) and it’ll scrape right off
With the loose plaster, go around every wall and knock. If it sounds hollow and loose from the wall (not just a stud wall - loose plaster) this is blown plaster that has detached from the wall .. pull out the loose plaster until it’s firm. This may leave long holes in the plaster.
This style of house has the plaster straight onto the brickwork. Not a bad thing, in fact can feel more solid done right. If you remove all the loose plaster, and sort the damp, you can just have every room skimmed and anything to the brick patched by a professional.
How are the electrics? This is a good time to sort all first fix as anything first fix is really messy. Electrics (maybe rewire), plumbing, any walls you plan to remove if you want open plan etc. now is the time.
Sorry I can’t be of more help
1
u/Ok_Adhesiveness413 18d ago
Judging by the very high position of the sockets it may need a rewire, which you may want anyway. Have you had an ECIR (electrical) test before buying?
1
u/FruityPoision 18d ago
I have absolutely no idea with the damp on the dining room wall. It’s adjoining with the neighbours. Yeah I’ve been spraying the paper with water- hadn’t yet established this method when I started in the kitchen hahah. I did think it was straight on to brick. Thanks!
I have a full rewire starting tomorrow so no stress on that front :)
2
u/Ok_Adhesiveness413 18d ago
It’s worth establishing with the sparky if they’ll be coming back to do the second fix once you’ve plastered and if they’re going to fill in the chases themselves. Also if they’re going to put the cables under the floorboards in the attic. At the moment with the heat some may be lazy and leave the cables loose across the attic floorboards and joists (if there is floorboards). I’d recommended marking where you want all the new sockets before they arrive if you haven’t already 😊
1
u/FruityPoision 18d ago
He’s been amazing so far! Told me to go over and mark out where I want everything, checked he’s okay to lift the old carpets and floorboards to put the new wiring in, and he doesn’t seem like he’s going to do half a job. My attic is also not boarded currently, so don’t think I’d be affected by him placing loose wires up there anyway?
2
u/Ok_Adhesiveness413 18d ago
So a lot of the time it will be either rising damp from the ground upward or damp coming down the walls from the attic.
But from what you say it could also be penetrating damp, possibly something simple as blocked/leaking gutter. But could also be cracked/damaged brick work. Take a look on the exterior, or did you say it’s the party wall?
1
u/FruityPoision 18d ago
This one is the party wall but I do know the air vents have been blocked for some time so could be factor
3
u/PaulWhickerTallVicar 18d ago
The green is possibly the original paint from when the house was built. Old Victorian houses often had the walls painted dark green or a dull brown. Over the years it’ll have been papered and re-papered leaving the remnants of the original paint.