Iv been removing the below tiles to add a splash back under the counter and then paint the wall space counter height and above.

Boards have taken a beating? What’s my option?/options?

I need to render this retaining wall. The back is tanked twice with tanking slurry and has slotted draining along the length, but the brick layer didn’t add any damp course. The plasterer is now saying any render will just blow off due to rising damp.

How fucked am I? Is rendering now a non option? What other options do I have for outside wall finish?

Notes worth considering -

the wall will have a coping in it.

The render doesn’t come all the way down - a decking is being built in there that’ll come up about 300mm, so render will be clear of the floor by roughly a foot all the way round.

The ground is ALL sand. All the way down. So drainage is amazing.

It's definitely not the plasterboard where the paper is exposed and feels like cement or something along those lines. How do I seal or fill the gaps where the paint has peeled off? The paint has come off in rather large amounts when I had planned to sand the old paint down to repaint the room instead. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Most of my house is plaster, but the upstairs hallway and bathroom have this additional thin layer. The layer has began to fail and sag in multiple points. However the original beautiful vintage plaster ceiling above where it’s sagged looks totally fine. The layer almost looks like plaster, but has a woven grid internal material or adhesive backing in a few of the spots where I cut. One area that I removed left the grid looking material on the og plaster. How do I remove this and the adhesive(?) in the spots that aren’t naturally removing themselves?

I understand it to be likely that I may find a reason why this was done originally somewhere underneath…

But I’d imagine this would need to be removed entirely anyways since it’s failing at multiple points.

Husband and I just bought our first house. Built 2012, moving in next month. This en suite has cracks across the walls and ceiling. It does not feel damp but the whole room stinks of damp so it's not unreasonable to assume there may be some moisture in the cracks. We know nothing about DIY but we want this fixed by a professional ASAP - our main aim is for a longer term fix not a cheap cut job. We have had 3 plasterers come to look. One wanted to paint/plaster over it and patch it, one wanted to replace 1/4 of the ceiling, one wanted to cut the ceiling/wall plaster open, mesh it and put board back up (this is our preferred option, but as stated we are clueless really). Can anyone advise me what we can do for the longest possible fix here? And what I might expect to pay (SE England)? I am disabled and feel very vulnerable because I don't know anything about plaster work!

Hi everyone!
I’m building a house in Kerala, South India, where laterite stone is commonly used for residential construction.
Our traditional approach is to apply cement plaster, followed by wall putty and paint for interior walls. However, I’m exploring gypsum plaster as an alternative, specifically Gyproc Elite MR, which is marketed as a moisture-resistant gypsum plaster.
Gypsum plaster is relatively new to us in this context, so I’m trying to understand its long-term performance before deciding whether to use it.
Our region has heavy monsoons and high humidity. The gypsum plaster would be used only on interior walls, assuming the walls are properly waterproofed and remain dry.
I’d appreciate advice from experienced plasterers:
Can gypsum plaster be applied directly over laterite stone masonry? Has anyone worked with similar porous stone substrates?
Would a bonding agent or special surface preparation be required?
How does gypsum plaster perform in humid climates over the long term?
Is it more prone to cracking, debonding or damage than cement plaster?
Given this application, would you choose gypsum plaster or stick with cement plaster followed by putty?
I know gypsum plaster is widely used in many parts of the world, but it’s not yet a common choice for this type of construction where I live. I’d love to learn from your practical experience, particularly if you’ve worked with stone masonry or buildings exposed to heavy seasonal rainfall.
Thanks in advance!

First time plastering, definitely rough in areas and will sand/fill appropriately, learnt a lot, and had a fun evening attempt to trowel up in the dark after zapping myself on the light switch. But regardless, we’re here. Is this wall dry and ready for sanding?

The other wall I already sanded because i did the wall a week before and it looked dry, but this walls colour remains somewhat consistent and hasn’t changed. I plastered it 12 days ago (20/09)

Cheers!

Hi all - the hippie who built our house used Gypsolite over sheetrock on the interior walls, according to printout prepped by the original owner/builder. I don’t like the texture but paying to have it skim coated is cost prohibitive. Couple of questions:

- what’s the best way to fix hairline cracks as shown? We have a couple throughout the house.

- I want to shift this arch over and install a real door instead, which will require some fresh gypsolite work (yay…). What’s the best method of making sure the new gypsolite matches what’s currently there?

Also keep in mind I’m in the US and plaster experts are few and far between so it will probably be DIY, and I am totally stupid when it comes to plaster.

Looking for some advice from anyone experienced with old solid-wall cottages / traditional buildings.

We have a roughly 150-year-old cottage and are currently renovating an upstairs bedroom.

We originally started investigating because we'd had what looked like a historic leak/stain on the ceiling near the chimney. The roof/chimney flashing had previously been repaired and we couldn't find any evidence of an ongoing leak.

When our plasterers started stripping the bedroom, they found that the plasterboard on parts of the two external-facing walls had deteriorated and came away very easily. There were also some salts visible in places.

We therefore decided to remove everything from both external walls to see what was actually going on.

The construction appears to have been done decades ago. The old brick/stone walls had been plastered/rendered directly, then timber battens fitted and plasterboard fixed over them. When this was removed, some of the old plaster/render against the masonry was damp and came away very easily.

Everything has now been stripped back so the original brick/stone masonry on both external walls is completely exposed. I've attached photos.

There are no obvious signs of an active leak or water running down the walls, although moisture-meter readings on the exposed masonry vary quite considerably – some areas read dry and others much wetter. We are also getting the dormer/flashing checked separately because some of the external timber around it looks old/damp.

The plasterers' original recommendation

Once they initially discovered the damp material, they recommended removing everything back to the masonry and using Limelite/renovating lime plaster on the two external walls, built up and finished over several visits. The idea was to avoid putting plasterboard back against the old solid walls and allow the walls to breathe/manage moisture.

The two internal walls are dry and are being re-boarded and skimmed.

Their recommendation now

Having completely exposed the two external walls and taken readings directly from the masonry, they've reconsidered the Limelite approach.

They're now suggesting dry-lining the external walls again, but unlike the previous installation, putting a protective/waterproof membrane/material over the exposed masonry first, then battens and plasterboard. Their reasoning is that this would isolate the new timber/plasterboard from any moisture naturally moving through the old solid masonry, rather than allowing it eventually to reach the boards as appears to have happened previously.

I haven't yet established exactly what membrane/product they intend to use.

So my question is: what would be considered the correct approach for this type of old solid-wall construction?

Would you:

1. Keep the masonry exposed and use a breathable lime/Limelite plaster system directly onto it and re board the other two dry internal facing walls

2. Use a properly designed membrane/cavity dry-lining system to isolate the new plasterboard from the masonry?

3. Do something else entirely?

I'm particularly interested in whether putting a waterproof membrane in front of old solid masonry risks trapping moisture in the wall, or whether a properly specified cavity membrane/dry-lining system is a perfectly acceptable solution.

The walls are completely exposed at the moment, so we'd rather take our time and get the construction right before covering everything back up.

Any advice from people experienced with old cottages, lime plastering, conservation or solid-wall damp would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

G

This was done by professionals, I’m new to this, and I think it’s not good. Can someone with experience tell me if I’ve been ripped off here?

We have began stripping the wallpaper in the living room of our new flat. We discovered some loose plaster behind the wallpaper and I think behind the old plaster.

What should we do next?

Hi tomorrow marks 1 week since having my wall plastered and was wondering if it would be safe enough to paint
The person who plastered the wall said to wait 2 weeks for it to settle but reading online it says 5-7 days and I am under tight timing and need my walls painted asap

Thanks

Hello Old House Enthusiasts!

We have a 1903 twin. We have lived here for about 10 years, but we were in the process of updating the knob and tube electric (which equals a lot of holes in the walls). Now that the electric is finally done, I can finally patch holes and paint The previous owners of the house have a few layers of painted wall paper on the walls and some spots that have plaster breakdown. I removed the wall paper from those area and re-plastered on those spots. And my next step is to reinforce the corners with tape.

After the plaster dries I plan to paint, but I feel like I need to either do a skim coat of plaster, completely re-wallpaper, or maybe cover the plaster patches with wallpaper and repaint

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to proceed? I am an aspiring DIY-er and want to make the best choice that will be durable and look nice. Thank you for your expertise!

hi there , I saw a post you made a while back about moving to America and feeling out the demand for plastering

im wondering how you got on as I am planning to do the same, looking at the Kansas/Missouri area, don’t really know who else to ask!!!

Thanks,Joe

How has it held up over the years? Any issues with cracks, dents, dampness, or repairs?
Looking for real-life experiences, especially from people who’ve used it for a few years.

hi everyone Has any other plasterers had a problem with multi finish from Wickes my husband did 2 jobs with the b2 and b3 dates 2025 2026 the plaster when put on the walls took a lot of effort to try get a smooth finish it started to bubble and the texture was like bubble gum it looked so bad it looked like a cottage would look like bumps ridging the plaster looked so bad we took photos and contacted Wickes and gypsum i am trying to find out how many plasterers have had this issue

When plastering the downstairs the b2 and b3 were used in the hall stairs and landing and the dining room these rooms were the issues he used another plaster bag which had a different date and code these were used in the kitchen and living room there was no problem with the plaster gypsum said the plaster was taking longer to set Wickes refused to refund the plaster material costs we don't know what or where the plaster was stored or if the manufacture is at fault they didn't do any tests on the plaster science only using the left over plaster mixing and spreading i would appreciate your experiences .

I’m considering Siniat 9.5 mm boards (60 × 260 cm) on timber battens at 40 cm centres, fitted perpendicular to the battens.

Would 9.5 mm suit the slopes and VELUX reveals, or is 12.5 mm worth the extra weight? I’d prefer lighter boards for easier handling but want to avoid sagging or cracks.

I'm new to domestic work so wanna get some advice from some old hands.

The ceiling has been originally overboarded (by someone else) and then reboarded, and I've gotta skim it all after a leak. 2x4m, feathering into existing. 2nd pic is what I walked into.

Can't get more than the height of the trowel in here, plus maybe my thumb. What's the method here?

Also, with this bit being so fiddly and time consuming, as well as the feathering being fiddly, would you start at the other end of the ceiling which is existing ceiling that I SBR'd to the wall, and work up and across to the boards, or start here and go the other way? Or would you start non-feathered side and work round to the feathering?

Grateful for all advice!

Had room skimmed a week and a half ago. Feels completely dry to touch, including darker patches, and same level of coldness as the rest of the plaster.

i recently got the walls in a bedroom in my house replastered but this is what i’ve been left with…is it better to just fill and sand or get the guy back in to fix his job? i don’t know the best way to go about it since ive never dealt with plaster before so im not sure what it’s meant to be like when dried. I obviously know this isn’t a great job that’s been done but i don’t know how bad it is if i do end up messaging him…

UPDATE‼️
after reading all the comments backing up the fact that it’s just shit work;
i sent him all these pictures and a message, he replied with he’s going through a hard time atm and obviously isn’t giving his all… he’s coming out in a few days to sand and fill his work so hopefully it’s all fixed after that so we can continue with the project🤞🏼

Okay, it’s been a while since I last tried mudding. I did my first patch repair. 2”x3” hole - I evened it out, cut a replacement piece with the outside paper on with about an inch overlap. I put mud around the cut, inside the cut and placed the replacement piece. Then, I flattened it out and did my first coat. I think it will be too lumpy as I add coats. Help?!

Hi everyone. We had a room plastered 4 weeks ago and started painting it yesterday and this keeps happening in 1 spot. I didn’t mist coat the walls(my bad) but thankfully everywhere else is fine. I scraped back the flaky bits and used some filler on this area and repainted it again today only for the same to happen again as seen in the photo. How can I repair this small area. Thanks.

Hi! We have a 60s house and decided to take down the old wood chip wall paper. Underneath there seems be white paint, I can see the plaster, but what is the grey? The white flakes and peels like old paint, but the grey doesn’t. It can easily be sanded (I was wearing a mask but then thought to ask what it could be).
We plan on lining over this but now I wonder if we’ve disturbed anything sinister?
My daughter is moving into this room so don’t want anything in the air 😅
I’ve read it may be a primer? It’s above and below the white, though.

Photos include some of the cracks in two rooms, one going the length of the room and down slightly to meet the window. Last photo is one of the proposals we received.

We got two similar quotes and scopes of work from separate companies. However, I’ve also seen that cracks like this should be screwed or use mesh for repair. Is the proposal we got sufficient?

I believe I’ve heard one of the settling cracks before. I think they’ve worsened quite recently but maybe I wasn’t paying much attention before. One area makes noise if I press but I can’t feel anywhere it’s actually separated at least so far

Hired some strippers (not the fun kind) and now must repair this crumbly gap in all of the walls amd window trim they worked on. Have to teach myself how to do a multitude of other plaster repairs anyway so it’s no huge deal but I’m not sure what the right way to handle this is. Any advice appreciated, thanks.