Leave this interior wall as bare stone?

[yjones]

We've removed all the plaster from this room (it was gypsum plaster so was 'bottling up' damp). Im going to get it replastered (using lime plaster!) but thinking about leaving the whole wall around the fireplace exposed.

Is this a good idea or is there likely to be some downsides? I have noticed that moisture condenses on the stone very easily. Maybe this is normal and nothing to worry about(?). Id like know the pros/cons of leaving it exposed.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[HERTS P&D]

It looks beautiful. I would say leave it as long it does not cause any problems.

I saw a brick wall in someones house who then varnished the brick work, it did look good.

Andy

 

[yjones]

It looks beautiful. I would say leave it as long it does not cause any problems.

Thanks. I gotta say - the photo makes it look a lot better than it is: the pointing is really shoddy! Im no perfectionist, but really it should all be wire-brushed and then repointed with lime mortar. Something Ive neither got the money or inclination to do! Mainly the money

What 'problems' would you envisage might happen?

 

[roy c]

I don't think the stone work is good enough for a feature. But you could rake the mortar out a little and it should show the stone work a bit better.

 

[StephenStephen]

I've done pretty much exactly what you're thinking of - lime plastered the wall either side and left the stonework around the fireplace bare. I think it looks great, and certainly no practical problems in the year since we did it.

 

[yjones]

I've done pretty much exactly what you're thinking of - lime plastered the wall either side and left the stonework around the fireplace bare. I think it looks great, and certainly no practical problems in the year since we did it.

Did you ever have damp issues before you lime plastered? The builders put gypsum plaster on the walls and within weeks damp patches and tide lines appeared. A specialist said it was damp trapped behind the wall caused by salt in the stone. I presume any damp caused by salt will evaporate through the lime plaster? I cant bare to pay £3k for lime plastering only to have the same issue again!
A big ask, but Id be interested in seeing a photo of your fireplace. Im not sure whether to finish the plaster in a clean vertical line, or whether to have it follow the zig-zag line of the stone work. (if that makes sense)

 

[StephenStephen]

Did you ever have damp issues before you lime plastered? The builders put gypsum plaster on the walls and within weeks damp patches and tide lines appeared. A specialist said it was damp trapped behind the wall caused by salt in the stone. I presume any damp caused by salt will evaporate through the lime plaster? I cant bare to pay £3k for lime plastering only to have the same issue again!
A big ask, but Id be interested in seeing a photo of your fireplace. Im not sure whether to finish the plaster in a clean vertical line, or whether to have it follow the zig-zag line of the stone work. (if that makes sense)

So, we had no idea there was a fireplace when we moved in. There was corrugated plastic damp proofing (mid 20th century?), concrete render and gypsum plaster to remove, which does suggest that there was damp there before. However, when we removed it and since then, we've seen no signs of damp, other than low down in the cob wall on the left.
We had a similar debate about what lines to take either side of the fireplace with the plaster edges - weeks of conversation!
We had the idea that it's pretty easy to add plaster if we wanted to, but a pain to take it away.
We used wide pieces of masking tape to mark and move the lines
We ended up with this, which we like. (I did plan to clean the plaster off the brick arch with hydrochloric acid (often sold as spirit of salts), but it's grown on me as it is):

 

[yjones]

Wow - nice brickwork - Ive got fireplace envy!
Good thinking about "... easy to add plaster if we wanted to, but a pain to take it away"