Does Plaster support anything?!

owlhayden · 6 May 2010

This is probably going to sound really stupid, but am I right in thinking that plaster of any sort (old style internal cement render in this case) has nothing to do with the structure of the building and does not support the walls/ceilings in any way?
I presume that the bricks and mortar, joists etc prevent a terrace house from falling down. Not the plaster.
Then in theory, you could have a house with bear brick walls internally and it be just as structurally sound as a fully plastered house?
This is probably the stupidest question on here but I'm not a builder and I would like to know what acually holds my house up! Thanks

Static · 6 May 2010

Unless your house is really old (2000yrs +) then pretty safe to assume the plaster is just there to hide the ugly structure behind.

PrenticeBoyofDerry · 6 May 2010

Generally the plaster is there to give you a good even surface, which can be decorated. Some do like to have the walls bare for a more tarditional look in older style properties.
The brick/block/stone part of the walls is the structural part.

stuart45 · 6 May 2010

There are some walls where the render and plaster plays quite an important role. In the Brighton area for example the old Georgian Bungaroosh walls are really unstable when the render is hacked off and sometimes start to fall apart a bit before it is re- rendered.
One of the the BCO's reckoned that without the render you could destroy half of Brighton with a hose.

PrenticeBoyofDerry · 6 May 2010

I'm off to buy a hose then

gday2uk · 7 May 2010

Static said:
Unless your house is really old (2000yrs +) then pretty safe to assume the plaster is just there to hide the ugly structure behind.

Yeah, the Colosseum is about 2000 years old and most of that is still standing

noseall · 7 May 2010

A cement render can 'enhance' the structural integrity of a building but should not be relied upon. Neither should the fact that the removal of such a render cause the structure to weaken considerably.

However, renders are considered part of a building's' thermal make-up.

Nige F · 7 May 2010

stuart45 said:
example the old Georgian Bungaroosh .

Doesn`t that appear a lot in the Camp Town cottages

mointainwalker · 7 May 2010

@Nige F

I had always understood that Brighton was a bit that way, but I didn't know they had actually named a bit of the town to suit

TicklyT · 8 May 2010

Rendering on a wall sometimes provides a weatherproofing element, without which the structure would fail rapidly. Cob and marl (mud) walls, held together with a mixture of clay, chalk, straw and other binders, including cow manure and even milk(!) would fail rapidly without a weatherproof covering. Around here, such traditional free standing walls are usually topped with their own thatched or tiled roofs to keep the weather out.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Does Plaster support anything?!

Similar threads