Plastering advice - 4 walls, all different, plus ceiling

peaps · 17 Nov 2011

Possel said:
zbed said:

Regarding replacing the lime plaster with more lime plaster, is that necessary? I'm not precious about the victorian-ness - the house has not one original feature left in it (apart from maybe all the plaster that I just hacked off, lol).

Click to expand...

Yes, but you might find that the house responds better to being re-plastered with lime, not all this modern stuff. The difference is that lime mortar is breathable and so dampness is naturally controlled, but modern stuff is all impervious and so retains water in the walls, which then tries to get out somewhere else. Basically the two types of construction are incompatible and if you do modern on the old then you are likely to start chasing the symptoms of a dampness problem which was caused somewhere else.

Try googling for "period property" + dampness and have a good look at what you find. Then at least you should be informed enough to still be happy with your decision to avoid using lime plaster. (or perhaps you might have changed your mind!).

If you want to see my credentials then have a good look at my blog http://houseintheenchantedforest.blogspot.com/. In the last year I have changed a cold pile of stone and damp wood into a lovely warm and dry house without using cement etc.

NB That wall with the stairs behind: you say "This wall's really thin and has wood within the brickwork" Actually of course it's the other way round - it has bricks (infill) within the woodwork (the structural item). And you say you have no original features left...

Interested in the grade your home is listed..?

zbed · 17 Nov 2011

@peaps - how long do you need to leave between the 10-12mm applications to build up the plaster?

Wish I was in Derbyshire, but sadly 100+ miles south.

I guess your listing question was for Possel? Mine's more sooner to be condemned.

Possel · 17 Nov 2011

zbed said:
So is lime plaster/plastering more expensive/more expensive to get done than modern stuff?

Can you get as smooth a finish with it? That was ultimately why I couldn't wait to get the old stuff off, it looked like it was put on by Stevie Wonder

I agree with Peaps' comments. In reply to your comments quoted above, yes, sadly lime mortar is more expensive, both to buy and to apply. Also, yes, you can get a pretty smooth finish with it (depends on what you use for the final skim - Mike Wye has stuff called Regency plaster which gave me a very smooth finish). However, the key word is that old buildings have "character" - a slightly less than perfect finish actually looks right, whereas a super smooth modern finish in an old house doesn't look right to me. It's like the old glass with a slight waviness in it - a perfect sheet stands out and looks out of place in an old building.

zbed · 17 Nov 2011

IKWYM about imperfections suiting a period property, and normally I'd agree, but once through the door there's nothing left in my place to know you're in an old house.

With no original features to contextualise the imperfections, a finish with 'quirks' just ends up looking like poor workmanship!

Thanks for tip on regency plaster. Will have a scout round for it and dust my chequebook off.

zbed · 18 Nov 2011

Hang on - I just realised, on this party wall I've no idea what my idiot neighbour has got on her side.
If she's had her side replastered or skimmed with modern stuff, is me forking out for lime a waste of time/money?

Also, a question about the other party wall with the chimney breast - if I batton over the top and put plasterboard up, do I actually need to brick up the fireplace? (The chimney pot is capped).

And would I still need an airbrick/vent-holes into the room, or could I actually drill some holes down into the sub floor (there's a subfloor air brick in the external wall about 2.5m away from the chimney).

peaps · 18 Nov 2011

zbed said:
IKWYM about imperfections suiting a period property, and normally I'd agree, but once through the door there's nothing left in my place to know you're in an old house.

With no original features to contextualise the imperfections, a finish with 'quirks' just ends up looking like poor workmanship!

Thanks for tip on regency plaster. Will have a scout round for it and dust my chequebook off.

You have to ask yourself what you want to achieve. If you want stay in keepimg with the original method of construction then it needs lime render. But saying that you need to remember that your walls NEED to be able to breath so you can't just put any old plaster on the wall.

I can get just as good a finish with lime but you can use a gypsum plaster for the finish BUT you have to add lime to it although this method will not give you good impact resistance because the lime weakens the gypsum.

In this case I think you would be better to use batons or gypframe then plasterboard to it. This will allow the walls to breath and you will not spoil the fabric of the house.

As for the stack, yes you can board it but you MUST install some vents. One upstairs and one down this will allow for good air flow.

I mix all my own lime, but it's not for the faint hearted but it comes in as less of a cost BUT ( another) you need to leave at least 3 months for it to cure....

You would do well to read up on Possel blog, you will pick up on some good tips.

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Plastering advice - 4 walls, all different, plus ceiling

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