Layers of damaged plaster under lining paper

[Philozz]

Against my better judgement I decided to remove the lining paper on my bedroom walls and paint directly on to the plaster beneath. I suspected I would need to do some patching and sanding, but it turns out the paper was the only thing holding the walls together. In some places, several layers of plaster have come away, revealing some kind of rough, crumbly base layer (see images) [Edit - further research makes me think this may be sand and lime render?]. This is a c1900 terrace house and this is a load-bearing internal wall. I suspect this is beyond simple repair and it will either be a case of scraping off all the plaster and starting again, or possibly overboarding and skimming. Any suggestions/advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[joe-90]

Take the paper off and then decide.

 

[cantaloup63]

Yep, as Joe says. Then, if needs be, get a couple of plasterers round and see what they say.

 

[Philozz]

Take the paper off and then decide.

Yep, that's the plan for tomorrow, but since the plaster is coming away easier than the paper, I'm wondering if it's worth the effort.

 

[roughcaster]

It looks to me as if it's been skimmed at least once in the past, going by the second pic. Our Joe's right again though, strip all the paper off and take it from there. Keep in touch, and put up more pics when you're done stripping it.

 

[Philozz]

It looks to me as if it's been skimmed at least once in the past, going by the second pic. Our Joe's right again though, strip all the paper off and take it from there. Keep in touch, and put up more pics when you're done stripping it.

Ok, here's the bare wall. The different colours are different layers of plaster. The top layer is loose across the whole wall, the layers below are more consistant but still loose in places. So what's the verdict? Strip down to the base layer and replaster, or attempt to patch? Any thoughts on how much the former is likely to cost if I call in a pro? The wall is roughly 4mx1.5m. Thanks to everyone who's had a look.

 

[roughcaster]

Sometimes Phil, it's better to bite the bullet. There's a lot "you" can do here before a plasterer gets anywhere near the job. I'd strip the lot back to the substrate, because once you start trying to cut out the loose plaster patches here and there, you just create more of the same. 4mx1.5m is not a big wall.
Clear the whole wall as i said,, (you), then post another pic. If it's old stone/brickwork, and in sound condition, you could either batten the wall, (even add insulation), then plasterboard using 12.5 foil backed boards, then tape and skim,,
or you could cement scratch coat, (4 to 1 sand and cement with a waterproofer) then use a gypsum based undercoat plaster, (float coat), finished with multi finish. Anyway, strip it all off and let's see what you have.

 

[cantaloup63]

4m by 1.5m? Are you sure about the 1.5m since that's about 5 foot

 

[Philozz]

Sometimes Phil, it's better to bite the bullet. There's a lot "you" can do here before a plasterer gets anywhere near the job. I'd strip the lot back to the substrate, because once you start trying to cut out the loose plaster patches here and there, you just create more of the same. 4mx1.5m is not a big wall.
Clear the whole wall as i said,, (you), then post another pic. If it's old stone/brickwork, and in sound condition, you could either batten the wall, (even add insulation), then plasterboard using 12.5 foil backed boards, then tape and skim,,
or you could cement scratch coat, (4 to 1 sand and cement with a waterproofer) then use a gypsum based undercoat plaster, (float coat), finished with multi finish. Anyway, strip it all off and let's see what you have.

Cheers, I think that may be the way forward...

 

[Philozz]

4m by 1.5m? Are you sure about the 1.5m since that's about 5 foot

D'oh... Make that 2.5m.

 

[roughcaster]

4m by 1.5m? Are you sure about the 1.5m since that's about 5 foot

D'oh... Make that 2.5m.

As i said, you can do all of the prep here Phil as regards to stripping the plaster from the wall, and once the walls stripped, put up another pic. Whether you batten and board, or scratch coat, float and set, it'll be a straight foreward enough job for a plasterer to put back together.

 

[joe-90]

I'm not sure it's bad enough to hack the whole lot off with all the mess and disposal. Flick off the loose stuff first and I reckon you could skim over it.
£120-£150?

 

[roughcaster]

I think with that old powdery/crumbly, lime and sand base coat, the more you try to patch it up, the more it spreads. I'd take it all off if it was me, but see how it goes. It is a messy job as Joey says, but once it's done, it's done, then you can start from "scratch".

 

[joe-90]

That type of crumbly lime does harden up if you use pva/sbr. I guess it depends how long you want to stay in the house for.