Lime plaster

[DLaing]

My house is very old (c1780). The dining room walls are covered in very rough and badly patched lime plaster. In parts you can actually see the original timber framing in the walls (which the neighbours have made a feature of!) through the top coat and in other parts, the walls move if you press them, so I guess the plaster has parted company with the underlying lath work.

So the question is what's the easiest way to sort this mess out? Is it worth knocking it off and starting again? Will the walls that don't move take a skim coat? Can you re-anchor the moving parts of the wall or does the lot have to come off?

Finally is it worth using lime plaster (preserving "character" but an expensive specialist skill) or knocking off what I have and plasterboarding instead?

 

[noseall]

lime based renders are ideal for older properties as they are allowed to 'breathe'. cement based renders or mortars can do more harm than good to an older property.

cement based renders and mortars are too rigid and too watertight to complement a building furnished with older lime mortar or render.