loose plaster behind skirting

[mameha]

I removed some skirting and about 1cm of plaster came off with the skirting along a 30cm strip.

About 30 cm above there is a horizontal hairline crack and it is a bit hollow sounding when knocked between this line and the floor.

Do I need to replaster the whole wall or can I just put in some polyfilla to patch it up and then put new skirting over it?

See photos.

 

[23vc]

Stick the skirting back on, patching beforehand if you want.

 

[Gossamer]

IMO this is why, if you must use adhesive, use as little as possible.

 

[cwhaley]

If the new skirting is higher, then there'd probably be no need to repair as it will be hidden. When I took our very old skirting off before replacing it, a fair few chunks of plaster crumbled away behind it - no need to repair as the skirting hides it.

This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of the adhesives. I made twisted wooden plugs, raked out mortar between bricks every 15-18 inches and then nailed/screwed to these. That way, any attempt to remove the boards won't pull the plaster with it.

Plaster isn't really supposed to go right down to the floor anyway as it can draw up moisture.

 

[Alastairreid]

If the plaster along and below that crack has came away you will have to strip it back and re-plaster..to get a seamless finish would require multi finishing the whole wall.