New Plaster dry out

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Tyne and Wear
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I have just had new damp proofing done and all 4 walls of the room replastered. Can I use a dehumidifier to speed up the dry out process so I can paint the walls sooner rather than later? Some sites and even hire firms say you can on their sites and yet some people say you can't??
Any help?
 
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You can do it that way if you like!

But you are risking a whole bunch of problems.
The plaster will dry out to quickly and may crack in many places.

New plaster is best left to dry naturally.
 
You can do it that way if you like!

But you are risking a whole bunch of problems.
The plaster will dry out to quickly and may crack in many places.

New plaster is best left to dry naturally.

Yeah that's what some say but others say they have done it with no problems.
 
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I know builders that do it all the time, but its not them that has to paint and fill the cracks, that is left to the decorators.

Seriously if you can wait till its dry then wait.

If not dry it out quickly but expect cracks.
 
well you was just given sound advice but chose to dither about it m8
plaster dont take forever to dry out.is the need for a quick job that great that you may have problems later down the line?
 
if i let the plaster all change to the paler colour first would there be any damage done by using a dehumidifier? new posters please?
 
if i let the plaster all change to the paler colour first would there be any damage done by using a dehumidifier?
.

you wouldnt have to as then it would be dry. :)
 
Even when the plaster appears to be dry it’s not advisable to paint/tile a full float & skim (which I assume yours is) for at least 4 weeks, preferably 6. Even then it will still have fairly high moisture content, more so if you’ve suffered damp in the fabric. The best time to move into a new house is around April so you won’t need the c/heating on & the building fabric will have around 5-6 months to dry out naturally instead of being forced by c/heating. Such houses will usually suffer far less from shrinkage cracks which can appear at any time, sometime 2 or more years later as the timber dries out & shrinks as well.

A de-humidifier doesn’t provide heat; it removes moisture from the air. Reducing the ambient moisture content will encourage moisture in the building fabric to evaporate & migrate into the dryer air, so speeding up the process. I wouldn’t think this would cause too many problems if just relying on natural summer air temperatures but I suspect you also have the central heating on at the moment; this is far more likely to cause problems especially if used in conjunction with a humidifier.

That’s the theory but unless your suffering unduly from condensation I would leave it alone to dry naturally for at least 4 weeks from the time it went on. You can get breathable Trade Matt which is supposed to be suitable for green plaster but I have no idea if it stays on there in the longer term. I’m not a pro painter/decorator I just slap mud on but for my own work, I always leave it to do its own thing; why rush & risk ruining it! :confused:

I also think the previous advice you were given is sound & so hope this makes things clearer for you. ;)
 
he is waiting for the answer, and the answer is the one he wants to hear.

nothing wrong with using a humidifier,been using one for years,super quick,and dont leave no cracks.

hope this helps.
:rolleyes:
 
Even when the plaster appears to be dry it’s not advisable to paint/tile a full float & skim (which I assume yours is) for at least 4 weeks, preferably 6. Even then it will still have fairly high moisture content, more so if you’ve suffered damp in the fabric. The best time to move into a new house is around April so you won’t need the c/heating on & the building fabric will have around 5-6 months to dry out naturally instead of being forced by c/heating. Such houses will usually suffer far less from shrinkage cracks which can appear at any time, sometime 2 or more years later as the timber dries out & shrinks as well.

A de-humidifier doesn’t provide heat; it removes moisture from the air. Reducing the ambient moisture content will encourage moisture in the building fabric to evaporate & migrate into the dryer air, so speeding up the process. I wouldn’t think this would cause too many problems if just relying on natural summer air temperatures but I suspect you also have the central heating on at the moment; this is far more likely to cause problems especially if used in conjunction with a humidifier.

That’s the theory but unless your suffering unduly from condensation I would leave it alone to dry naturally for at least 4 weeks from the time it went on. You can get breathable Trade Matt which is supposed to be suitable for green plaster but I have no idea if it stays on there in the longer term. I’m not a pro painter/decorator I just slap mud on but for my own work, I always leave it to do its own thing; why rush & risk ruining it! :confused:

I also think the previous advice you were given is sound & so hope this makes things clearer for you. ;)

Cheers for that Richard, it's just the plasterer said to leave it for 3 months. Which sounded far too long compared to what I have left it for in the past which was usually around 3 weeks to a month before painting. We'll only be using a breathable imulsion anyway.
 

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