Plastering bedroom: solid walls, chimney removed

[f0rmula]

We have a 1st floor bedroom at the back of the house which I'm looking to re-plaster over the jubilee weekend. The room has two external walls, and two internal walls. The house is from 1902, and all the walls are solid walls, not cavity. I'll also be re-plastering the ceiling.

We've removed a chimney from the room, and the recess left is pretty huge. Goggles for scale. It's around 100mm in places.

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• f0rmula
• 1 Jun 2012
• 1

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• f0rmula
• 1 Jun 2012
• 1

Firstly, what do I fill that void with? Bonding plaster, or some type of cement mix? And then skim over the top with multi-finish?

Secondly, there's no obvious damp, but I think the plaster has bubbled up in various places. Or maybe it's just bonding plaster? It has that bonding-plaster type of texture. It sounds pretty hollow when you tap it. Could that be what people call "blown plaster"? Could that be caused by damp, and if so does that affect what I need to do in order to plaster this wall? Here's are some pretty useless photos of some of it. It's not very photogenic.

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• f0rmula
• 1 Jun 2012
• 1

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• f0rmula
• 1 Jun 2012
• 1

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• f0rmula
• 1 Jun 2012
• 1

As for the actual plastering, I don't think the solid walls are particularly damp. Do I use gypsum, or lime plaster on:
- the ceiling
- the external walls
- the internal walls

I've not used lime before.

Oh, and here's a photo of the exterior walls, for no reason other than to illustrate it's been painted

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• f0rmula
• 1 Jun 2012
• 1

Sorry for the numerous questions. Cheers for any advice.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

You wont fill the recess with plaster, build it back in with some 75mm blocks or bricks, cutting the backs of where tight.
Then backing plaster to bring level with existing wall, knock of any loose plaster and re-do.
Pva the whole wall and re-skim, tape any joints/cracks prior to skimming.

 

[f0rmula]

You wont fill the recess with plaster, build it back in with some 75mm blocks or bricks, cutting the backs of where tight.
Then backing plaster to bring level with existing wall, knock of any loose plaster and re-do.
Pva the whole wall and re-skim, tape any joints/cracks prior to skimming.

Cheers for the reply.

I think I've exaggerated the depth of the void. In places it gets to near 100mm, but it gets thinner at the top, down to about 30mm. I could do a bit of blockwork, but most of it is too thin.

Is there anything else I can do? Something with plasterboard?

 

[roy c]

I would put horizontal "battens " across the wall all the way up then put a straight edge across each batten then fill it out to about an inch off the straight edge then plaster board it then bonding then skim. you can feather either side in then tape the joints before you bond it.

 

[f0rmula]

I would put horizontal "battens " across the wall all the way up then put a straight edge across each batten then fill it out to about an inch off the straight edge then plaster board it then bonding then skim. you can feather either side in then tape the joints before you bond it.

Hmm. Thankyou. That seems easier. I'll do that.

Any advice as to whether to use lime or gypsum plaster on the external walls, and what to do about the "blown"(?) plaster?

 

[joe-90]

I would put horizontal "battens " across the wall all the way up then put a straight edge across each batten then fill it out to about an inch off the straight edge then plaster board it then bonding then skim. you can feather either side in then tape the joints before you bond it.

What's the bonding for? Just PB and skim. Personally I'd use Celcon block with an old saw to trim it up. You gotta use a bolster to trim them there bricks up. Have you used a grinder on them? Must be mad if you did.

 

[f0rmula]

What's the bonding for? Just PB and skim. Personally I'd use Celcon block with an old saw to trim it up. You gotta use a bolster to trim them there bricks up. Have you used a grinder on them? Must be mad if you did.

Ha. No grinder I used a bolster, but they were quite brittle and didn't split very well. I previously thought I could just fill the void with plaster or render (possibly a few layers ) so I wasn't worred they were uneven. Maybe battens and a piece of plasterboard are the way forward though. I s'pose if I even up the bricks I can just put a piece of plasterboard neatly in there. Certainly sounds easier than putting up blockwork.

I've done some evening classes on skimming, and that seemed to go quite well. It's just the bit before the skimming I'm a bit lost with at the moment

Thankyou.

 

[roy c]

The bonding is so he doesn't have to be so precise as to equal it out to fit the plasterboard joe. dont forget he hasn't done anything like this before...

 

[f0rmula]

The bonding is so he doesn't have to be so precise as to equal it out to fit the plasterboard joe. dont forget he hasn't done anything like this before...

Yeah, it's possibly for the best Cheers for your patience.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

As Roy has said, easiest way is studding out, packing boarding, bonding and skim.
What you got to watch is if its a 225mm solid wall, what you have cut out leaves about 100mm, ie the outer brick skin.
Mind you dont have further damp problems.

 

[f0rmula]

As Roy has said, easiest way is studding out, packing boarding, bonding and skim.
What you got to watch is if its a 225mm solid wall, what you have cut out leaves about 100mm, ie the outer brick skin.
Mind you dont have further damp problems.

Oh, sorry. That's not the outer wall. The one with the chimney on is one of the inner ones. I don't think I'd have had the balls to take the outer skin down to 100mm

Do we think I'll be OK with gypsum on the exterior walls? I have to go buy it all tomorrow, as it's double bank holiday on mon-tues.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

It looks like lime backing on the wall with the cut out stack, you should replace like for like, the walls need to breathe, this is more for a spread who has knowledge working with lime plasters.
The inner walls will be okay done in gypsum plaster.

 

[joe-90]

Walls don't breathe FFS.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

Walls don't breathe FFS.

Shows what you know, ?

 

[joe-90]

Yes., and I'm asking you what you
mean by 'walls breathing'. It's just something you've read and repeat endlessly like a litany.