Plastering onto brick with lime plaster.

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Hi All, I am a newbie so first of all thanks for accepting me into the group.

I have lived for the past 28 years in a timber framed house with studded dry lined walls that was very easy to look after with regular maintenance. Any way We have always wanted an older property with character and have bought and moved into a 1908 built terraced house.

I was thinking that I would get the walls skimmed but on removing the paper in the front room big holes started appearing in the plaster exposing the brick below. Huge areas had blown away from the brick so I pulled them away. There is some very nice and original coving at the top of the walls/ceiling which we really want to keep. Luckily the plaster seems to be sound at the top foot or so so it has stayed in place.

I have attached some pics. The previous owners had closed off the original chimney which was across the corner of the room and fitted a fire surround and electric fire on another wall with tiles stuck to the wall. Suffice to say that removing these tiles brought the plaster off as well.

Anyway, my question is for any advice on the best way to proceed with the walls. Would I be able to have them done with modern plaster and them have the whole walls skimmed. As the existing plaster is about 22mm thick would a plasterer be able to do this or should I attach plasterboard to the brick before
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getting a plasterer to fill and skim. Any advice would be appreciated as I fear that stripping paper in other rooms will reveal similiar problems and whilst we have a budget for getting the house into good repair I am concerned that we may use it up very quickly if we are not careful.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help.
 
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It can be re-instated back to the original with modern plaster....bonding and multi finish or hardwall but that would be the expensive option.
You can remove all the plaster to just below the coving dot- dab plasterboard then skim the lot.
 
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Pete
From experience:
1) Be prepared for your whole house to need re-plastering - and it will happen as soon as you take wall paper off.
2) If you are doing many rooms, consider getting a "SDS drill with chisel" to get plaster off as I spent too much in money and too long in time on two hammers and two chisels.
3) Get sharp knife or Chisel to mark line into plaster under the Original Coving - I found that this saved the damage to Original coving, and it being made from plaster and its extra thickness & strength kept it attached to wall and ceiling.

4) Issues you will face:
Original lime plaster was likely thicker than new plasterboard and skim or plaster and skim.
New plaster is claimed not to breath, when original plaster did so might be issues with wall if used with as said "trapping moisture in and the timbers rotting".
New lime plaster is expensive and fewer plasters will apply it.
Some plasterers say they can do Lime plaster, but then they actually use Normal Cement Plaster and put in a few Handfulls of Lime powder - which is not Lime plaster.
I found that were there was wood in the brick wall, the new plaster did not attach as well to the wood as the bricks. So I can see some very very fine outlines of the wood (but this might just be my issue)

5) You then have three options which you need to discuss with the Plaster you find:
a) Plasterboard - This should work as a good plasterer can change amount of dot and dab to make it flat to bottom of the coving, and then skim flat.
Fast, Cheaper, No issues with Wood in Brick wall. Not Lime plaster, hollow sounding.
b) What I call wet plaster (hardwall). This should work, but need a plasterer who is willing to make extra thick to match old thickness.
Solid, so feels Solid. More expensive and less Plasterers willing to do it. Not Lime plaster.
b) Lime plaster. This is likely the best, but very few plasterers able to do this.
Solid, so feels Solid, and as Lime you know it is as good (or bad) as the original . Much more expensive, few Plasterers willing to do it. Takes longer to dry. Have to use breathable paints (or why bother).

For me, I went with option b) based on solidness and price and found good plasterer who was willing to make it thick enough to match coving, and skim nicely into coving.
And I now fear to touch the wallpaper in the other rooms as I know it will be a re-plaster job if I do!

One last item, whilst the old plaster is off the wall, get fitted as many electric sockets as you need.

sfk
 
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I'm in the same situation. I'm not a plasterer and new to the forum, lurking around to get tips for breathable or lime plastering. Hey, how hard can it be...?
 

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