Plastering repair over dirty uneven brick

[joshpape]

I was going to pack the joist where necessary to level everything out. Old boards are warped as well. Issue is that they are all splintering as so old, going beyond added character now!

 

[joe-90]

It's your choice, but I ALWAYS repair them (cutting thin strips to fill the gaps).

Losing original features costs you big money. If you can't do it then employ a chippie.

 

[joshpape]

Thanks Joe. In this case it's not a case of not being able to do it but a preference of wanting carpet in a childrens bedroom

 

[noseall]

Fitting smaller skirts is a bind and it means that you will have to make a top notch job of the backing and it will need to be skimmed with finishing plaster i.e. thistle multi or similar.

Be careful that you don't get a 'lip' where the new plaster joins the old. You may need to bolster off an inch or so of the existing plaster edge to avoid this.

 

[joe-90]

Thanks Joe. In this case it's not a case of not being able to do it but a preference of wanting carpet in a childrens bedroom

Sooner or later the house will be sold - that's when you may come unstuck. I would never buy a chipboard house. I'd have to restore the original floor - and I'd want money off for that.

 

[joshpape]

Our house was built 1899 so all of the rooms would have had floorboards as opposed to carpet. Would you have no carpets at all?

Or would another material be preferable to carpet over? After what you have said about chipboard I have been looking at 18mm structural plywood.

 

[joe-90]

Repair the boards and use a decent underlay. Original features are increasingly important.

 

[joshpape]

Okay let me repose the above question.
If you pulled up an old carpet to replace it and you found chipboard on the joists, what would you replace it with?

 

[joe-90]

I'd use old floorboards. Then again if some numbskull had already pulled them up it doesn't really matter what you do - the damage is done.

 

[joshpape]

If I would recoup the cost when I came to sell then I would agree with you but I wont. And for the same reason I am not putting oak flooring downstairs or slate tiles on the roof.

Thank you for your advice on the plastering.
I'm certainly more confident going forwards with that.

I have posted in the flooring section to determin whether chipboard or plywood is the preferable for the bedroom floor.

 

[joe-90]

Chipboard is OK - but squeaks like fook. Look at new boards.

 

[joshpape]

New boards are twice times the cost of chipboard and twice that of plywood. Cost is an issue here and for something which is only going to ever be carpeted over I'd rather flat and doesn't squeek than pay extra for something which is going to be covered up.

I haven't heard your thoughts on ply?

 

[joe-90]

Ply is fine but it doesn't interlock so you have to mess around with noggins.

 

[1john]

Chipboard wont squeak if you apply D4 adhesive on the joists and glue the tongues on it, its cheaper, quicker and more uniform to carpet over, however it makes subsequent work to get to any pipes or cables in the future compared to floorboards.

 

[joshpape]

Thank for the reply John.

I'm thinking if I decent screws, over kill on how many I use and glue to the joists I should be able to minimise (if not totally remove) any squeaking.

D4 also look sizeably cheaper than some of the multipurpose gunned adhesives I had been looking at.