Repairing gaps / holes after building work

[JamesBlonde]

I've bought a 60's house and prior to moving in carried out some demolition work downstairs - I've removed a breeze block wall, and a builder has installed a couple of doors through 2 other block walls. We are also having a new bathroom built upstairs.

We have now moved in to the house with a fair bit of work still to do, but it is liveable....

The original idea was to get a plasterer in to carry out all the repair and plastering work once the bathroom had been built (We'd been told that plasterers don't do "bitty" work - they'd come in and do the whole lot at once, rather than do bits as they were ready), however due to delays in the bathroom build, it doesn't look like we'll be seeing any plastering done for at least a month, and that is holding up the installation of a floor downstairs.

I have a theory that its worth giving the downstairs patching a try myself. If it works, I've saved money. If it doesn't, then we'll get a plasterer in to do it properly anyway.

I've bought a bag of bonding plaster, and a bag of multi-finish plaster. I just want to run my plan past you guys as a sanity check!!!

I've removed as much of the old wallpaper either side of the working area as possible. It will all be properly stripped off at a later date and new paper applied.

Where I've taken the wall out, there are gaps down to the blockwork, which I plan to "fill" with bonding plaster, and then skim to the level of the neighbouring walls. I have PVA'd the existing blockwork / sand & cement backing to seal it. The neighbouring walls are not at the same level it seems, so there will be a fairly obvious change in level between them - I could put some beading in and have an edge, but I was just going to slope them together (for want of a better way of explaining it!)

The gap in the ceiling in this area appears to be mostly plasterboard, and the bits of old plaster hanging down seem to be supported by some kind of scrim / hessian material. I plan on scrim taping any gaps (or inserting some old scrap plasterboard sections and then taping), and then skimming over.

The doors both have lintels inserted over, which have been sealed in with sand / cement mortar which has been scratched. Can I skim straight over this, or do I need to use bonding plaster first? There are gaps between the door frame and the walls, which I did consider filling or injecting with calk or something before plastering, but I was told there was no point. Is that correct? If so, then I was just going to skim over the existing PVA'd plaster and over any gaps. Will that work??

I also have a few walls where some of the old skimmed surface has come off with the paper. I guess I just PVA and then skim level with the surrounding secure plaster?

If I do a reasonable job at this, I may consider skimming the bathroom rather than getting a plasterer in...

Oh, I am a COMPLETE novice....

Is my logic / process correct??

 

[regsmyth]

Until you get some good experience plastering, your efforts are most likely to be pretty bad and difficult to make good.

You need to get some practice in, on some small walls first.
Just have a go, you'll see what you're capable of.

Your step in the wall level will look bad, you should redo the whole wall, or as you suggest, use a bead to create a nice clean step.

You don't need to fill the gaps around the door frame, this is what the architrave covers.

Patching missing bits of plaster is very difficult to do successfully, but you will find out....

 

[roughcaster]

When you remove a plastered brick/block partition wall between two rooms, you will always have different levels of plaster. Rather than slope them together as you suggested, cut back the plaster on each wall by at least a foot or so, then that way, you are spreading the difference in levels. Doing it that way will make it more or less un-noticeable. You are right in using bonding coat, or even hardwall,, onto the scratched cement, then use the multi to finish off. I agree with the good comments Regsmyth has added about the doorframe etc. Tricky job all round for you as a "complete novice" though,,, and as an extra thought,, sometimes it's harder for a tradesman to "undo" a job and start again, than it is for him do it from the beginning. Good luck anyway.

Roughcaster.

 

[NickB_99]

Hi James

Would completely agree with the posts from Roughcaster and Reg.
As an amateur 'having a go' it has taken a few walls to get anything like a finish I can be pleased with. To go straight to real walls in such a difficult circumstance will not go well straight off.

However, if you really want to have a go yourself (which is what DIY is about) then definitely do some practice first. The recent post by ColJack had some great discussion on practice:

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=189016.

I found Dextrous's reply about clipping a bit of p/board to a frame and flipping etc such a good idea.

This should give you a feel for skimming at least and the sort of finish you personally can get with multi-finish.

If you try for real....start small....and good luck!

 

[JamesBlonde]

Thanks guys, I think we'll be letting discression take the better part of valour and I'll get someone in to do it! I might still give it a shot in the bedroom after some practice on some old plasterboard!

 

[JamesBlonde]

OK, another question...

As I mentioned before, I removed a wall earlier on in the project. We also had a door put in the wall opposite the demolished wall. Both of these walls were / are non-supporting (engineers report to prove it!) but were made of blockwork.

When we bought the house, the engineer had also reported on the fact that these walls had large cracks in them because the floor had collapsed not long after the house was built in the early 60's. The floor itself is level and stable, but did have signs of collapse around the edges where some of the edges had stayed at the original level. I've since removed and levelled these. There are large cracks / gaps in the remaining wall, but I don't want to demolish this.

So what would I fill these gaps with? You have to realise they are quite large... In the demolished wall they'd obviously attempted to shove bits of slate in the gaps not long after the wall was built to support / hide the gaps after the floor collapse. They'd also put wire in the plaster over the worst cracks. They've not done that on the remaining wall. I don't expect any more movement bit I want to make a more permanent fix so that the wall won't move, and the cracks wont reappear.

That make any sense? Any suggestions?

 

[joe-90]

We need photos first.

 

[JamesBlonde]

Ohh OK then.... if you insist!

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[Alastairreid]

rake out the cracks then pva and point in some mortar to fill the cracks flush with the blocks.

pva then bonding plaster to bring out flush with existing, then multi finish to complete.

the wall in the 3rd pic looks dodgy! you sure it doesnt need rebuilt?

or if you want to play safe you can use this kit

 

[JamesBlonde]

The first 3 pics are the same wall, just in different states of undress or positions. I think pic 3 is worse than it looks in reality thanks to the flash. Does it need rebuilt? Hmm its not the best wall in the world lets put it that way, but it is stable. My guess based on the other wall is that it has been like that for at least 20-30 years with different owners trying different bodges / quick fixes to make it look better...!

The plaster reinforcement is exactly what is under some of the existing plaster at a low level.

 

[Alastairreid]

aha, well if its been like that for decades i dont think its going anywhere fast .

personally i would use the expamet 4/1 sand cement then bonding and finishing plaster.

should outlive most of us then