We live in a very old building - some parts around well over 200 years old. The original walls are solid and well over 2 feet thick part is made of irregular stones and bricks held together with a very loose mortar.
There are no foundations under the walls and of course no damp course - nor is there any real way of putting one in! That part of the building has no visible foundations.
Most of the wall of the oldest part of the house are now contained within the house and due to many extensions over the last few hundred years have become internal walls nevertheless they are subject to a very gradual rising damp which makes any modern paint or plaster fail very quickly. quickly turning to powder and flaking off. This only happens for the bottom few feet on the wall. The damp is really slight and the walls feel actually dry but you can sometimes smell the dampness when you peel the plaster off
Having had portions of the wall repaired but only to fail again we realise its not going to be an easy thing to overcome. We avoid using plasticised paints now but really need to have a mode of action to repair some rather unsightly areas where the plaster underneath has failed.
In part of the house I have had some success using Dryzone cream but not all the walls are suitable for this as many of the lower mortar joints are irregular and soft and wide. Where I have been able to apply the Dryzone cream it seems to have cured the problem in those areas.
My thinking is to remove all the failing plaster and build in to the lower wall some vents to allow the wall to breath a little. then re-plaster the rest with lime mixed with dog hair (we have a log haired German Shepherd and could amass enough material quite quickly!) then use no paint - white is good for us and would suit an old building anyway.
Anyway - before I start this has anyone any other suggestions/experience bearing in mind:
a) the thickness of the walls
b) the age of the building
c) the impossibility of putting any form of damp course in.
Thanks
There are no foundations under the walls and of course no damp course - nor is there any real way of putting one in! That part of the building has no visible foundations.
Most of the wall of the oldest part of the house are now contained within the house and due to many extensions over the last few hundred years have become internal walls nevertheless they are subject to a very gradual rising damp which makes any modern paint or plaster fail very quickly. quickly turning to powder and flaking off. This only happens for the bottom few feet on the wall. The damp is really slight and the walls feel actually dry but you can sometimes smell the dampness when you peel the plaster off
Having had portions of the wall repaired but only to fail again we realise its not going to be an easy thing to overcome. We avoid using plasticised paints now but really need to have a mode of action to repair some rather unsightly areas where the plaster underneath has failed.
In part of the house I have had some success using Dryzone cream but not all the walls are suitable for this as many of the lower mortar joints are irregular and soft and wide. Where I have been able to apply the Dryzone cream it seems to have cured the problem in those areas.
My thinking is to remove all the failing plaster and build in to the lower wall some vents to allow the wall to breath a little. then re-plaster the rest with lime mixed with dog hair (we have a log haired German Shepherd and could amass enough material quite quickly!) then use no paint - white is good for us and would suit an old building anyway.
Anyway - before I start this has anyone any other suggestions/experience bearing in mind:
a) the thickness of the walls
b) the age of the building
c) the impossibility of putting any form of damp course in.
Thanks