Start again or cover-up?

[Therms]

Morning useful sages,

I’ve a question, actually I’m going to try and get my money worth and ask a couple of questions in one post. Cheeky I know, but that’s me.

First a little background:

I live in a 1930s house. Through necessity I’ve tough myself to skim. I got fed up with putting thicker and thicker wallpaper on the walls, so decided to learn to plaster so as to give each room a skim as I decorate. Over the years I’ve done the whole house and am now back to the tired looking front-room for a re-do.

Now the problem:

The issue is that the house has only had cosmetic repair done since it was built nearly 80 years ago. The ceilings are cracking and have separated from the walls; the skim coats I put up crack, probably because of gone off plaster underneath and the walls are powder below the surface ( I think it’s called ‘live’?).

Am I right to say that the original ceilings and plaster has outlived it’s expected life and covering it up with a skim is just hiding a problem for another day?

If you were me would you be thinking that as each room gets done again the ceilings have to come down and the walls taken back to brick?

Thanks in advance of our help.

Therms

 

[trowelmonkey1]

think you've pretty much got it there Therms, just get a skip in, well 2 actually, one for the board from the ceilings and the other for the rubble, tack up some nice new ceiling boards and float the walls, scrim the lot including ceiling lines and skim EVERYTHING, should last you a lifetime in that house.

 

[Therms]

Thanks for the reply TMonkey,

So I am right that I am just covering up gone-off plaster that will cause me no end of problems and this needs to come off and start again.

Can I ask - will a skim coat just crack if I put it over bad plaster?

What’s the life of plaster. I assume 80 years is over the limit.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You could avoid taking the ceilings down, by over boarding the whole lot, use 12mm plasterboards then skim them.
With the house being 80 years old, there is a chance that the ceilings are lath and plaster, a nigthmare to rip down and so messy...

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

edit

 

[Richard C]

So I am right that I am just covering up gone-off plaster that will cause me no end of problems and this needs to come off and start again.
Can I ask - will a skim coat just crack if I put it over bad plaster?

Plaster doesn’t “go off”; it can crack, blow or turn to dust as a result of shrinkage, movement or exposure to damp or condensation but all can be successfully repaired & re-plastered with the right preparation if it's still basically sound. The deciding factor is weather it’s got to the point where it’s easier to remove the lot & start again or (less desirable) dot & dab some new boards over the existing plaster as long as it’s still firmly attached.

A word of caution when totally removing old render/plaster; there is a little know Building Regulation (part L1B) that requires you to upgrade to current standards the entire insulation of external walls if you remove more than 24% of the internal or external wall covering. If you’re not having any other work done that requires BI inspection they are unlikely to ever know but others have been caught out when doing extensive renovation works & the BI comes to inspect something else which may be completely unconnected; could be an unexpected & expensive addition to your project.

What’s the life of plaster. I assume 80 years is over the limit.

Not necessarily, depends on how hard a life it’s had.

 

[Therms]

Thanks all. sage advice as ever.

Well, it looks like I can just skim over the top, which is good news.