What is Carlight?

[spx]

Hi, just checking if someone could offer some advice please. I have an old property that had black mortar on the walls with artex over the top. I had a few plasterers around all said to go with dot and dab dry lining. I agreed and had the work done. Within two months I heard 'cracking' and the boards had started to come loose, plasterer came back and drilled a few holes and injected some resin. It didn't last long, useless prk. After many unanswered phone calls I gave up and ripped all the boards off and hacked back to the stone.
I've had many plasterers round for a quote since all want to dry line, which from experience I refuse to do. All I want is simple old fashioned render then plaster. The last gut that came, said he could carlight the walls then plaster over, said it was better than concrete. Does any one have any advice, really can't afford to be taken for a ride again, the first guy took my all my savings and I have to get a loan to rectify his pss poor work.

 

[roughcaster]

"Carlite" is a lightweight Gypsum plaster,which is in "no way" better than concrete, although he maybe meant cement render... What you could do though,is scratch coat the old stone walls with cement render, with waterproofer in the mix,and then coat out the walls with Thistle Hardwall undercoat plaster and then 2 coats of multi finish. A quality job, but get some quotes though.

Roughcaster.

 

[JohnD]

What part of United Kingdom are you in?

When I lived in London they uised to use Carlite Bonding or Browning for the base coat, down here in Hants they use a sand and cement render instead, and a white finish plaster. the sand and cement is heavier, but much slower to go off so you have time to tinker with it.

When I tried it I suffered from slump

 

[spx]

I live in wales John. Funny enough Roughcaster he gave me a 'shopping list' for materials as he said if materials would be included in the price he would add 25% in case he needed extra. On the list there is the same amount of cement required as carlite.

 

[roughcaster]

That's right John. You don't get many people using Browning, although it's still available. I use Bonding or Hardwall. When I lived in Hampshire, we coated the walls with a sand and cement float-coat with lime in it, and finished it off with Siriphite. You can still get a good job though by using cement render, finished off with Multi, although it's not very friendly to have on the walls of the living room,bedrooms etc. Gypsum plasters are great as long as you have no damp/efflorescence problems, but on "old stonework",I would still scratch coat/waterproof render before using Gypsum plasterers.

Roughcaster

 

[JohnD]

Is Sirapite still made? If not, why not? I can't get it round here. What's the equivalent for a thin, creamy finish?

 

[roughcaster]

Replies overlapped there SPX.
Maybe he planned to scratch-coat the walls first. That's what I would do. You could probably save yourself money by getting the materials yourself.

Roughcaster.

 

[roughcaster]

I'm sure it's not available nowadays John. It was the perfect plaster. You could do anything with it. It never really set, the suction of the float-coat helped it to steady up, but it kind of dried in air over a few days, although we did put the odd handfull of boardfinish in it to help tighten. Without that,you could even trowel it up the day after, so you could always get rid of blisters etc. Not like Multi, once it's off, you'll break your arm trying to flatten it if you leave it too late. I don't know what you could compare it with today, if anything.

Roughcaster.

 

[JohnD]

 

[roy c]

What I've done with my stone walls in my house is hacked them right back to the stonework and give them a dubbing coat and a scratch coat. Then I have dot and dabbed polystyrene backed plaster-board on them. You can get poly-backed that finishes at 22mm. And skimmed it with "multi" and have had no problems at all and also increased the thermal value. Where the walls were to far out of plumb I have built stud walls in front of the walls (on DPC) and boarded and skimmed them.. No probs...

 

[roughcaster]

Welcome back Roy. Missed you mate. Been on holiday?

Roughcaster.

 

[roy c]

Hi ya rc, yes we went to Majorca for a week then up to the wifes moms up in Edinburgh for the festival for a week. 100 degrees in Majorca and lots of rain in your neck of the woods.. Are you anywhere near where that whale got washed ashore? I read about it in the evening news when I was up there, how did they get rid of it?

 

[brist]

"Carlite" is a lightweight Gypsum plaster,which is in "no way" better than concrete, although he maybe meant cement render... What you could do though,is scratch coat the old stone walls with cement render, with waterproofer in the mix,and then coat out the walls with Thistle Hardwall undercoat plaster and then 2 coats of multi finish. A quality job, but get some quotes though.

Roughcaster.

Just finished rendering and plastering the way roughcaster sugests an old barn in south wales a hell of a lot of work but the customer was well pleased with the results ,beats dry lining any day .

 

[roughcaster]

Good to see you again Bristy,
Yes, it does give a great job, but as you say it takes longer to do, but worth it, especially if the customer prefers the wall/s to be plastered on the hard, rather than plasterboarded.... A lot of it is down to cost though.

Roughcaster.

 

[brist]

Great to be back ,been very busy rendering LOL