Finishing Walls in Cottage Renovation

[AThurlow]

Hi all

I am doing some work on an old limestone cottage and I'm after some advice on methods and materials to use in finishing the walls? I will be doing some repair work to previously rendered walls and also finishing some clear stone walls which were external but, after an extension are now internal.

The cottage has incredibly (approx 700mm) thick walls which are essentially limestone shells filled with limestone rubble and dirt. The cottage has been empty for several years and there is a lot of damp in this dirt.

The existing walls have been finished in very thick render but I have no idea when this work was done. Some of the walls are flat enough to be boarded and skimmed but others are far from flat so I wouldn't want to board them and loose the space or the character of the cottage.

So....please advise whether I should be looking to finish all the walls solely with layers of render and a final skim or render the walls flat then plaster properly, using plasterboard on the walls which are suitably flat? Also will adding a waterproofing agent & hydrated lime to the render be adequate waterproofing or are their other options?

Thanks for reading, all help will be welcome.

 

[peaps2]

can you post some pictures?

 

[AThurlow]

This shows an example of the old external wall which is now internal and needs finishing. You can see the quirky shape to it which I'd like to keep.

Untitled

• AThurlow
• 10 Jul 2012
• 1

Another example of a wall to be finished:

Untitled

• AThurlow
• 10 Jul 2012
• 1

An example of a wall to be repaired, showing the thickness of the old render:

Untitled

• AThurlow
• 10 Jul 2012
• 1

This shows the material they've used on some of the walls between the old render and the stonework:

Untitled

• AThurlow
• 10 Jul 2012
• 1

Hope that helps, thanks for looking

Adam

 

[dresseslady539]

Yeah, it's so wonderful.I wish you could offer more information in the next time. tkx!










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led downlights

 

[stevethespreader]

b4 you decide to do anything i would set that back box back a bit further so it dont dictate how thick your render is going to be

 

[peaps2]

I would lime putty all the walls. All the new wall connecting to the old build I would use modern materials, board but the block walls that form part of the old building would be lime rendered like the old building for continuity. I think if you try to mix and match these walls you will end up with an ugly mix, too much.....

Freehand would be my choice allowing you to keep the flow from old to new. You will also be able to lay-on the render tighter, this will save some cash rather than trying to plumb the old walls having to lay on think as you can see in the last picture.

If you cover up the older walls you also need to consider breath ability and movement. If you seal the walls the stone and brick will eventually decay, this can happen quickly or take years, it all depends on the quality of the stone and brick and how much moisture they already hold. Lime putty will also flex with the movement you will get between the blocks and old stone face in the second picture. I would allow this wall to dry out as much as possible then clean up any growth that is on the wall before rendering.

It's hard to get the full picture but I've been involved in some nice conversions where we have mixed old plumb wall with new and it's worked well but IMO there is a fine line between getting that look and continuity to blend.

The alternative would be to gypframe all the walls and board allowing for ventilation etc But you will loose the old walls so to speak and a little space and this is what you don't want.

I have details of some good lime suppliers if you need them.

 

[AThurlow]

Thanks for that Peaps, I will go with that. I'll take those Lime suppliers' details too pls.

I've only worked with a standard render mix before - anything in particular to consider when using the lime putty instead?

 

[trowelmonkey1]

can you not use a feeble hydraulic lime render?

much less labour intensive than anything putty based.

 

[peaps2]

can you not use a feeble hydraulic lime render?

much less labour intensive than anything putty based.

Lime putty is best suited for stone of this age....

Offers maximum flexibility and breath ability...

The marry between the old and new will move and crack and needs max flexibility you can offer.

Take longer to set but the advantages are worth it IMO

 

[peaps2]

Thanks for that Peaps, I will go with that. I'll take those Lime suppliers' details too pls.

I've only worked with a standard render mix before - anything in particular to consider when using the lime putty instead?

http://www.lime.org.uk/products/

 

[toern]

What insulation will you include between solid wall and plaster?

Does it need Town Planning approval?

Because the price of heating is rocketing up, faster and faster, all solid wall homes will have to be thoroughly insulated, or they will become abandoned as too expensive to heat. The world has used up all the cheap fossil fuels.

They recommend a minimum of 100mm insulation added to solid walls, with a covering of render etc, which is better technically on the outside, but Town Planning may not allow this on an old cottege.

For advice see: www.instituteforsustainability.co.uk/retrofitguides