Plastering

[bobbler]

At the moment I am making a right mess in my living room! The house was built in the thirties and had the original plaster coving around the ceiling that my dear wife decided had to go. I have now removed it all but this has made a mess of some of the walls where the old lime plaster has come away leaving me with a yard or so of exposed brickwork up to the ceiling. Some of the rest of the plaster is a bit loose as well. I have a plasterer who is going to board out the whole room using dot and dab and then skim and initially he said that he would board over the old plaster. I am now thinking about taking all the plaster off so that he can board directly to the wall. It is going to make a right mess but I think that this is the best idea.

What would anyone else do??

 

[trotter]

I would let him board over existing plaster personally, one less job for you to do then. Obviously you'll lose an inch or two of room space but unlikely you'll notice.

One thing to consider might be windowledges, doorframes and stuff - will the width of a board and skim mean the wall becomes flush or even proud of them?

 

[Bowness72]

Personally I would go back to the brickwork because if some of the plaster is loose anyway and you stick the new plasterboard to it there might be a chance of it all becoming loose in the future. I also agree with the comment about the window and doors.
Also if the electrics are original, it might be worth you considering getting a spark in with a view to rewiring that room while its already a mess.

 

[bobbler]

Thanks to you both for your comments.

I think that I would have got away with the window sills and the only door is moving anyway so that would not be a problem. (I have to create a new door opening and block up the original).

Electrics were re-wired about 10 years ago but we need to put in new wall lights and all the plugs are sat on top of the skirting so they are to move as well!!

Therefore I think I will be removing plaster all this weekend!

Then I have the baxi (real) fire to sort out and take out the fireplace which is to be replaced then............................etc.

 

[Nige F]

sorry but I can`t see dot+ dab holding onto old plaster skim on lime render ..it`s an adhesive that sets rock hard and saves time/skilled labour on new build...........it would probably hold onto the bare brick .......but then why not render/set the bare brick........you clean it all off and the skilled bit leave to the plasterer I wouldn`t want the "hollow" p/board in my house ........only on stud walls

 

[Richard C]

If there is any question about adhesion of the old plaster, to dot & dab over it is not a good idea; remove it & dot/dab onto something you know is sound (hopefully!)

 

[joe-90]

I don't believe that you have removed an original feature! Are you crazy?

Well if you've got into a mess then you've got to sort it. Sounds an easy patch job to me. Don't worry about the old stuff sounding hollow, it rarely falls off and just about every house of that age has it.

Get yourself a decent plasterer that is sympathetic to old properties.

 

[keyplayer]

sorry but I can`t see dot+ dab holding onto old plaster skim on lime render

Ah, but have you ever seen it fail to do this? I haven't, and I've dabbed some really ropey walls.

 

[bobbler]

I don't believe that you have removed an original feature! Are you crazy?

Joe - I take it that you are refering to the coving. I'm afraid that my wife decided that she did not like it so it has come down. It was not particularly attractive but it was ok except for a few cracks - but anyway it has gone.

One of the reasons for all this is that we want to simply paint the walls. We had a large kitchen / bedroom extension built 3 years ago and we like the neat, flat and uncomplicated walls so we are therefore aiming for a perfect finish and not a 'patch' job.

I have involved a good plasterer and we talked through the options and we have gone for the board and skim as it is fairly quick, dries out quickly and I guess is cheaper than two coat work (although I have no evidence for this)

Anyway, have messed around for long enough this morning so I had better get my hammer!

 

[Nige F]

sorry but I can`t see dot+ dab holding onto old plaster skim on lime render

Ah, but have you ever seen it fail to do this? I haven't, and I've dabbed some really ropey walls.

Fair comment. and no, I haven`t

 

[diyisfree]

Removed old original plaster coving

If you want to do the job right, knock off all the old loose plaster down to bare brick, get a spread in and re plaster. I wouldnt dryline but thats because i hate the stuff and i would never offer it to any of my customers.

Like Nige says, drylining is only done to save time and also because most so called plasterers cant plaster, they can only skim.

Not saying any of the guy's who have responded to this thread and suggested drylining cant plaster

 

[bobbler]

I wouldnt dryline but thats because i hate the stuff and i would never offer it to any of my customers.

Can I ask why you hate drylining?

We have been pleased with the rooms that we have had finished this way and so far have not started to see any cracks appearing where the boards join.

I am pretty sure that my plasterer is capable of spreading and finishing and it could be me that has led him down the board route.

If we did decide to plaster as opposed to board, which type or brand would you use? I am not a fan of BG and would prefer a Limelite product but I just wondered what you thought?

The old plaster is coming off a treat by the way - it's the tip trips that slow the job down - and the tea breaks of course!

 

[joe-90]

The problem is that it just feels shonky when you tap it. It feels like a cheap stud wall.

Far better sticking to the original stuff and making good. Houses of that age should begin to show their age in that finishes aren't perfect. It isn't supposed to look like a new build. You'll remove all it's character.

Still, it's your house.

 

[diyisfree]

bobbler,

I am not suggesting your plasterer isn't a competent guy.

I just hate drylining. I hate the fact that you have problems hanging heavy items, i hate the hollow sound it makes when you tap it, I am just an old fashioned guy who does things the traditional way.

Old lime/sand plaster was ok in its day but as you are now finding out, it eventually dries out to dust and looses its grip from the wall. Modern day plasters are much better and if applied correctly they will outlast the lime based ones and you wont have problems hanging heavy items.

I think I am correct in assuming this is your living area and apart from a few pictures thats probably all that is going to be hung from the walls? if that is the case and you are happy with DL then go for it.

If it were me, i would either remove the very loose plaster, patch with whatever backing you decide is best for your particular structure and then reskim all the walls. OR i would remove the lot, and then re plaster from scratch.

whatever you decide, I'm sure the finished job will look great.

 

[makitaman]

For what its worth, we have just completed our dining room. Most of the original plaster was blown so it all came off, back to the brick work. Then replastered. Absolutely the best way to go IMHO - no plasterboard. It was a big job, very messy but now looks great, solid walls just as it was originally built.