remove plaster from walls

[paulpa]

I was looking at the DeWalt D25830K , should this be good enough for the job, and would an 80mm chisel be best?
Maybe better asked in plaster forum.

 

[ladylola]

Not sure which model the 2583k is but I have a 2KG sds from dewalt and it wizzed the plaster off in my house. I used a 40mm chisel because I was too tight to buy another but yes an 80mm chisel will be fine.You probably already know this but make sure whatever you go for has the rotary stop function.

 

[Richard C]

Be careful when using an SDS for removing plaster/render, over zealous use & vibration can do a lot of damage to both the wall face & crack the mortar joints on old brick/block walls. A flat bladed shovel works well especially if the plaster/render is blown, failing that good old fashioned lump hammer & bolster chisel.

If removing from external walls be careful you don’t breach changing thermal element regulations; or if you do make sure LABC don’t find out about it.

 

[paulpa]

The walls in the house have very old plaster on by the looks of it a cement backing. Would just like to get it back as far as i can to get new plaster on.

 

[Richard C]

The walls in the house have very old plaster on by the looks of it a cement backing.

That’s just a render base, its normal & still best IMO & many others. There is no problem with old plaster as long as it's basically sound.

Would just like to get it back as far as i can to get new plaster on.

Are you sure it needs to be removed? If it’s not blown & in poor condition, you’re just creating unnecessary work by removing it all; a largely sound base can be repaired & re-plastered. If it is shot, as I said, just be careful how you remove it & be mindful of getting caught out by the regulations.

 

[paulpa]

Someone else said today why not skim the good walls rather than take all the old plaster off.
Think i will have a good look and only remove what looks and sounds poor.
I guess it would save lots of work, although i feel skimming is cheating a bit.

 

[Richard C]

Someone else said today why not skim the good walls rather than take all the old plaster off.

You only need to cut away & remove what is in poor condition & take care of any deep seated cracks in the render base & sometimes in the blocks/bricks themselves; without popper reinforced repair the cracks will open up again. I carry out this sort of repair all the time in the renovation work do.

Think i will have a good look and only remove what looks and sounds poor.
I guess it would save lots of work, although i feel skimming is cheating a bit.

Of course it’s not cheating; there is absolutely no point in removing sound render & plaster; tap it with a metal scraper, unless it sounds hollow or is not physically crumbling it’s fine. Even if the surface looks uneven & rough from years of decorating & DIY hole drilling/filling, as long as it’s basically sound it can be made to look like new; once it’s been repaired & re-skimmed you would never tell the difference. Choose your plasterer carefully though, they need to know what they are doing with render/block repairs & you will need someone more experienced than a “board skimmer”. It won’t be cheap but it won’t be as time consuming or expensive as removing the lot & starting again.

 

[paulpa]

Thanks, i will take my time rather than charge in then.

"without popper reinforced repair the cracks will open up again. I carry out this sort of repair all the time in the renovation work do.

How do you go about reinforcing any cracks beneath the plaster in the blocks if i find any?

 

[Richard C]

Remove the plaster/render at least 200mm either side of the crack, repair the cracks with mortar, apply steel lath reinforcing over the whole area, re-render and tape before skimming.

If you look in my profile photo albums you will see some examples of the repairs I’ve done inI the past.