Victorian Ground Floor terraced Flat - damp proof revamp

[jessegee]

We are buying a flat that failed the survey on rising damp issues, which has since been put right by specialists.
All the old plaster has been stripped back to brick, to waist height, leaving old woodchip foil above. It has nice coving, but artex ceiling and an old parquet floor.

( I'm still feeling lucky )




The kitchen is useable for now. The bathroom fine. We want to do the lounge and bedroom first.




The walls have been re-plastered to waist height, am I right in thinking the right way to proceed is to

1. skim the ceiling
2. Strip off the remaining woodchip
3. Seal the new plaster with diluted paint
4. Sand and polish the floor
5. apply wallrock thermal lining paper.
6 apply wallrock lining paper over the top
7. Paint with final emulsion colour


Grateful for any advice

Jesse

 

[misterhelpful]

Sounds like you know what to do, but the order is slightly wrong IMO.

I would strip the woodchip off the walls before skimming the ceiling. This will prevent any damage to the edges when stripping and also allow any defects in the top of the walls to be patched at the same time as plastering the ceiling. I'd also consider leaving the floor polishing until the end but sanding can be done when you suggest, as long as you protect it from adhesive splashes.
Sealing the new plaster is a good idea, although not essential, before applying the Wallrock Thermal Liner, because the adhesive does tend to dry quite quickly and sealing will help to delay this. If you haven't used the product(s) before, you should be aware that the adhesive has to be applied quite thickly to achieve a good bond between liner and substrate. Also be aware that the walls will probably need some thorough prep or even re-skimming if you ever remove it in the future. It does really help with condensation problems and has pretty good insulating properties though.

 

[jessegee]

Thank you misterhelpful, we'll take youre advice, I can see what you mean about the top of the walls. Someone mentioned to me that the picture rail is very high, it might be an opportunity to take it off and lower it a bit. Have you ever taken a picture rail off before, does it break up?




jesse

 

[misterhelpful]

It doesn't look that high really and a frieze around a foot high is pretty normal. Some people will put a picture rail running level with the top of the door frame but that is usually when the ceiling is lower, like in newer houses, and so would look wrong in your room.
To answer your question, lowering it a few inches would seem pretty pointless to me as the removal can often damage the walls, making more remedial work and could still end up leaving a ridge mark where it used to be.

 

[jessegee]

Fair enough, and phew....

We'll just paint the gap above it the same colour as the ceiling, and that'll make it look lower.

Is wallrock kv600 ( the top heavy duty stuff ) easier or more difficult to hang than basic liner?

My only concern is that it might be too thick for the picture rail etc.
jesse

 

[misterhelpful]

I honestly cant tell you if it's harder to hang as I've only ever used the regular thermal liner. At 3.2mm, that can be pretty tricky to hang around external corners but, as the kv600 is less than 1mm thicker, I doubt there would be much difference. I've used their sound insulation which is around 6mm and that was a real pain to hang. Don't be tempted to roll the liner back on itself to make it easier to hang as it will crease the face paper which will be difficult to smooth out and can show through the top lining paper.
I haven't hung it with a picture rail, but it does take up pretty much most of the top edge of a lot of the skirtings I have used it against, so I imagine you may well have problems with the thickness. Perhaps their Cosy Liner may be a better compromise for you?

BTW, what is the reason for using thermal lining in the first place? If it's just because of the previous damp, which has been properly rectified, then it isn't really necessary, but if it's for insulation purposes and levelling an uneven surface, then it is worthwhile.

 

[jessegee]

Hiya Misterhelpful, thanks for everyones commentd, its very encouraging.
we have started putting up the wallrock thermal mostly for insulation and to reduce a bit of echo from hard floors, shutters etc.

Our neighbour was kind en0ough to tell us that he gets most of his heat from us!

Its good stuff, making a difference already, great smoothing, and easy to hang except that it is an absolute beggar to cut. It blunts scalpel and stanley knife blades within minutes.
Have just ordered the OLFA heavy duty knife and blades from Gowallpaper, where I bought the wallrock, someone recommended it on a forum somewhere as being the best thing to use. They have a special offer at the moment, and its free delivery over £50.
They have always been really good, picked up on the fact that I had ordered the wrong paste and sent me the right one, really fast delivery.

http://www.gowallpaper.co.uk/ofla-heavy-duty-x-design-auto-snap-knife-18mm.html

The room is coming along slowly but surely, just had chimney done, so damp not so bad.