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Just clearing out the cupboard adjacent to the bathroom when I noticed patchy paint bubbling from the skirting up to about 50cm up the wall. The wall was damp to the touch.
My immediate thoughts were that there was a leak somewhere under the bath, which is on the other side of the wall.
Pulled the side panels off he bath and sure enough, wet wall, crumbling plaster and crumbling stone. Skirting is rotten at the corners.
So it looks like the bath seal has been leaking for a while.
I've scraped back the plaster both sides if the wall, removed sone of the loose stone (it's a 200 year old sandstone cottage) and have a fan heater on to try to encourage a bit of drying, Though I know this will take some time.
I notice two of the tiles against the bath are moving a little from the wall, but the rest seem tight in.
So, questions.
How much loose stone should I remove?
The indents that are left, is it ok to fill with lime mortar, or should I be looking at something else?
As a temporary fix, to allow us to still use the shower, I was going to remove, clean up and reseal the bath with a decent sealant. Those two tiles. I can push them at the join between them, in to the walk by about 5mm. Do they need removed and reset for the temp fix it should I just wap a load of sealant to let us use it?
I think this is a push for us to redo our bathroom anyway, so a larger change will come soon-ish, so just want to do what I can.
TIA
https://www.heritage-house.org/
He is Twitter and YouTube as well which also provides links to other appropriate people
With lime, hot lime appears to be the preferred material. The "hydraulic" limes get short shrift
He's OTT re the chemical industry and damp proofers but it doesn't mean he's wrong
Lime enthusiasts tend to be evangelical about their preferred methods and materials so I’d read up first. Hot lime can be a bit dodgy to prepare as you have to use quicklime which can blind you if you get it in your eyes, and the mix can also get bloody hot.
For what you want, from the sound of things I’d just get a tub of ready mixed hydraulic.
Cheers, thought that ready-mix may be the way to go.
I work with chemicals regularly but would rather not bring anything that caustic into the house.
Tap gently with a hammer and you'll feel what's loose. Try and remove any loose stone but save the larger bits that come off to pack out the mortar you put back on. If you use too thick of a lump of mortar itll shrink too much and fall off.
As for which lime mortar to use just use any NHL 3.5 or 5 and pre mixed will make your life easier. Exact spec wont make one iota of difference for the size of area you're talking about just avoid hot lime as above.
I've been working on my stone house built in 1786, stripped back to stone inside, currently removing cement pointing outside and replaced with Lime Mortar, pre-mixed from Ty-Mawr Lime in Wales. Internal walls have been replastered in Lime Plaster from Ty-Mawr which is also ready mixed. If the walls are very wet you may need to let them dry before replastering, otherwise you can get salt migration when you decorate, we have used clay based breathable paint, but traditional lime wash with pigment is the authentic method. As for the safety aspect I went on a course at Ty-Mawr, I've done my own pointing which is relatively safe, safety glasses and some nitriles under your builders gloves, just take care when beating the pointing with a churn brush, as the sand with lime dust, can get in your eyes if you are not down-wind. The plaster is a bit wetter so more care needed, I have had a plasterer doing that though, a small thermos flask of lukewarm water to wash out the eyes immediately is recommended by Ty-mawr. Also top tip, don't work with lime below 5oC and outside its recommended only to work between April-September, as the frost will get it if you work at any other time.
Great, thanks. I'll tap away, as the sandstone is fairly soft even when dry.
Think I'll clear out as much loose stuff, remove the rotten skirting under the bath and leave the bath panels off to let it dry off for a couple of months!