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My best mate has a 1890 terraced house. In the front bedroom the render is coming away from the wall under the window and moves slightly. It seems as if there has been a bit of a damp problem
We think it is lime render as it fizzes with vinegar, but the outside brickwork appears to have been repointed with cement mortar.
A plasterer came round and said it could just be skimmed over, another on the phone said the areas that move (ie blown) would need to be removed, but then the whole lot can be skimmed over.
Would this be alright, or does the whole lot need to come off and start from the brickwork?
He isn't planning on staying there forever, but he doesn't want it falling off in a couple of years time
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The cement mortar will stop the brickwork from breathing properly.
Anyone coming in and replastering over it with modern plaster will probably make it worse.
You need someone who knows how to deal with old houses.
Get someone who knows about lime in. Lime plast is held together with goat and or horse hair so a small area blone does not mean it has to all be chipped off.
If the plaster is live you really should take it back to the brickwork and replaster. Gypsum plaster will be fine or even dot and dab a plasterboard and skim that.
The important bit is finding where the damp is coming from and fixing that. It might be from the guttering , a downpipe or badly fitted windows and cills.
To make certain the damp doesn't return you can apply a tanking slurry coat on the bricks and plaster with sovereign renovating plaster. I use sovereign K 11 powder mixed with SBR for the tanking but you can get cheaper system's
really gotta fix the root of the problem.
the building would have been constructed with lime mortar and the cement doesnt move or breathe, so will likely be the cause of the damp.
fixing the symptom, the internal plaster, can be done quickly and easily or properly. a quick/easy fix is short term only
The first thing to do to solve the problem is to redo the cement pointing with lime mortar. Anything else is just covering up the problem. Tanking over the outside is probably the worst possible approach. You may need better ventilation anyway, bedrooms get a lot of moisture from 8h of sleeping and limited air movement.
Again, look at sorting source of the damp / blowing issue.
Lime render does not need to be 'old' or awkward, or expensive. I used to sell [url= http://www.natural-building.co.uk/products/baumit-renders-and-plasters ]Baumit[/url] lime renders - modern, easy mixed, breathable, easy to work, light weight etc. Do get in a renderer/plasterer, but not necessarily someone who uses horsehair...