hi, not sure if this should be in the plaster section but anyway,
i'm installing a chemical dpc in a terrace house. i've hacked off the plaster up to the ceiling and will be doing the dpc soon, my question is can i dot and dab plaster boards onto the walls or should i render them?
i see there is additives to put in render mixes to stop the damp returning, can this or something else be put in the dab?
dot and dab would be easier but i dont want to get damp patches coming through after its been plastered.
also the house didn't seem that damp to me but the mortgage company insist i have it done.
thanks, rob

As you probably know rising damp, rises only four feet from the ground outside.
However, penetrating damp/rain coming through the walls or a leaking pipe can cause a damp wall at any height.
A really wet wall dries out at 1 mm per 24 hours at an indoor temperature of 22C.
So a typical solid brick wall will take some time to dry out.
Tradesmen cannot wait for a wall to dry out and they lack confidence in their work, so they usually render the inside wall with waterproof mortar, and hope they don't have to come back.
A chemical damp proof course done carefully always works (it its rising damp)
If its OK plaster properly, the result is better and warmer.

The damp proofing injectors usually stipulate that the plaster be removed up to a level of 5 feet and replaced with a render with anti-sulphite additive to prevent effloresence. Otherwise they claim their guarantee is void. I think this is because of the residual moisture in the wall, which would make dot and dab a bad idea.

Being lazy, I would leave it until the end of summer so that it is bone dry and then do it the easy way.

thanks for the replies!
think i'm going to render it with the additives, seems a safer option. plus i cant wait till summer for it to be bone dry.
cheers dudes