Hi

I have recently had the floor joists changed at my front door as they were rotton the property is 1920 s and apparently this is a common fault.

When the workman took the skirting off so he could replace the floorboards a large peice of the wall fell off. On closer inspection there was a large area that was powdery to the touch and was loose from the wall.

I live in an upstairs flat and there is only a single brick wall between mine and nextdoors hallway. Nextdoor say they have no damp however they do have wood panelling. There is no heating at the front door the only heat being the radiator at the top of my stairs

I have took all the loose plaster off and am now left with about a square yard of brick, its cold to the touch but not wet.

What is the best way to repair this wall?

Cheers

Dora

The proper way to do this is with an anti-effloresence render, then skim on top. A Damp proof course may also need to be injected. This is how a damp repair company would approach the problem and they will offer an insurance backed guarantee with this method

The plaster may have perished long ago and it may be possible to just plaster as normal. The joists may have transferred their moisture to the plaster and it would suck it up.

If you wanted to do the work yourself, I would suggest the following:-

Bitumen dampseal on the wall 2 coats with Kiln dried sand thrown on to the second coat to provide a key. Leave to dry

If the existing plaster is 15mm thick or more, then I would cut a piece of plasterboard to shape and stick it to the wall using bonding compound before skimming it.

I certainly wouldn't rush into this. If the cause of the damp has been resolved, then the wall will continue to dry out if left uncovered.

If you are like me and just have to know for sure, try this:-

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Hand+To ... 714/p77015

Hi

Cheers for that.

How long should i wait to do the job i was wanting to redecorate before christmas...

Is there any benefit of plugging a heater in or a dehumidifier?

Sorry but im not very clued up on this type of thing.

Cheers


Dora

In that case, I would order the damp tester which will give you more control over the situation

Heating it may dry the surface but not the inside, leading to an inaccurate damp reading.

Plaster sucks up water like a sponge so if it isn't dry, when you put the plaster on it will stay wet and the plaster eventually will perish.

You may not have a damp problem at all, the plaster may have come off because it is next to the front door and has been shaken loose from years of the door banging shut. Old plaster was bulked out with grit and sand and often has very little adhesion compared to new stuff.