After some advice please, hairline cracks in plaster

BuffetSlayer

BuffetSlayer

BuffetSlayer

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Hi all

Been preparing our master bedroom for decorating, and part of that process was to get the wallpaper off. It was horrible bubble effect anaglypta stuff, eugh.

Anyway, we have now discovered the reason for the paper - one wall is completely full of hairline cracks in the plaster, and there are cracks and ageing damage in other areas too. I suspect the main wall with the problem is something to do with the fact that the chimney is on that wall (externally only, the internal wall is flat). There is also signs of very minor water ingress on the ceiling right smack bang where the chimney would be and right where it goes through the roof (its a strange design)



Anyway, I was considering contacting a plasterer to come and skim all the walls but I am unsure whether the hairline cracks will also cause the new skim to crack in a similar way or would it be better to remove the original plaster and start again? That would be a massive job as it is best part of an inch thick and is affixed to a cinder/ash type block (all internal walls are like a cinder block in my house and produce a black dust when drilled that stains quite easily)

I don't want to over board due to losing space.

Additionally I have an artex ceiling that I want to cover. Fortunately the stipple pattern is very shallow but can it be plastered over successfully or is it going to have to come down and be reboarded? Again, I do not want to over board it really
 
I am in exactly the samre boat less the water leak thankfully. From my digging around on the subject its down to contraction/expansion of the house and unless you take the plaster right back and overboard the cracks will always come back. I could be wrong here thoughby far from a expert.

So to that end i am going down the lining paper route.
 
You could always hack the plaster off, put some thin plasterboard up over the affected area and then skim over it? That should pretty much stop the cracks from reappearing. Big (and messy) job though, mind.
 
it will be ok, my current house was full of cracks etc and we had most rooms skimmed, so far so good some months on. Its just the plaster being old and probably original.
 
You will probably get away with a skim, make sure the flashing round the chimney is in good nick to avoid further water ingress.
 
First job would be get that leak investigated.

My parents believed they'd sorted a leak out but it turned out 5 years later to be a major issue - three partition walls down, joists to replace, floors up, carpets out, two bathrooms needing to be ripped out with all new suites and tiling, not to mention possible issues with electrics. All due to a leaky shower tray... lesson is water does damage, even if it looks minimal!

Also if a wall is that bad then probably worth lining again but if a house/extension is 10+ years old you shouldn't be getting too much in the way of settling cracks.

Any small areas of plaster to fill I'd recommend using EasyFill (they do it at B&Q in various size bags). It is only good for a certain period of time before it goes off so best to get a smaller bag initially. It is extremely easy to use and quick drying. I've filled everything from dings and dents, exposed plasterboard nails/joints (with scrim tape) as well as gaps made from chasing cables.
 
Given the experience my parents had lately I'd recommend doing it proper - a good plasterer will probably be able to give a fair assessment of the best course of action.
 
Thanks for the replies folks.

The plaster is original from 1969/70 when the house was built. The leak is a common issue with houses in this street that use the same chimney/roof interaction. Will have to get someone out to it but the ceiling only seems to show any signs of wetness after sustained wet weather and in 4 years the sign of damp on the ceiling has not got any worse so I suspect it could be intermittent.

Anyone here successfully plastered over their artex ceiling?

Really hoping we don't have dry rot. Trouble is, the way the roof is I can't physically get in to properly inspect the area in the loft so would probably have to drop the ceiling (or cut a patch out).

Will have a think.
 
Dont be worried about knocking it all back to brick. It might look horrible at first but after 2 hours with a plasterer Dot 'n Dabbing you'll be back to plasterboard and ready for skimming.

When I'm renovating if there is any chance that we'll need to skim. We knock back to brick. Especially if there is wood chip on the walls, Saves wallpaper stripping
 
I would also advise trying to resolve the origin of the leak.

Secondly, just be very careful with plastering over Artex; latter contains asbestos.
 
It's worth checking to make sure there isn't a leak. Making sure it's sorted now could save you money in the long term.

If it's an older house, then the artex will almost certainly (unfortunately) contain asbestos. My parents inherited some awful artex ceilings in their current house, but because it's got asbestos in it, nobody wants to touch it. Stripping it off will disturb the asbestos.

If it's solid, you may be able to get away with skimming it, but ours was done over lining paper that has started to peel due to age - hence nobody wants to strip it off and re-plaster!
 
Plan is to get roof investigated as a priority.

My artex will most definitely contain asbestos (haven't sampled it yet though) but I can drop the ceiling myself as I know a thing or two about asbestos.

Tempted to go that route and knock the plaster off the walls too. Going to be a huge task though! Might have to hire myself a kango.
 
Hopefully the roof issue may just be some bad flashing/banding at the base of the chimney.

If you're familiar with asbestos, then it'll obviously cost you less if you're able to do it yourself. Just don't skimp on PPE, but at least with artex it's likely to only be white asbestos rather than blue or brown. As far as van hire is concerned, will the asbestos affect that? I can imagine some of my local hire places being 'funny' about that.
 
Borealis said:
Hopefully the roof issue may just be some bad flashing/banding at the base of the chimney.

If you're familiar with asbestos, then it'll obviously cost you less if you're able to do it yourself. Just don't skimp on PPE, but at least with artex it's likely to only be white asbestos rather than blue or brown. As far as van hire is concerned, will the asbestos affect that? I can imagine some of my local hire places being 'funny' about that.
Click to expand...

I have the right PPE/RPE already and can get my hands on the right gear for everything else so no issues there. I will speak to a removal company I deal with to sort the waste for me. Can punt some cash their way to have it collected and disposed of.

Means the job is turning into a bigger one than I wanted but I believe in doing it right. Will save time and money further down the line. Just got to convince the wife! She won't be happy at the inflated cost and time :p

Oh and when I said kango I didn't mean a van :p
http://m.screwfix.com/p/hitachi-h45...s&gclid=CN_nw7fTuMgCFevnwgodno8CXA&kpid=98649
 
Just thought I would update this thread. After getting the roof done, the central heating replaced and the room re-plastered, we finally finished the work at the beginning of March (don't ask - it took way longer than expected! :p)

In the end, we decided to go with skimming rather than complete removal of the plaster. Also completely replaced the skirting boards, replaced the light fitting with a single pendant (it was a 3 bulb chandelier type thing before), and we replaced light/plug socket fascias and the curtain pole and carpet.

Pleased with the result. Now just the rest of the house to do!

Thanks for the advice guys :)

 
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