Hi,
I've recently embarked on the renovation of an 18th century cottage. It's a terraced solid stone walled property. As far as I can tell the work that's been done on the property already is minimal, I'm one of two owners of the place in the last 70 years... The Ground floor is a 20-30mm screed on earth. It's got a new tiled roof and loft insulation, new double glazing as well.
To start with I've removed all the wall paper downstairs and all the floor carpets back to the screed. The carpet was moldy in corners and the plaster needs repairing in places, generally closer to the floor. Before I did much research I've repaired a section of wall using one-coat plaster and painted to a finish I was happy with. This quite quickly stained towards the bottom, presumably damp. I've since done quite a bit of research and realize this was likely the wrong approach.
The question is, what do I do with the rest of the wall. Ultimately if I could just patch up the holes and paint it, I'd be satisfied. I'm not after a perfectly flat wall and the more originality I can keep the better (not to say what's on the wall is totally original). Obviously if I do this, as I've done already the paint will be stained. I'm thinking I've got a condensation issue which is causing the staining. Will proper heating/reinstating solid fuel burner and extraction alone solve my problem? Then there is the subject of the floor too. Everything I read about heritage properties says no to damp-proofing.
I hope I've given enough info and that makes sense to someone out there who might be able to give me a simple answer...
Many thanks in advance,
Jake