DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello people and Happy new year!

Just wondering, i've got some really old walls in my house that are currently painted direct onto the plaster, most are slat and lat??? i'm not a plasterer so not sure if my definitions are correct!!. Well anyways I have a few problems that I would really appreciate if you could help me out:

Around the windows in my bedrooms it appears to be slightly damp, now the windows are rubbish so they are being renewed, do you think a new window will alleviate the dampness inside?

Also, could I just skim over the emulsioned walls to cover up some of the cracks that have started appearing?

Cheers for the help

AH.

AdamsHeating,
From your description you have a pre-war house.
The new windows will probably make the damp problem worse, make sure they have trickle vents and a night vent position.
Since you have lathe and plaster walls skimming over these walls with finish plaster is not usually successful - the cracks will still appear. Suggest you use lining paper, if there is a lot movement use linen backed lining paper.
end

wet around windows may be condensation or penetration from outside. New windows may help if they have trickle ventilation and seals what may have been a weakness allowing water ingress before.

With regard to plaster, I have a similar problem on ceilings and some walls - the solution that has worked well for me is to overboard the existing plaster (screw 12.5mm to ceiling studs and dot&dap to walls) and skim.

Costs about £120 materials, a days labour from a plasterer (i get him to do the ceilings and any tricky curvy bits) and a day skimming from me.
It's like a new house!

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