DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

I have moved into an old cottage with a solid stone wall. I’m aware that old buildings should maintain breathability in the walls and therefore lime plaster should be used and waterproof tanking products should be avoided. When our builders ripped out some old alcove cupboards, there was a section of wall that needed plastering. Unfortunately, the previous owners already replastered the entire place on modern plaster, so we were happy for the builders to plaster the area in modern plaster. However, they also wanted to tank the section, which I asked them not to in order to retain as much breathability as possible. However, it came up in conversation recently that they did tank the area. I only asked them not to verbally, so not sure if they just forgot, just I don’t have a record that we asked them not to. It’s now been tanked and postered. If we stripped back the plaster again, is there anything we can do to remove and reverse the tanking?

Hi jaydeew,
Depends on what tanking was used but it's very unlikely that you will be able to remove it. Possibly better to leave it alone unless you start to get issues.
Regards S