Knackered bathroom wall - suggestions for repair?

Plaster has cracked and lifted in places - having taken some plaster off, the concrete behind has also come away and there is a strong smell of damp - not good!

So, I thought either:

  1. take off all of the plaster and concrete, re-screed and plaster again
  2. as above but instead of re-screeding and plastering, PVA and leave bare bricks showing
  3. as 1, but plasterboard then paint
  4. something I've not yet thought of hence the post!!

Suggestions gratefully accepted from the fountain of knowledge as I am not a builder by trade...

Bear

Reply to
nonymouse
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You are approaching it the wrong way. "Strong smell of damp". What about curing this first?

Reply to
EricP

It's not concrete, it's plaster...just a different plaster to the surface plaster.

Render and skim.

Bare bricks? - as a feature you mean?

Is it a 'wet' wall? - is there a shower or bath against it? - if there is then you don't have many options...personally, if it were my house I would hack the lot off, allow it to dry (the water has probably been getting behind it for years), PVA, two coats of render, then tile over

Reply to
Phil L

Thanks for your suggestions, but...

...do I need to take off all of the plaster first then, or only the loose stuff?

One part of the wall will be a wet wall which needs tiling and I don't fancy tiling over manky plaster. The other part of the wall joined via an L shape will just be tiled

Reply to
nonymouse

If it's damp (and it sounds to me like you've had water running on it for it to be damp, unless the bathroom is downstairs in which case it could be rising damp, or possibly an outside source - leacky gutter, downspout etc) then it will probably all be loose (another IF here - if it's oldish plaster that is, if it's less than say 30 years old plaster than you may get away with just taking the loose off and skimming over it all)

Anything that you are tiling will need a solid base, the general rule of thumb is: if you think it /might/ be loose, even just a little bit, whip it off, either down to bare brick or just the top coat of plaster, apply 2 coats of PVA and replaster.

Reply to
Phil L

Many thanks - it is an exterior wall with no guttering above. The plaster is around 25 years old as this part of the house was renovated in 1981 (I think) - and hasn't been re-decorated since!

There's no reason (other than it being an exterior wall) for it too be damp as it has not been in constant (or even semi-constant) contact with water; I can only think the damp has stemmed from the humidity in the bathroom

Bear :-)

Reply to
nonymouse

Um. How old is the house? Is it a cavity wall or not (look for air bricks)? How thick is it?

Reply to
Chris Bacon

If it's an exterior wall, I would take a closer look at the outside brickwork, maybe it needs re-pointing, 25 year old plaster shouldn't deteriorate so much without a fairly substansial amount of water penetration over a prolonged period....humidity from the bathroom shouldn't affect it, after all, the plaster in our kitchen is 60 years old and that has had pots, pans and kettles boiled in it thousands of times

Reply to
Phil L

Worrying thought...the house was built in 1901!

Reply to
nonymouse

Sounds like you have 9" solid wall

Is the bathroom upstairs or downstairs?

If downstairs - can you see the slate damp-proof course outside the house, or has someone put a path or garden above the level of it?

Charlie

Reply to
charlieB

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