Newton Membrane

I recently commisioned an independent damp report, and the upshot is that I need to remove the plaster to a height of about 1m in several downstairs rooms, and recover, inserting a Newton nembrane where appropriate.

Is this the sort of thing that any decent plasterer should be able to take in their stride, or do I really need to find one with specific experience?

Any recommendations for a decent plasterer capable of doing the job in Derbyshire?

Reply to
seani
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Seems that there may be more to a 'Newton membrane' than just sticking it behind some plaster:

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like overkill unless it's below ground level etc...

Reply to
Phil

Is this ground floor or semi-basement? A Newton membrane is only normally fitted below ground level.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I've used Newton membrane a few times its not especially difficult to work with but I would try and find a builder that had done this type of work before, I don't think I would trust most plasterers with fixing anything to a wall. I think Newton have an approved Contractors list if you email them.

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Reply to
Mark

It's a fairly old (1885) stone built cottage with concrete floors and no gap under the house. The back garden slopes down towards the house and although there are drains and soakaways, these don't always do the job. I'm also looking to rearrange the drainage and guttering to take some of the pressure off problem areas.

The previous owners seem to have take the option of slapping as many layers of paper and paint on as possible, and left the drains and gutters almost completely blocked in some cases. I'm hoping that some fairly simple maintenance should improve matters considerably. It isn't

*that* bad at the moment, but I don't want to be replacing skirting boards, redecorating etc. without solving the problem.
Reply to
seani

consider the rest of the property, so I won't take any chances.

Reply to
seani

I try and avoid making suggestions regarding how to deal with damp there is no one size fits all solutions

Despite what the two opposing opinions say.

But in the case you describe ^ before spending money fitting an internal membrane you should carefully evaluate the external drainage away from the wall.

If a French drain has already been laid it may have become blocked and need reinstating.

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internal walls should be cleaned of all previous plaster and re plastered using Lime plaster.

only when you have exhausted all other options and still have an unacceptable damp wall start thinking membrane.

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Reply to
Mark

This is why I opted for an independent survey

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if anyone's interested - extremely thorough and very helpful)

In this case I'm following expert advice, but as the expert in question studiously avoids recommendations for firms to carry out the work so as to remain independent, I just need someone to execute it.

There are:

1) Two standard drains

2) A soakaway

3) Several drains that resemble the french drains in your link.

The french drains look a little clogged, but water seems to run freely - I've removed what I can, but doing more means chipping the long drain covers away from the cement and I'm doing other less ball-aching jobs first.

The soak-away was completely blocked when we moved in. Two bin-bags full of viscous black gunk later, and it drains like a champ. I'm also rerouting the guttering so that it pours into the "real" drain and that should massively reduce the pressure on the soak-away.

In advance of any works, I'll be stripping the layers of wallpaper inside, removing the skirting board and carpets and chipping away any loose and crumbly plaster. Then letting the whole lot breath for a while.

Hopefully this should help matters.

As I say, it was expert advice. At this stage, I'd rather overdo things and be able to get on with the rest of our renovations. I do appreciate the pointers though (from everyone :-)).

Thanks

Sean

Reply to
Sean Inglis

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