Re-Plastering

[John]

The lower walls of my daughter's house have been effected by damp. Some years ago the walls were treated and the survey seems to indicate there is not a current problem. However, some of the plaster is poor and I was wondering about having it stripped off up to the height of the dado rail and then get the walls lined with plasterboard (on dobs of plaster) and then finally skimmed.

Will it be less likely to give problems if there is a chance of damp? Is doing only the lower part of the wall practical? Would proper plastering be the best solution?

We have a quote for £700 for plastering.

[Reestit Mutton]

Where are you based? I know of a good plasterer in the Edinburgh area.

RM

[stuart noble]

If you're sure the damp problem has been sorted, you could skim with Polyfilla. IME this firms up the texture better than plaster and saves all that dust if you hack the old stuff off.

[Tim S]

My personal preference is to avoid plasterboard - it's horrible on walls - makes it a real pain if you want to fix anything heavy. It's a lot less reslient than solid plaster as far as knocks go. But having said that, what you describe (board on dabs of plaster) is exactly how most morden homes are built so it must be OK. I don't think it will give any more or less problems - if it were me, I'd go with real proper old fashioned plaster unless budget or time is a problem.

But as another poster said, you really should check out the damp and cure it totally if it exists or any patching up won't save you when the mushrooms start appearing.