Forum menu
We've been in our cottage for about 3 years or so and i've got a feeling that it's going to give us problems in the near future. It's constructed of stone but i think the developer used normal plaster direct on the walls. This is pretty evident as the walls don't drill well. Now i can get away with a bit more time with the rest of the house, but i'm thinking more about the bathroom as it's a place that gets the damp from inside and out.
Question is, will lime plaster suffice to help the walls stay dry, or is there another option that would be better on stone walls?
Ta.
If your cottage is stone built it is likely that the mortar used in constructing the stone is a lime mortar. This means that a lime plaster needs to be used over the top of it. Lime mortar doesn't set fully and is permeable so moisture moves through the mortar. You say the developer used 'normal' plaster on the walls, if by normal you mean a cement based scratch coat followed by gypsum plaster then this could cause problems. Due to cement setting harder that the lime below, this can lead to cracking and possible debonding of the plaster.
So in answer to your question a lime plaster should be used and perhaps it hasn't?
Feel free to email me if that helps.