DG27 alternatives ?

[paulc]

The next stage of renovating my property is to redecorate/refurbish the kitchen. This was extended in the 1970s and the extension ceiling was plasterboarded and skimmed. The original walls are lime plastered, painted with a gloss paint, and then skimmed with gypsum when the extension was added. Since then, the PB ceiling had been painted with an emulsion whilst the remaining (original) ceiling remained untouched - Lath & plaster, with what looks like distemper which is flaking off.

Both halves of the ceilings have a number of cracks that need patching and then the whole lot needs a skim - I want to use a polished lime plaster on the walls & ceilings for aesthetic reasons than anything else. However, having a budget of zero, I'm looking for suggestions for priming the surfaces. From the expensive through to the cheapest, my options are:

• Baumit DG27 (~£65 inc shipping) - I have used this in the past, and it does what it says on the tin
• FeBond blue grit (£15 locally) - Not breathable I know, but as the walls & half the ceiling painted, is that an issue ?
• PVA or acrylic primer with a bit of sand mixed in (free) - Again, not breathable, but I have both to hand.

Comments or alternative suggestions welcome.

 

[MatthewC]

Hi Paul

Is the old ceiling in a single storey extension or is it an internal ceiling to a room above. If the latter then do something cheap (e.g. the PVA/sand solution) all over, but if it's got roof space directly above then I would think that you want two solutions:
a. DG27 on the lath ceiling
b. Anything cheap on the walls and the newer ceiling

I agree DG27 is expensive - I had lots of walls with the lime plaster partially removed, and used DG27 to prime the old stuff before the plasterer did a complete lime plaster skim over the old plaster and the new float coat. I was pretty livid once when my plasterer's mate covered two whole walls with expensive DG27, rather than just the old plaster! :evil:

Matthew

 

[paulc]

Hi Paul

Is the old ceiling in a single storey extension or is it an internal ceiling to a room above. If the latter then do something cheap (e.g. the PVA/sand solution) all over

The old plaster & lath ceiling has a small box room above - There are some quite large nasty cracks in it, and I may end up taking it down. This would give me the opportunity to reroute some pipes, add wiring for new lights, and put in some insulation.

At present, I'm leaning towards the cheap option, but wasn't sure if PVA would work with lime.

 

[noj]

It could be false economy to not use the DG27 which you know is a viable solution - it's not a job you'd want to do twice!

Unless that is you can find someone who's succeeded with the PVA/Sand or FeBond I'd consider it too large and area to take the risk. But if you do opt for a cheaper route please report back - there's plenty of us with similar issues to tackle

 

[paulc]

Unless that is you can find someone who's succeeded with the PVA/Sand or FeBond I'd consider it too large and area to take the risk. But if you do opt for a cheaper route please report back - there's plenty of us with similar issues to tackle

Having had a read on problems using PVA when tiling, I've decided to go with the FeBond Blue Grit - It will apparently stick to just about anything including glass & glazed ceramic tiles.

Only time will tell if it was a good decision - Might be an idea to ask in a year or so...

 

[noj]

Might be an idea to ask in a year or so...

Great idea - no point me rushing into things

I don't doubt the FeBond'll stick to the substrate - really want to know how well the new lime sticks to it - I'll be patient

 

[paulc]

Well.... I decided to do a small area (approx 2m^2) and used Febond Blue Grit as the primer. The lime plaster I used (a 3:2 mix of marble & lime) seems to have stuck quite well. No signs of it falling off, but it has only been up for about a month so far.

I'll do some more over the weekend and post some photos if anyone is interested.

 

[paulc]

Kitchen refurbishment is now in full swing. Pulled down the original plasterboard to:
a) Install trunking for an extractor
b) Add a bit more insulation
c) Get rid of cracks, cobwebs, and dips.

In doing so, uncovered a number of bodges and sloppy building work such as plasterboard being fixed the wrong way up. Plugged a couple of large gaps where an RSJ went in to the wall and ripped out some galvanised steel corner beads that had gone very rusty.

The new plasterboard & walls have been painted with FeBond Blue Grit and skimmed with a thin coat of lime plaster. Still need to put a final finish coat on and then wax & polish.

With 14m² of ceiling and 37m² of wall, it will be interesting to see how long the plaster lasts.