i`m having to dry line some walls due to salt coming out of gypsum plaster after a damp course. two questions i have for you. what size do the battens have to be and what do i treat them with. also i think i`ll have to take down the original(i think) wooden coving. what is it held on with and how easy is it to get off? i will be putting it back. that was four questions not two. never was good at maths.
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dry lining and coving
- Thread starter carly
- Start date
Gervase
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- 1,500
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- North London
Battening is usually two-by-one, and can be bought tanalised, which makes it rot resistant.
But dry lining is usually a technique of last resort. Have you found out exactly why the walls are damp, and have you thought of replacing the gypsum plaster? You may well find that you don't have to dry-line.
Replacing the coving (which is usually cast from fibrous plaster and a b*gger to remove without breaking) would be tricky, as it would have to be re-mitred to fit the small dimensions of the room.
But dry lining is usually a technique of last resort. Have you found out exactly why the walls are damp, and have you thought of replacing the gypsum plaster? You may well find that you don't have to dry-line.
Replacing the coving (which is usually cast from fibrous plaster and a b*gger to remove without breaking) would be tricky, as it would have to be re-mitred to fit the small dimensions of the room.
i`m not sure it is damp gervase. ive done everything i can think of to stop damp coming in(gutters, pointing, repainting outside, etc). ive also had a dpc as my mortgage company insisted. having done all this i replastered and the painted with breathable paint. on exterior walls the plaster is patchy and some paint is cracking off after a week presumably because of salt. the better half isnt too impressed at the thought of hacking all the plaster of again hence the idea of drylining
Gervase
Member
- Messages
- 1,500
- Location
- North London
Have you had an independent surveyor look at the problem? What the mortgage company insists and what's sensible aren't always the same thing.
It sounds to me as though you need to seek some independent, on-the-spot advice before committing to dry-lining the walls. You'll need an RICS surveyor who is familiar with old buildings (there's a link on this site somewhere to the RICS) or an independent damp specialist with similar expertise and absolutely no ties to any damp-proofing company.
Whereabouts in the house are these damp walls - are they ground floor, internal, external, side, gable end etc - and what lies behind them; plain air, chimney flue, next door's loo etc?
It sounds to me as though you need to seek some independent, on-the-spot advice before committing to dry-lining the walls. You'll need an RICS surveyor who is familiar with old buildings (there's a link on this site somewhere to the RICS) or an independent damp specialist with similar expertise and absolutely no ties to any damp-proofing company.
Whereabouts in the house are these damp walls - are they ground floor, internal, external, side, gable end etc - and what lies behind them; plain air, chimney flue, next door's loo etc?