drylining or lime

[Anonymous]

More help and advise please,

I'm continuing the battle against dry rot, and trying to think beyond it. I had posted previously a question about lime render and wash on the outside, and drylining inside. I'm now thinking about continuing the lime theme inside. But what made me originally think about lining the inside was heat. ( or retention )
Would I lose anything or a lot by not lining inside?
We intend to have a multi fuel stove in the room concerned as the main heat source. There is no lath, the previous plaster was directly on to the rubble wall ( exterior ) and brick ( interior ).
I gather from reading the many posts here that using lime would benefit the building, but will it give me a comfy warm room to relax in after a hard days work?

Thanks

John

 

[Anonymous]

I'd go for dry lining. If there's room, create a space of perhaps 4 inches with studwork and laths or woven willow/hazel hurdles. Plaster this with clay or lime. Fill the space with sheeps wool or shredded newspaper. Your room will be much warmer, dry, good looking (don't get the plaster too flat) and you will have only used sustainably produced environmentally friendly materials.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Biff, but I'm confused.
I thought drylining was the use of plasterboard, as opposed to plaster, be it lime or otherwise.
When you say " I'd go for drylining.." and then describe using clay/lime with infill of wool or newspaper and then, presumably, a finish of lime ( ? )...I don't get it.
I like the idea of sustainability and the use of env/friendly products....I just don't get the method.Sorry it's probably just me, but could you clarify.
Many thanks.

John

 

[Anonymous]

John - it's probably the "dry" prefix that's a bit confusing, because the method does involve the use of a wet finishing material.
Create a 4 inch air gap by (if necessary) fixing vertical studs on the inside your existing wall structure. Infill the 4 inch gap with your chosen insulation material (if this is a loose material you'll have to fill bit by bit as you fix your laths from the bottom upwards).
Nail horizontal laths on to the studs. Then plaster with lime or clay over the laths. Make sure your plaster pushes into the narrow gaps between the laths to give a "key".
As Biff suggests, a finish like this looks best if you don't try to get too much of a "billiard table" finish (which is a good thing, because that is extremely difficult to achieve!)

 

[Anonymous]

OK, it's wet-lining. To start with - then it dries. The point it you are creating an insulated space between your existing cold room and your potentially warm room, as oposed to putting the wet plaster straight on the wall, which provides very little extra insulation.

 

[Anonymous]

errata: for 'cold room' read 'cold wall'

(I do wish one could edit one's post)

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you David & Biff
I appreciate the explanation, which helps with the decision making process.
Looking ahead again, am I going to encounter problems putting battens/studs on a rubble wall? I had thought of a nail gun, but I have no experiece in using one. The stone in the wall is granite and slate. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks again

John

 

[Anonymous]

I've never tried but I don't think nails go into granite very easily. I think it might be best to embed some pieces of oak into the wall and then fix your battens to them with stainless steel screws. Probably best to think of your new internal work as essentially freestanding, wedged between floor and ceiling, and not relying on the rubble wall for too much structural support.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm still pondering using a similar approach (basially building a new stud wall a couple of inches clear of the rubble wall) but have a couple of queries...

Any advantage in leaving an air gap between the sheep's wool and the rubble outside wall?

Any point in a vapour barrier between the sheep's wool and the lathe?

What do I secure the electrical socket boxes to and how do I insulate behind them to prevent them forming a cold bridge?

 

[Anonymous]

>sheep's wool and the lathe

I find a spinning wheel better for producing yarn than a lathe.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry about that.

Assuming that the rubble wall is as dry as it ought to be, I can't see much point in an air gap. Likewise a vapour barrier, on the warm side of the insulation of course, shouldn't be required and would the negate the humidity management role that the wool performs.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm the one who should be sorry! How often have I read these threads on laths versus lathes, laughed at the morons who confuse the two, then fallen into the same trap myself! Proof read, proof read, proof read!

Thanks for the answer. You are right about the dryness of the outside wall - absolutely critical. It makes sense to use the outside wall as part of the overall insulation of the buidling, rather than simply structural. I was thinking I would need to increase the air flow behind the inner-wall, which would have reduced the insulating role of the rubble-wall itself.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the responses and advice.
More to come!!

John