Fitted kitchems and lime plaster

[Pennyviz]

Still getting my head around the lime plaster/breathable wall issue.

Is there any point in having lime plaster if you are then covering walls with fitted units? could you leave the walls bare behind the units or would the units just go rotten do you think? If you then tile on top of that or put on splashback again no point really I'm guessing? What have other people done?

Penny

 

[Anonymous]

Pennyviz.... that is a very good question, I'd quite like to know the answer to that one too as we have a fitted kitchen with wall and floor cupboards attached to at least two external walls and one of those is a damp disused chimney. It has some damp issues of it's own (faulty rain water goods) so we don't put cardboard in those cupboards as they go all soggy...

Interested to hear from the experienced / experts too.

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm pretty sure that all the fitted kitchen units we've ever had in various houses have been mounted on battens rather than directly to the wall, thus leaving a small gap between the wall and the rear of the units. I'm guessing this would allow adequate ventilation of the wall surface.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Yes, our kitchen units have always been mounted on battens in front of the brick walls-- best way as you can see what is going on with pipework etc if required.

 

[88v8]

And if you put some small vents in the back of the worktop
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Plain-Slotted-Vent-600-x-76mm-9800mm2-Free-Air-Flow-Polished-Brass-/221891577452?hash=item33a9c4c66c:g:dnAAAOSw8-tWV5Nz
that will maintain ventilation.
Better still, put some in the kick boards as well, then there will be a through-flow.

Tile or splashback does indeed sabotage breathability and should be kept to the minimum.
Other than internal walls, I suppose it would do no harm there.

Ivor

 

[Pennyviz]

Thanks Ivor.

My main problem is that(I believe) my present kitchen has been effectively 'tanked' causing any moisture to escape through to other side of internal wall causing gypsum plaster to fall off in adjacent room. Obviously the gypsum in adjacent room needs sorting but I also somehow need to get the kitchen to breathe better. The CO is really not keen on the limcrete floor option and would prefer a minimum intervention strategy first before major excavations (which I agree with both on his conservation grounds plus cost & time of kitchen being out of use) Thus I was thinking of leaving walls bare behind units (and saving on replastering costs and time) and using plinth heaters to warm the kitchen.

See any obvious drawbacks?

 

[Lime]

Thanks Ivor.

My main problem is that(I believe) my present kitchen has been effectively 'tanked' causing any moisture to escape through to other side of internal wall causing gypsum plaster to fall off in adjacent room. Obviously the gypsum in adjacent room needs sorting but I also somehow need to get the kitchen to breathe better. The CO is really not keen on the limcrete floor option and would prefer a minimum intervention strategy first before major excavations (which I agree with both on his conservation grounds plus cost & time of kitchen being out of use) Thus I was thinking of leaving walls bare behind units (and saving on replastering costs and time) and using plinth heaters to warm the kitchen.

See any obvious drawbacks?

No I don't see anything wrong in that.
You need to be aware that the bare brick may be very wet, perhaps permanently if water is being drawn up from below, so you will need to ensure that the water vapour can escape and the kitchen cabinets will not be damaged or destroyed by the dampness in the air and the wall.
Oak should be ok but most man-made fibrous boards will be destroyed eventually. Battening won't stop the damage if the ventilation is poor.
If you don't get the ventilation right it is very likely that a musty smell will hang in the air too.

 

[Pennyviz]

Thanks Lime.

Would lime plaster mitigate the effects of the damp by absorbing and then slowly releasing the water vapour or make no difference?

I don't suppose you can shed any light on the curing v drying question either?

Thanks

Penny

 

[88v8]

Once lime plaster is vapour-saturated, it will just pass the moisture through. Its merit is that damp is not trapped in the wall.

With sufficient ventilators* in worktops/kick boards, you'd be OK, I think. It still leaves the kitchen as a whole rather damp, so not ideal, but at least there is less chance of mould growing behind the kitchen units. Ensure you put vents in the corners so there is no still air.
Plinth heaters would create additional forced ventilation so, yes, a good idea.

Tbh, modern kitchen units aren't really a great idea against a damp wall.
Perhaps If the room is of sufficient size you could have an unstructured kitchen with freestanding cupboards n' things, so the damp won't be trapped anyway.

Ivor

*beware of things falling down the vents. 'Darling, have you seen my ring'?

 

[Pennyviz]

Thanks Ivor

 

[Zebra]

I tiled onto lime plaster, after first applying the primer that the tile shops supply. Of course it's not breathable, but they stuck OK. However, the wall was perfectly dry and the plaster new, so not the same as your situation. It can work though.