Has this lime plaster been skimmed with multi finish?

[LimeLizard]

Hey there - I’m trying to work out whether there’s any point in removing this paint and skimming this wall with limewash. If it has already been overlaid with something impermeable there’s obviously no point - can anyone make out if this lime plaster has been skimmed with multi finish or something similar? Thanks!

 

[paulc]

Looks suspiciously like gypsum. Despite what most say, gypsum does let moisture pass through, so not the end of the world. However, if allowed to remain damp, it turns to mush.

And before you hide those cables, they should never be routed the way they are. Only ever straight up, down, or horizontally from a back box to be compliant with regs. It looks like someone was going to run the cables straight down. I'd suggest chasing the wall out and using a bit of 20mm conduit - Much easier to thread new cables through if the need ever arises.

 

[Kearn]

Is that you guys opening up for cables? If not it may be that whoever did that, filled the surrounding area with modern muck. But that would be the lucky outcome, my guess is that they’ve gone over the whole wall with modern base plus skim.

The good news is that it looks fairly delaminated already, should be easy enough to remove. Then you can replaster in lime and line wash to finish.

Limewash is a final decorative and protective layer for lime plaster, it’s not a skim. It’s almost a water in consistency, being made up of 1 part putty and 3 parts water.

 

[aockenden]

Closer up pics would be very helpful.