Lime plastered party wall

[trimattrdg]

I recently got my living room plastered in lime (which included some hemp in the float coat.

When I removed the old plasterboard before lime plastering I found a section which had some renovating plaster on (about 1m x 1m lower section of wall), which I chipped off (the wall was pretty damp looking behind)

We did not leave long before plastering, and the plaster seems to have dried on the surface at least but we have had some issues with moisture behind new skirting and some staining appearing just above skirting level- this appeared probably 2-3 months after skirting attached.

Chatting to neighbor he said in the past he had similar problems on his side, and had also used renovating plaster in the same location on his side.

Is there a good chance the wall will dry in time to an acceptable level should I just leave the skirting off for a while? the plastering was completed in May and it is a 9 inch thick wall.

We have a suspended floor and plaster has been run down to ground level (if this is relevant). One think I have considered chipping of an inch or 2 of plaster behind the skirting.

 

[Cubist]

I suspect you've posted this query in the wrong place. Here in this section of the site it may not attract as many viewers as it might in the main Discussion section. One of the administrators may be able to transfer this thread should you ask.

That aside. How do you know the material you removed was Renovation Plaster?

I ask as RP is designed to combat damp and is often used in 'tanking' excercises for cellars and basements as well as protecting houses in flood prone areas. If it was indeed RP, and your neighbour treated the other side of this wall with a similar product, it's likely that the wall had previously fallen victim to rising damp from the ground below. Given that your, and your neighbours, walls were perhaps treated in the same manner, this would have trapped such damp in the wall to accumulate for much longer than might be expected. It will almost certainly have tried to escape through other nearby and more breathable materials however the brickwork of the wall would be quite sodden. A wet 9inch thick wall might typically need anything up to 9 months drying time, but this assumes that more moisture is not added during that period so perhaps longer may be required.

In my view your best strategy is to leave the skirting off, as it will likely rot if you leave it in place, and if necessary remove any non-breathable paints or other decoration products from the wall. In addition you might also consider any opportunities you may have to enhance 'through' warm air movement to assist the wall to shed its moisture. It may also be an idea to ask your neighbour to do the same.

 

[a twig]

Now moved to discussions