Product recommendations for filling awkward gap

[skinnymalinky]

Hiya

Stripping wallpaper from around my naff back door revealed this gap. I'm just wondering what others would suggest for a quick patch up job here?






Thanks!

- sm

 

[Cubist]

Hi Skinny,

Keep the following to yourself as its something that will be frowned upon by many of our fellows, but; -

The cavity between the door frame and the wall needs to be packed to ensure that the finishing plaster, when its finally applied, does not simply fall out or fail if gently tapped later. Faced with the same problem in the past I have pressed bunched up galvanised chicken wire in to the gap with it outer-most surface about 10mm below the existing plaster. This operates as an armature/skeleton into which a render coat plaster can then be pressed or injected to create a a solid base. When dry a finishing plaster can then be applied to complete the repair.

Alternatively, but for narrow gaps of upto 10mm wide, you could use caulking cotton twisted and pressed into the cavity to form a base for the finishing plaster.

Cheers,
Cubist

 

[a twig]

Expanding foam

 

[Feltwell]

Expanding foam

Wash your mouth out with soap!

 

[Lacan07]

You could stuff the it with something like Steicoflex (wood fibre) or sheep wool perhaps and then to finish off employ Cubist's idea of some plasterers chicken wire folded over to create tension against the opposing walls, then fill in the crack with plaster. I have actually plastered over Steicoflex when filling the gaps around my windows but they'll be protected when the trim goes back on.

 

[Feltwell]

Wash your mouth out with soap!

You know what, I shouldn't be so blanket anti the stuff - there are a very small number of applications where it is the best stuff to use.

It's just that 99% of the time it's used by those that can't be arsed to do a job properly! Someone here replaced some missing external bricks with it

 

[paulc]

You know what, I shouldn't be so blanket anti the stuff - there are a very small number of applications where it is the best stuff to use.

It's just that 99% of the time it's used by those that can't be arsed to do a job properly! Someone here replaced some missing external bricks with it

One property I pass on a daily basis had the solid brick walls "repointed" in the stuff prior to being rendered.

 

[Cubist]

Expanding foam

Heresy - Burn the Witch but hey, if it works, it works.

 

[a twig]

I was being slightly controversial on purpose and generally I do avoid it as much as possible - but it does work, and in some cases a small limited application works doesn’t have any negative effect, and saves a lot of time, effort and money than a more period solution. That time, effort and money can then be spent instead on the exciting things (remedying deathwatch beetle infestations for e.g.)

 

[Cubist]

Sorry Twig, sometimes my sense of humour gets the better of me and frankly I was pulling your leg. Whilst some may suggest I may be something of a purist, and I've made that claim myself, there are moments when pragmatism wins out and best intentions/practice are compromised. A relevant example here is; when window and door frames are installed in close proximity to a wooden beam or post its normal to leave a void between the header and side rails to allow for movement resulting from settlement and expansion/contraction. These voids are usually covered with thin wooden fillets scribed and cut to accurately meet the window/door frame and the beams and posts. All well and good but this usually leaves a fine gap that the book says should be closed with a suitable filler, burnt sand or caulking cotton. However, the wooden fillets tend to be 10mm or less thick and often fillers and burnt sand will simply fall into the void, as will caulking cotton due to the small area of contact between it and the fillet. As a consequence these fillets, as they are usually installed on both the front and rear of the frames can become a major source of annoying drafts on the one hand and on the other, the voids may become inhabited by unwelcome visitors such as wasps.

To solve this problem I drilled a few holes in the various fillets and filled the voids with expanding foam and, after cleaning off the excess, closed the final gap with a lime filler. Ten years later, no drafts, some better heat retention and no buzzing in the frame voids.

 

[skinnymalinky]

 

[skinnymalinky]

So full disclosure... my initial thought was to use expanding foam as a first pass - but thought I'd seek the thoughts of the good people on here before rushing into it.

Reading between the lines, it sort of seems like it nobody would hugely blame me if I did - even if unable to bring themselves to publicly endorse it

Guess I'll have a think then - thanks a lot for all of the suggestions - much appreciated

 

[malcolm]

The trouble there is it's a deep gap. What you ideally need is something solid you can plaster onto sunk about an inch behind the surface. There is a handy post in there but you would need to chop another couple inches of plaster before screwing wood wool board in place to support the plaster.

Spray foam tends to be bad because it is waterproof. When it is surrounded by things that aren't waterproof you'll tend to get a water build up at the edge of the spray foam. If you need to clog the hole full of stuff to support plaster it would be better to use absolutely anything else.

But it doesn't look like such a wide gap that you couldn't clop a bit of plaster in there and be done with it.

 

[a twig]

Sorry Twig, sometimes my sense of humour gets the better of me and frankly I was pulling your leg. Whilst some may suggest I may be something of a purist, and I've made that claim myself, there are moments when pragmatism wins out and best intentions/practice are compromised. A relevant example here is; when window and door frames are installed in close proximity to a wooden beam or post its normal to leave a void between the header and side rails to allow for movement resulting from settlement and expansion/contraction. These voids are usually covered with thin wooden fillets scribed and cut to accurately meet the window/door frame and the beams and posts. All well and good but this usually leaves a fine gap that the book says should be closed with a suitable filler, burnt sand or caulking cotton. However, the wooden fillets tend to be 10mm or less thick and often fillers and burnt sand will simply fall into the void, as will caulking cotton due to the small area of contact between it and the fillet. As a consequence these fillets, as they are usually installed on both the front and rear of the frames can become a major source of annoying drafts on the one hand and on the other, the voids may become inhabited by unwelcome visitors such as wasps.

To solve this problem I drilled a few holes in the various fillets and filled the voids with expanding foam and, after cleaning off the excess, closed the final gap with a lime filler. Ten years later, no drafts, some better heat retention and no buzzing in the frame voids.

No upset here, I wouldn’t suggest such heresy on this forum without tongue slightly in cheek.

The best lime solution I found for filling such gaps were the hemp plasters (in both NHL and fat flavours) and while members of this parish disagree on its insulating qualities, for filling holes/gaps and dubbing out it has been excellent in my experience

And one further point on foams, open cell varieties are very much non-waterproof so the lesser of two weevils if you do decide to venture down that path

 

[Lacan07]

So full disclosure... my initial thought was to use expanding foam as a first pass - but thought I'd seek the thoughts of the good people on here before rushing into it.

Reading between the lines, it sort of seems like it nobody would hugely blame me if I did - even if unable to bring themselves to publicly endorse it

Guess I'll have a think then - thanks a lot for all of the suggestions - much appreciated

One of the best pieces of advice I got on another forum just after I bought my house was .."old houses are a compromise", sometimes living just gets in the way

 

[mardinor]

You appear to be missing an architrave, designed to cover such gaps (albeit usually just shrinkage/expansion!). I'd add one of those and cut off the skirting flush to it. Dresser mouldings supply in oak.