Repairing plaster - how much to repair? (pics)

[inwood]

I guess I know the answer to this is likely to be "it can always be repaired"..... but,

I have a mixture of plasters - the oldest has a wattle and daub background with lime covering (very fine finish with goat hair in the top coat) and the remains of a lovely hand painted design on the wall.

My question is this - I'd like as far as possible to repair most of the plaster but it's in a very poor state (very hollow in places - but still reasonably stable - i.e. most plaster won't move if you press on it). So just how bad does it have to be before it needs to come off and be replaced- i.e. beyond repair?

Image shows picture of one wall of dining room - all plaster in this room was covered by wallpapered hessian pinned on a wood frame. Note small black dots - these are old nails holding plaster to the wall.

Detail of the hand painted wall

Condition of the worst wall.

 

[alice]

Is the design hand painted or stenciled? Stenciling is very traditional (forget all the modern cr*p out there, it's a lovely craft) and was used to imitate wallpaper.

In my previous incarnation, before I went over to the dark side and became a computer teacher, I was an art teacher and am still an artist, and I love the hand-painting and decorative work of restoration.

It's hard to see in the photos; I'd need a closer shot, but it looks stenciled.

I'd be thrilled to find such a treasure!

alice

 

[Nemesis]

The wall looks to me to be historic wall painting, ask the CO's advice before touching it, and call a conservator.

The hessian on a frame was possibly put there to preserve it.

Conserve as much of the plaster as possible - unless it's totally knackered it can be kept in situ - and I'd call SPAB for some very detailed advice about the way forward.

Jon Maine at the Merchant's House has wallpainting and you could give him a ring too and ask advice?

http://www.merchants-house.co.uk/

 

[inwood]

The design is definitely hand painted as there is not the consistency of design that you would get with stencilling.

This area was behind a staircase which we've now removed to reinstate the original layout of the ground floor. The hessian was only used over the other walls I suspect because the plaster was in such poor condition.

Unfortunately there was a fantastic border above this design. It's a painful story but lets just say the builder originally doing the work and I didn't agree over one of his monkees approach to conservation work - which involved about ten minutes with a chisel whilst I was in the back garden re pointing the wall - I do have a photo of it though so there's a possibility a replica could be created.

Nemesis - it's funny you should mention about contacting CO and conservator. I got extremely excited about the design when I found it and rang the CO. To say she couldn't be less interested would be something of an understatement and just advised me to contact English Heritage - which I did three times and never got a response back.

Do you know where I could contact a conservator in my area to discuss possible approaches?

 

[Nemesis]

Oh dear - I think I would have strangled him...

How sad about your CO - would have thought that she would have been keen to have this conserved!

What grade are you listed?

 

[inwood]

Yes strangulation, amongst many other painful thoughts did pass through my mind. Let just say the relationship didn't last...

It's grade II listed, any ideas if there's a directory of conservators I could consult?

 

[Nemesis]

I suspect that because it's Grade II that's why EH hasn't as yet replied - if it is your regional EH... EH has no remit where Grade II buildings are concerned - and no idea why the CO was so dismissive, this sounds something important in the building to me which might well require Listed Building Consent to alter!

Conservators - you could give SPAB a ring, and the free helpline will be able to give some ideas about conserving the plaster, and ICON has a register:

http://www.icon.org.uk/

http://www.icon.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=420&Itemid=15

(I can give Roger B's contact details if you require them...)

 

[Penners]

I got extremely excited about the design when I found it and rang the CO. To say she couldn't be less interested would be something of an understatement and just advised me to contact English Heritage - which I did three times and never got a response back.

It's a bloody shame, but I think all such people are just completely overloaded, these days. I definitely find that it's a great deal harder to get our CO's attention than it was just 3 years ago when we first bought the house.

Not that ours is anything like as important as these wall-paintings.

 

[Nemesis]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=426&storycode=3085871&c=2&encCode=00000000012f4134

 

[Anne]

Could you put a frame around the painting on the wall? Just a wooden open frame and then repair the rest of the plaster, this would allow you to decorate the rest of the room as you wish and still preserve the painting as it is.

 

[Penners]

I'm not saying Anne's suggestion is wrong, but I wouldn't do that.

I would simply continue the plasterwork from where it joins the old painted bit, so that it retains its original status as decoration on a simply plastered wall, rather than becoming a framed "work of art".

 

[Nemesis]

I do think that before doing anything proper advice is sought about them, and they are properly recorded if considered worthy. I certainly would be wary of obliteration.

 

[Wren]

Dear Inwood

In our cottage we have been dealing with lime plaster ranging from totally perfect upstairs (once we removed the wallpaper and scraped off the layer of grey waterproof paint) to literally falling off the walls in the dampest part downstairs (once we removed the rotten 'dry'boarding).
Your picture looks very familiar (except for the wallpainting which we don't have), it also looks like some of walls of plaster which we have 'saved'.

On the north facing back wall downstairs (which was also below ground level) the plaster was a complete goner. A couple of ladylike taps from me with a blunt instrument and whole massive sheets of it fell to the ground, it was hardly attached to the wall at all. A few more ladylike taps elsewhere and wet disintegrated plaster plumed outwards.
Everywhere else downstairs we have gone for patch repair with lime plaster (on walls very similar to the one in your picture). I think we may have erred on the side of saving too much because there are still a few small areas which sound hollow. I am not too worried about this because they are surrounded by more solid areas of plaster so even an accidental knock in future probably wouldn't dislodge them (I think it's more of a problem if there is a bit of the wall where you want to hang picture from).
We started out as total novices but now my partner has become really good at it especially blending new bits of plaster in with the old so the join isn't obvious.
Don't see any reason not to try patch repair with lime plaster round the bits you want to keep. In our case we have limewashed the whole lot, but I'm assuming you want to leave parts of the original plaster uncovered.

 

[Penners]

I do think that before doing anything proper advice is sought about them, and they are properly recorded if considered worthy. I certainly would be wary of obliteration.

I quite agree. But I don't think obliteration is a risk, judging by inwood's enthusiasm for the find.

 

[inwood]

Yes Penners, obliteration is not an option. I'm determined, given the experience I had with the builder, that this painting isn't lost to the sands of time and progress.

Anne's suggestion of covering the painting with a frame and glass had crossed my mind - I think it depends on what a conservator can achieve and I need advice from them first.

I'll provide an update when I've got someone in to look at it, thanks to all for the advice, even if it most of it didn't relate to the original question :wink:

 

[Penners]

The perils of this forum, I'm afraid. We do tend to wander all around the subject - but that makes it more interesting!

Do keep us in touch with your progress.

 

[stickybeak]

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