?soot stain

[Taff in Glaws]

One of my internal bedroom walls in our mid terrace has a large stain that follows the next door neighbours chimney (they no longer use it and it's been blocked off, properly vented and a cowl placed on the chimney). My plasterer thinks it's an old soot stain that has permeated the brick work and lime plaster. He is reluctant to 'skim over' it as he thinks it will also 'burn' through and stain any further surface work. Any advice?

Most of this part of the house has had to be gutted due to badly blown plaster and crumbling p&l ceilings, so I'm not adverse to any 'major' remedies if it gets the problem resolved.

 

[CHRIS]

If you do a search on this forum for "cow pats" you may find something out! I had the same problem and it was old soot/tar leaching through the lime mortar and staining the wall, so I used some of the smelly stuff mixed in with the 3-1 lime scratch coat and plastered over the bricks.

This was done a while ago and all seems fine, we do use the fire place but now have a flexible liner in it to stop anymore build up of tar etc.

 

[Taff in Glaws]

Nice one thanks Chris can't wait to tell my plastering mate though I think i'll give a miss telling the kids what the bedrooms plastered with!

 

[NT]

Oh, they'd know

I dont think plastering with excrement is legal these days. And most of us can afford better now.


NT

 

[Gervase]

There's nothing in legislation that I've been able to find that actually proscribes poo in plaster, and cow dung is the best stuff for parging. The problem with the modern spray-on stain blocks is that they completely seal the wall.

 

[Penners]

I don't think this Government would have unmitigated gall to try and ban bullsh*t would they?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Well, I did read somewhere that the Government are looking at ways of reducing the methane gas exuded from cow s***-- think it was in a Saturday Telegraph a while ago.

 

[Taff in Glaws]

I'm interested in what NT suggests that is better than the old bovine excrement allthough I quite like the novelty of the kids room being plastered in s**t!

Over to you NT

 

[stickybeak]

.

 

[Nemesis]

The cow muck is a very traditional solution and Gervase has used it to good effect on his house.

He wrote about it in the 2006 Buildings at Risk book, demonstrated it on telly, and here's his article on PPUK and a picture of him doing the work:

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/article042.htm


I know he has explained the science of it in the past. So far I gather it's worked on his chimney. His own cows produced the stuff.

 

[Taff in Glaws]

Excellent article on Gervase's craftsmanship and expertise, I'd welcome his sh#t plastering in Glaws any day! :lol: The wall in question has been hacked off back to the brickwork and I will as usual be taking the advice given here though I was just curious to hear NT's suggestion.

 

[Penners]

sh#t plastering

That's an unkind way to describe Gervase's handiwork. He's doing his best.

 

[Taff in Glaws]

OOhh I hope that Gervase doesn't take offence, my posting was sincerely meant as tongue in cheek with particular reference to the content of his mix as opposed to his craftsmanship which judging by the page referred to above is first class. Anyway no offence meant

 

[Nemesis]

I reckon anyone who collects his own cow muck and is seen on prime time telly stirring it with a large stick isn't about to get too upset at you talking about his using the stuff! It's true - sh*t plastering indeed! Or parging if we are being technical.

 

[Penners]

OOhh I hope that Gervase doesn't take offence

Taff - don't worry. I was pulling your leg - and Gervase's.

I think he's sufficiently familiar with my weak attempts at humour to treat my remarks with the contempt they deserve.

 

[Gervase]

Me? Take offence? Nah - I'd rather be slapping sh!t on the walls than be doing what I've been at for the past couple of weeks, which is working on a 1980s barn conversion which stands in sort need of a complete overhaul but for which the owners only wanted a new bathroom and bedroom.
Being a holiday let, everything has to be done in the shortest possible time,so it's been Thistle skim, plasterboard and speedy stuff - and the plumbing has been an absolute bloody nightmare. I hate grafting in new pipework to existing stuff.
It's taken three and a half weeks, and there's me costing it at two weeks (and cheap at that). Ho hum.
Harrumph.
Still, at least our last ewe lambed this morning, so that's one reason to be cheerful. No more interrupted nights.
Hurrah.

 

[Penners]

Why do mammals (of all kinds) invariably give birth at about 2.00 in the morning?

Is it some kind of defence mechanism, using the darkness to protect them from predators at a vulnerable time?

 

[Gervase]

I don't know the answer to that one. If it was originally to outwit the predators, the foxes have got wise to that - this year (touch wood) we've been lucky, but a friend and neighbour has lost several to Charlie in the wee hours.
I've been ready with the bundook (a frightening sight - hairy man in night attire with wellies and woolly hat, armed to the teeth!) but haven't had to fire a shot - instead, what seems to have done the trick is regularly peeing on the fox runs over the past few months as soon as they start to cross my land from the green lane that runs alongside. It really does seem to p!ss Reynard off, and incursions across the clawdd (the raised bank) seem to have dropped to zero.

 

[Nemesis]

There are times when you can give just too much information for delicate sensibilities and fertile imaginations you know...

At least we don't pee directly on the compost heap but have the decency to have a receptacle elsewhere...

 

[Penners]

At least we don't pee directly on the compost heap

Only because you're worried about nettles that you've chucked on it. We chaps have a handy stand-off delivery system.

bundook

What's a bundook? Your text suggests some form of firearm. Mr Google only appears to know about a community in New South Wales. A Welsh connection perhaps?