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Plastering & Rendering

Property is back to bear bricks. What trade to employ, what to look out for?

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 3.23 PM

Ok il try to keep this to the point. Property is semi detached. Bought cheap as a project for my first home. Property has been gutted entirely. Old lime plaster removed as was in bad condition due to wear and tear. Bricks have been cleaned with an angle grinder on low speed with using those wheels used to remove rust, bit like a flap wheel. Bricks are spotless and in good condition despite below DPC. Mortar is mostly intact and spot on, only a few square meters need re pointing. External walls are double skin with cavity, red terracotta bricks with 3 holes in centre. Lime mortar used everywhere. Outside, the house is rendered in pebble dash and that thick weather proof paint, except for the bottom 1.5 meters is bear brick. This brick is half lime mortar and at some point the side wall and half the rear wall have been re pointed with cement. At some point DPC has been injected, I believe unnecessary. No current signs of damp. Rear wall has blown bricks below second DPC line similar at side of house. Could this be to DPC injection and cement pointing trapping water? What I would like to do is wet plaster entire internal walls and render the entire outside property. My questions, do I hire a builder, a plasterer or someone else? 1. Should I check if they repoint with lime inside and out as is original or is cement OK if they suggest? 2. From what I read I would like hardwall internally not sand or cement and definitely not dot dab etc. I already had one local builder tell me i shouldn't seal the house this way and lime would be best inside? I have multiple vents and air system in loft so this shouldn't be a problem? Plenty of escapes for moisture. 3. Now the outside, does anything need to be done regarding the blown bricks such as removing the cement mortar? I also assume a lime based render should be used outside so the external wall can "breath" if that is a thing? I suppose theres water in the cavity and in and out from the outside and ground up? Honestly no idea where to start who to ask or what order.

Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?

4 Answers

k w plaster master

Rating: 4.9 out of 5

Lower Edmonton, London

Hi There Thanks for asking this multitude of questions. So The best thing to do is to see if anything is salvageable because tampering sometimes can make things worse. But if bricks walls etc inside and outside are damaged should be replaced then with a mesh inside and out all over the house. Then Waterproofer sand and cement so when render is applied it is waterproof and air tight. Also inside if walls are bad can be rendered or dot and dabbed as long as the walls have a solid foundation its okay. Then plastering inside can take place as long as the foundations outside and inside the house are solid and firm.

Answered25 July 2021

GSI Property Services

Rating: 5 out of 5

Biggleswade

Hi, Don't use Cement on ant part of your property. Built in lime ,so stay with lime. If you render with sand and cement you'll be trapping moisture in the building, cement renders are ruining older buildings nation wide so beware. spoiled brick work.. Re:- Brickwork you can always turn the brick again use a lime mix,you can always get a close match at a good builders yard. Re:- Plaster again lime rendering don't use bonding and multifinish plasters

Answered25 November 2021

Anonymous user

Difficult to answer without seeing, but I would consult a good plaster.

Answered25 July 2021

DT Plastering

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Accrington

As long as theres a solid foundation inside and out best dot and dab inside of house then skim out side should be a lime based render with render waterproofer in with it

Answered25 July 2021