how long building to dry before plaster?

sillygoose

Hi,
Am I being unreasonable? my new conservatory base has been built over last couple of weeks and the weather being as it has - its all soaked through. The window company are coming to build the rest of it tomorrow and seem to be expecting to have the interior wall plaster going on by the end of the week!

To me, after its actually up and water tight its going to need a week or two to dry out before thinking of plastering! (not a day or two at best)

Any builders advice? the interior walls are grey construction blocks, so wet they feel like weetabix at the moment....

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Is it plaster board or proper plaster?

sillygoose

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Is it plaster board or proper plaster?

dab and plaster board, then skim.

iamcornholio

Plastering is part of the "wet trade" work and so does not rely on the building needing to dry out.

And once the plaster is visibly dry (ie light pink) then you can emulsion too.

However the conservatory will take a couple of months or so to stabilse in terms of moisture content, so be sure to leave the windows open (on the night vent position) and let air move around by opening the doors to the house as much as possible.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

I wouldn't put any plaster board up with damp about & unless its bone dry.

But I am only saying as someone who has had the whole of the downstairs of their house ripped out & replaced after flooding.

It wasn't the concrete floor that caused the problem though. It was the wood of the stairs & the wood around partitioning the hall.

A couple of places have had damp come through the board to a small extent.

On the other had, proper plaster shouldn't really matter that much as its soaking, which is why I asked.

sillygoose

Ha!

well confused now!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

sillygoose wrote: »

Ha!

well confused now!

Read mine again.

I will highlight a few things.

IE: I would be more worried about plasterboard on a wet wooden frame. A wet concrete floor wouldn't bother me.

iamcornholio

This situation is totally different to flooded properties

In this case, the walls only have a relatively small moisture content, and most of this gets pushed outwards to evapourate from the external face, not from the internal face.

The moisture from the floor evapourates into the air and then this is ventilated

In any case there is little moisture, and nothing to worry about in terms of the plasterboard

sillygoose

I guess my concerns are with damp on the internal blockwork getting trapped by the plasterboard, I know it would all dry out eventually but to my mind its going to take a lot longer if its not exposed.

Not too worried about the concrete slab floor, although its a swimming pool now he seems to have used additives and it seems pretty waterproof.

Will sleep on it.

Basil1234

well if worried how long to dry out could always rent a dehumdifier later on.