Tackling damp in a 1900’s terraced house.. what are my best options?

Toots0293

I’ve posted a couple of times about my on-going saga with damp. I’ve just bought a house which has obvious damp spots - rotten skirting in places, blown plaster etc. Previous owners had it 30 years, and let me tell you.. there had to be 30 years worth of crap on the walls. I’m currently taking the walls back to the brick (I’m assuming gypsum plaster has been used, together with what looks like cement !). I’ve dutifully researched on Heritage House website, and now taking steps to identify what is causing the damp.. for example, I have a flaking render strip on the outside of the side of the house (material unknown) where there is some damp areas on the inside.

Anyway, besides those on-going investigations, how have other old home owners decorated their houses? I know lime plaster is much preferred to help these building breathe - is this the only good option? Is it super expensive to lime plaster walls? (I know it takes a longer time to plaster). 

I just want to know the best way to look after the house now, and then try to avoid damp problems when I come to sell in a few years.

Thank you! 

Ps. I feel like I dream of damp these days. It’s taking over my life the last few months 😂 why is it so hard to find tradespeople to trust / good options to treat!

goldfinches

That sounds like you're having a horrible time but hopefully you're well on your way to getting to the bottom of the problems and will soon be enjoying your new warm and dry home.
Are you able to post photos on here yet? I'm asking because I know the damp experts on this part of the forum are often able to give good advice when they can see the problem for themselves. If you can manage to post some overviews with close ups of your areas of concern I should think you'll get some constructive replies quite quickly.

FreeBear

Despite what you might read on the internet, gypsum plaster will allow walls to breath. The problem is, gypsum is water soluble, so will turn to mush if it is damp over a prolonged period of time. Lime plaster doesn't suffer from the solubility issue.

Cement base coats on the other hand, won't help, especially if a waterproofing agent has been added to the mix.

Finding tradespeople who will work with lime is not easy, and they charge a premium for their work - Often because they work on heritage properties where cost is secondary to meeting the customer's specification. Plastering is also more labour intensive and the material costs are higher. On the bright side, lime is much more forgiving and slower to set. Plenty of youtube videos (Ty Mawr do a good set) that take you through the steps.

One advantage of lime over gypsum - If you use a lime putty, if stored in a sealed bucket away from frost, it will keep for years. I have a couple here that are <mumble><mumble> years old.