Missing plaster

pramsay13

I'm in the process of doing up this room and the bottom of the walls have crumbled and fallen off almost the whole way round the room, maybe around 30 - 40cm tall.

Any suggestions for making good?

I'm thinking it might be easier to just put new plasterboard over the top and lose an inch or two but there's plenty of space.

Grumpy_chap

The first question is not "how do I make good?"

The first question needs to be "what is the root cause of this occurring?"

pramsay13

There was a wooden floor which was rotten so the bottom of the plaster was crumbling and has been removed along with the rotten floor. We now have a concrete floor with tiles.

Ayr_Rage

If the wall is still damp then find the cause before you do anything.

pramsay13

The wall is no longer damp.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81969482#Comment_81969482

So what was the root cause of the issue?

Yes, I get it was the rotten wooden floor, but why was the floor rotting? How did the floor get damp?

TroubledTarts

If you are sure the damp is gone as you have cured that issues then yes fill as required and plaster if you want but skirting board could surely cover that whatever you do behind it?

FreeBear

Those two copper pipes have a heavy buildup of verdigris. Quite possible that pinhole leaks will occur unseen under the plaster. I would strongly recommend pulling those pipes out and either replace with plastic or sleeve new copper with 20mm conduit. Just make sure there are no buried joints.

Yes, it is extra work and will create a fair bit of mess. But if you are plastering, it makes sense to knock any problems on the head now. If you don't, it will all need to be done in a few years time.

WIAWSNB

Hi Pramsay.

Are these pipes being kept?

Is this an outside wall? If so, then do consider overboarding with insulated plasterboard. Yes, you'll lose some space, but will almost certainly gain comfort and economy.

But, to answer your Q, you can tackle that by brushing on a diluted coat of PVA, wiping away with a damp cloth any that goes on the top surface of the wall, and filling it with a suitable filler.

This filler could be the 'lightweight' type that doesn't slump, or conventional 'bonding' plaster. I'd cut 4" wide strips of thickish plastic sheet and lay it on the floor, pushed tightly in against the damaged wall, and this will keep dirt away from your plaster, and also separate the wall from the floor. Fill the space with the bonding, and use a straight edge, or trowel, run along the wall as your guide, to level it off.

Try and remove any filler that has gone on to the actual wall surface.

The finish doesn't have to be any better than this, provided you fit tall enough skirting over it.

If any will be exposed, then the bonding should be kept slightly under wall surface level - a few mm - and then a finishing skim applied on top, again using the wall above as your sliding guide.

Once dry, sand using 180 grit and a flat block, check, and touch up if needed.