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Ry4ned88

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Hi all.

This a my first post but i’ve spent a long time looking over all the helpful information on the site. I’m in need of some advice having read and watched so many conflicting things on the tinterweb. Apologies in advance for the long thread I’m just trying to give as much info as I can beforehand to set the scene.

I purchased an old Victorian (1905 I believe) house just over a year ago. When purchased it appeared that it had all been fully renovated with plastered walls etc. Unfortunately I wasn’t really clued up at the time on how old houses are (I came from a new build but wanted more space and character).

I’ve spent a year reading hundreds of articles and watching just as many YouTube videos, however there is so much conflicting information out there and I just need some guidance.

The house is semi detached and we’re getting damp patches / condensation in the far corners of the living room and then dining room. I believe this has a lot to do with condensation and the fact the wall is freezing cold to touch. This in turn attracts mould growth. Our bathroom is downstairs and we have had a wall extractor fitted and we also have a shower extractor. We keep the windows open and bathroom door shut and also run a dehumidifier for an hour or so after we leave the bathroom. We also do the same in the kitchen but we are due to have a fan put in there as there currently isn’t one.

We are also getting cracks appearing on the walls and I’m not sure what’s actually cracked. Some people have said it’s finish coat and others have said it’s thick paint cracking off and that maybe the guy who did the work painted over wet plaster (pics attached).

I’m basically trying to work out the best route to go down before I redecorate. We had thought of hacking the plaster off and then dot and dab / batten insulated boards with a vapour barrier on to stop potential mould growth behind the boards but we also have original coving that we would have to sacrifice if we go down this route. The other route is to maybe hack off and start again with some more breathable stuff. The front of the house is stone, the back and sides are 9 inch solid brick walls that’s rendered with cement I believe.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Ryan
 

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Ry4ned88 said:
Hi all.

This a my first post but i’ve spent a long time looking over all the helpful information on the site. I’m in need of some advice having read and watched so many conflicting things on the tinterweb. Apologies in advance for the long thread I’m just trying to give as much info as I can beforehand to set the scene.

I purchased an old Victorian (1905 I believe) house just over a year ago. When purchased it appeared that it had all been fully renovated with plastered walls etc. Unfortunately I wasn’t really clued up at the time on how old houses are (I came from a new build but wanted more space and character).

I’ve spent a year reading hundreds of articles and watching just as many YouTube videos, however there is so much conflicting information out there and I just need some guidance.

The house is semi detached and we’re getting damp patches / condensation in the far corners of the living room and then dining room. I believe this has a lot to do with condensation and the fact the wall is freezing cold to touch. This in turn attracts mould growth. Our bathroom is downstairs and we have had a wall extractor fitted and we also have a shower extractor. We keep the windows open and bathroom door shut and also run a dehumidifier for an hour or so after we leave the bathroom. We also do the same in the kitchen but we are due to have a fan put in there as there currently isn’t one.

We are also getting cracks appearing on the walls and I’m not sure what’s actually cracked. Some people have said it’s finish coat and others have said it’s thick paint cracking off and that maybe the guy who did the work painted over wet plaster (pics attached).

I’m basically trying to work out the best route to go down before I redecorate. We had thought of hacking the plaster off and then dot and dab / batten insulated boards with a vapour barrier on to stop potential mould growth behind the boards but we also have original coving that we would have to sacrifice if we go down this route. The other route is to maybe hack off and start again with some more breathable stuff. The front of the house is stone, the back and sides are 9 inch solid brick walls that’s rendered with cement I believe.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Ryan
Click to expand...
Someone on here could solve the problem for you it's going to be extremely expensive is that ok
 
Thanks for the reply. Here’s another 2 pictures, let me know if I’m still missing the point. It’s very brittle and snaps rather than pulls off if you go to peel it, hopefully that makes sense. It’s very brittle which made me think it was some sort of skim or even that paintable filler smoother you can buy.

I’m led to believe by the estate agent we went through to buy it and also the neighbours ext door that the previous owner took it all back to brick during the renovation and then all walls were painted white.
 

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@ChrispyUK thanks for the info. Insulating internally is something that appeals to me as with it being so old it can get very expensive to heat. I’m trying to arm myself with as much information as possible so that when I do get a professional in it’s the right one for the job at hand. And that’s part of the problem, so many different ones are telling me all different things like injection dpc, tank and replaster. Another has said hack off 1m up, salt neutraliser and D&D plasterboard with skim. I’m happy to pay someone to do the work, I just want it done right first time and I don’t have a budget big enough to go down the route of taking it all off internally and externally and going down the lime route.
 
All jokes aside I know there’s a lot of experienced people that have spent a long time and worked hard for that knowledge. I’ve spent ages doing research and getting conflicting information. In asking for advice I’m hoping to be able to filter out the stuff that won’t work.

I’m based in South Wales by the way, and if there’s anyone on here that’s local and has the knowledge of these situations then I’ll happily become a paying customer .

As it’s all been replastered recently I’m hoping that one I get the ventilation sorted then it wouldn’t require a massive overhaul. The problem is knowing why and what’s cracking off the surface. If it’s some form of paint I could maybe scrape it all off and start the painting from scratch.
 
your house built in 1903 is Edwardian not Victorian.
the rooms need heat and ventilation and don't place large pieces of furniture against the walls stopping air flow.
i would guess that the emulsion did not have a light sanding and a mist coat it was just applied in a few thick coats and has not adhered to the plaster.
 
@malc thanks for that for some reason I thought it was Victorian. One that I have learnt is to not put anything against the external walls. When we first moved in we had terrible mould inside the built in wardrobes so we now leave the doors open and the mould didn’t come back. I have bought some vents that I plan to put in the panels of the wardrobe but haven’t got round to that yet. And yes you’re not the first one to say that the previous owner might have just slapped paint on fast and thick to the newly plastered walls. With that in mind if I removed the paint and gave the walls a light sand, would I be able to start the mist coat and painting process again? The paint will come off easy to be fair as ya cracking off in big pieces.
 
malc said:
if you can get the paint off, just easy fill any damaged areas , sand and mist coat leave the mist coat least a day before you apply finishing coats.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks again. I have a feeling he’s also plastered all the way down to the floor levels, which would have been timber back in the day but have been replaced with concrete, so I may also have a bridging issue to sort. Will only know if I remove some skirting board though. I’ll get this fan installed in the kitchen which will hopefully help with humidity. Then I’ll of get that paint off and start the painting process.
 
malc said:
if you can get the paint off, just easy fill any damaged areas , sand and mist coat leave the mist coat least a day before you apply finishing coats.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks again. I have a feeling he’s also plastered all the way down to the floor levels, which would have been timber back in the day but have been replaced with concrete, so I may also have a bridging issue to sort. Will only know if I remove some skirting board though. I’ll get this fan installed in the kitchen which will hopefully help with humidity. Then I’ll of get that paint off and start the painting process.
 
malc said:
your house built in 1903 is Edwardian not Victorian.
the rooms need heat and ventilation and don't place large pieces of furniture against the walls stopping air flow.
i would guess that the emulsion did not have a light sanding and a mist coat it was just applied in a few thick coats and has not adhered to the plaster.
Click to expand...
What i was thinkimg
 
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