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Materials
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5 min read
Lime plaster or gypsum: which does an old house need?
Why solid-walled houses need to breathe, and when modern plaster is fine.
Ellie Brooks
Lime plasterer
Houses built before about 1919 usually have solid walls with no cavity. They stay dry by letting moisture move through the wall and out again. Lime plaster lets that happen; gypsum and cement trap it.
When cement render or gypsum skim goes onto an old wall, damp often appears a few years later, usually blamed on rising damp. In most cases the fix is to take the hard material off and replace it with lime.
Lime takes longer: each coat needs time to cure, and it can’t go on in a frost. But it lasts for generations and it moves with the house instead of cracking.
In newer extensions with modern blockwork, gypsum is fine. We often use both in the same house, each where it belongs.
N° 01 — Keep reading
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Costs
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7 min read
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Restoration
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4 min read
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