Anyone used acrylic plaster?
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We need to do some plastering to cover old walls that are uneven in places, with a few dents, holes and cracks here and there, and money is a factor.
After some practise with French plaster, we did not want to give up entirely, but the lovely giant mould of the bucket we ended up with was not what was intended.
We’ve researched this a fair bit and one thing that came up was ‘crepi’, for example you can cover 10m2 for 7 or so euros with this:-
https://www.bricodepot.fr/morlaix/crepi-acrylique-grain-fin-pour-interieur/prod47089/#
My question is, would this acrylic finish pose an issue for an old stone building when it breathes?
Some of you might remember the freak ‘sweating’ that some people saw with their houses back in June; with an acrylic finish, would water potentially be stuck behind it? Or would the finish just peel off? Or is it fine once it’s dried on (and/or, would priming the surface to be finished with something like PVA help?)
Hi Jamie , are the walls built out of natural stone ? Ground floor or upstairs ? What is the outside condition ?
Crepi is hideous stuff.
Sand and lime is cheap n cheerful, incredibly forgiving to use and you won’t invite the wrath of the arm chair experts. If you want it to be insulating as well then you can use chopped hemp in the mix.
Hi Jamie , are the walls built out of natural stone ? Ground floor or upstairs ? What is the outside condition ?
They’re natural stone, on the ground floor. At some stage, they’ve had a render (unpainted) applied to the top half of the exterior; the bottom half is covered by land (this is the rear only).
There is also a render inside, onto which many layers of gloss paint have been applied over the years!
We also need to coat new plasterboard walls as well.
It’s difficult to give any advice withot actually seeing the walls and the condition they are in .
Remember that the “comfort level ” that was acceptable years ago was a lot less than it is now.
Our house is built into a slope , the same as yours is . We started by digging a drain outside along the back wall to stop rain water going into the wall . The bottom part of old stone walls are prone to rising damp which had been cured by panelling the first meter of the wall ( the panelling had to be replaced) We cleaned the old plaster off the top part of the walls and either built an insulating wall inside or repointed the wall with sand and coloured lime.
Upstairs we have cleaned the old plaster off the walls and repointed with sand and lime.
It may sound a lot of work ( it is ) but if you want a good and lasting result , the easiest way is not always the best .
We used ” crepi” in our kitchen , 25 years ago , and wouldn’t think of using it now.
I find new plaster board is best taped and skimmed or papered .
Just how we did it , may not be the best way but we were beginners and not builders.
Luckily upstairs is not an issue for us – it’s a longere, so no upstairs!
I’ve insulated the rafters and it just needs boarding.
As for downstairs, luckily at some point a concrete channel has been attached to the rear of the house which allows water to run away.
The walls are in good condition, and only need a skim. Why I looked at crepi (I think the modern stuff is supposed to be better than what people used to use) is for its ability to be easily used for beginners, and its forgiving nature on walls that are not straight or perfect.
It’s all a matter of personal preference, I’ve used Crepi a lot, it covers a multitude of sins (and some of the properties we’ve renovated have had more than their fair share of those!) and I like the designs & finishes I can create, but, as I said it’s down to individual taste, obviously Barty and Deboer are not such fans. Mr. F. plasters the walls that are newly plasterboarded and uses Lutece 2000L (the ‘L’ is very important as if you uses the one that ends with ‘S’ it will go off before you’ve even got it on the trowel!)
Your house and walls Jamie , so of course it is up to you what you do . I wouldn’t use crepi again especially not onto anything except new insulated walls.
Ask at your local Brico, I’m sure that they know more about crepi .
As I said, down to individual taste and preference, we all think that what has worked for us is good and when it hasn’t, think it’s bad, as with all discussions we can only speak of our own experiences, hopefully, Jamie will find the solution that suits his needs.
Sorry Fruitcake our posts crossed .
One of the reasons I don’t like crepi , is because all the dust catches on it and after so many years , it needs doing again . Maybe you have never seen crepi after years, if you move after the house has been finished? It covers a lot of sins , but doesn’t solve them .
We just tape and paint plasterboard , the way the French do it .( or of course papered it )
How many houses have you renovated ?
This is our 5th with one improvement in between Deboer. I always emulsion over the crepi, I guess it depends how proud the finish is with regard to dust collecting.
Hi both – yes, I have read about the dust issue. However, I do not want a ‘spiky’ or rough finish, so will probably apply it with a plasterer’s trowel. Also, it will be painted afterwards. Where possible, I have taped and jointed the plasterboard and they can just be painted.
However I also put a skylight in the sloping roof and built a wall around it down to the ground floor, to create a light source for the new bathroom. I have never done anything like that before, so it’s pretty good – but I can see where the boards don’t align perfectly flat on that part! As it’s the light source and well illuminated, the difference in level (only a few mm) is hard to ignore.
I don’t want a perfectly flat finish, as it would 1) not suit the house, which has not got many flat surfaces and 2) I can’t be doing trying to get my head round French plaster. As I said before, I need to think of a use for the bucket I moulded trying to mix it!
My main concern, which prompted me to write, was if crepi is acrylic and therefore waterproof, would it lift off a wall in the event of something like the severe sweats we had earlier in the year? Or if the wall is sealed (several coats of PVA now), would it be okay?
Can’t answer your question about it lifting I’m afraid Jamie, haven’t experienced it but we may not have had it on the relevant walls perhaps. I use a flat very wide scraper to put mine on, then draw it down to remove the excess (I have a smaller scraper in the other hand to remove the excess) and am happy to leave the patterns it makes, everyone has their own method! I hope you can find the answer to your question (I had never thought of it as being waterproof as I know it can be removed with hot water, not that I’d ever want that job!)
If the stone looks nice why not clean out the joints and point them, leave it stone. Be lovely and cold in the winter.
Lime render is an option, looks the part, no insulation value, freezing in winter. Not a problem if you have a big woodburner and a very cheap supply of wood. Me, I leave the odd stone wall exposed if it looks nice, metal stud, insulate and placo the rest then paint it. Oldy worldy may look the part but its bloody freezing in the winter.
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