Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Feb 24, 2023 10:31 pm Hi guys Any help and advice is highly appreciated I recently moved into property and would like to repaint the walls with a strong primer sealer as walls have a strange odour My question is - what is under the paint as per attached photo. I presume white layer is a primer and I’m curious what the great compound is ?! It’s an old 80-th brick house Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Wall plaster/rendering question 2Feb 25, 2023 2:32 am It's a brick wall with float and set plaster. The float (grey sandy material) is a sand and cement mix around 10mm thick used to get a flat smooth surface over the bricks, but it has a sandy texture. It is then covered in a thin layer of troweled on hard plaster, that's the white stuff, that gives a smooth finish. On top of that you have the paint system. It should have a sealer binder, then an under coat then 2 layers of top coat. All of that is the very thin top layer in your picture. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Wall plaster/rendering question 3Feb 25, 2023 8:12 am ![]() It's a brick wall with float and set plaster. The float (grey sandy material) is a sand and cement mix around 10mm thick used to get a flat smooth surface over the bricks, but it has a sandy texture. It is then covered in a thin layer of troweled on hard plaster, that's the white stuff, that gives a smooth finish. On top of that you have the paint system. It should have a sealer binder, then an under coat then 2 layers of top coat. All of that is the very thin top layer in your picture. Hi chippy appreciate your help mate ! The grey sandy material (float) is very thick it’s more than 5-7 cm deep I believe as I have pulled an anchor of that length out of the wall and saw no signs of brick - is if possible and could I be right ?! Also the most concerning part is that float itself and not paint on the walls is quite smelly and that what bothers me - very strong unpleasant odour in the rooms. Do you know what the reason could be - potentially something could have been added to the float compound which makes it smell ? Appreciate your help mate Re: Wall plaster/rendering question 4Feb 25, 2023 8:17 am ![]() ![]() It's a brick wall with float and set plaster. The float (grey sandy material) is a sand and cement mix around 10mm thick used to get a flat smooth surface over the bricks, but it has a sandy texture. It is then covered in a thin layer of troweled on hard plaster, that's the white stuff, that gives a smooth finish. On top of that you have the paint system. It should have a sealer binder, then an under coat then 2 layers of top coat. All of that is the very thin top layer in your picture. Hi chippy appreciate your help mate ! The grey sandy material (float) is very thick it’s more than 5-7 cm deep I believe as I have pulled an anchor of that length out of the wall and saw no signs of brick - is if possible and could I be right ?! Also the most concerning part is that float itself and not paint on the walls is quite smelly and that what bothers me - very strong unpleasant odour in the rooms. Do you know what the reason could be - potentially something could have been added to the float compound which makes it smell ? Appreciate your help mate I also red in the internet that lime plaster sips the moisture through - is it possible that there is a mould on the brick the smell of which comes through float if it is potentially a layer of lime plaster ? Re: Wall plaster/rendering question 5Feb 25, 2023 10:38 am ![]() ![]() It's a brick wall with float and set plaster. The float (grey sandy material) is a sand and cement mix around 10mm thick used to get a flat smooth surface over the bricks, but it has a sandy texture. It is then covered in a thin layer of troweled on hard plaster, that's the white stuff, that gives a smooth finish. On top of that you have the paint system. It should have a sealer binder, then an under coat then 2 layers of top coat. All of that is the very thin top layer in your picture. Hi chippy appreciate your help mate ! The grey sandy material (float) is very thick it’s more than 5-7 cm deep I believe as I have pulled an anchor of that length out of the wall and saw no signs of brick - is if possible and could I be right ?! Also the most concerning part is that float itself and not paint on the walls is quite smelly and that what bothers me - very strong unpleasant odour in the rooms. Do you know what the reason could be - potentially something could have been added to the float compound which makes it smell ? Appreciate your help mate The float is only ever around 10mm. If you have a hole that is deeper than that and it seems like there is no brick then you have likely hit a mortar joint between the bricks. Mortar and float are similar in appearance. As far as smell goes, I have never really noticed a strong smell. When a house is first constructed there is an initial smell while everything dries out, particularly after wet trades, but your house is well past that. I can't think of any reason that the plaster would have a strong smell. Once it's painted there should be no smell. I'm in WA and 95% of our houses are built with brick wall with float and set and there is no issue. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Wall plaster/rendering question 6Feb 25, 2023 10:46 am ![]() ![]() ![]() It's a brick wall with float and set plaster. The float (grey sandy material) is a sand and cement mix around 10mm thick used to get a flat smooth surface over the bricks, but it has a sandy texture. It is then covered in a thin layer of troweled on hard plaster, that's the white stuff, that gives a smooth finish. On top of that you have the paint system. It should have a sealer binder, then an under coat then 2 layers of top coat. All of that is the very thin top layer in your picture. Hi chippy appreciate your help mate ! The grey sandy material (float) is very thick it’s more than 5-7 cm deep I believe as I have pulled an anchor of that length out of the wall and saw no signs of brick - is if possible and could I be right ?! Also the most concerning part is that float itself and not paint on the walls is quite smelly and that what bothers me - very strong unpleasant odour in the rooms. Do you know what the reason could be - potentially something could have been added to the float compound which makes it smell ? Appreciate your help mate I also red in the internet that lime plaster sips the moisture through - is it possible that there is a mould on the brick the smell of which comes through float if it is potentially a layer of lime plaster ? Unless you have a damp issue, either failed waterproofing in a wet area, a leaking pipe or rising damp, moisture shouldn't be an issue. You can usually tell if you have a moisture issue because you will see the paint bubbling up and it will flake off. Your house is around 30-40 years old so I don't think there would be any strong odour from the plaster at this point, unless you have some underlying issue. I would just repaint with 2 coats paint. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 yep you need a joint, foam is easiest, will look fine once rendered with a joint. 2 6101 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair That has to be one of the most long winded non-answers I've ever seen. It looks like you fed the OP's question into AI and let it spit out the most generic answer ever.… 3 1209 ![]() In need of help. Could someone please help with the rendering colour and what it might be. 0 1117 |