Damage | Concept Plastering

Chimney Restoration Williamstown Vic.

This chimney has movement through brickwork due to weeds growing through it over many years and also deterioration of render.

Mortar is “Lime Mortar” meaning mainly lime and sand which over time becomes soft and sandy. Reason for using “Lime Mortar” is when old handmade bricks are used, they are usually soft and if the mortar or render is stronger than the handmade brick the mortar can pull the face of the handmade brick. It is important not to use any mortar or render stronger than the brick

Note even the lead flashing is in poor condition.

Works here involves removing existing render and moulds, removing loose brickwork and replacing any deteriorated bricks using lime mortar mix with a little cement.

Running of moulds to original profiles, rendered and new lead flashing to complete full chimney restoration.

Before

After

Box Gutter / Rainwater Head

For a box gutter to work at its best, it has to have an emergency overflow so that water has somewhere to go in the event of the gutter being blocked or extremely heavy rainfall. If there is not such an overflow, the water will go straight into the roof space and into your building and this can cause a number of problems. Most good box gutters have the emergency overflow however. For further protection, you can also install a gutter guard so that leaves and debris cannot block up the gutters and you also have the advantage of birds, pests and other vermin being unable to enter your roof space. The box gutter also needs to be correctly sloped to the outlet points in order to prevent ponding (water standing in the gutters and potentially causing corrosion).

Rainheads are an essential design element for buildings where internal box or trough gutters are used. A rainhead or sump is a container located between the gutter and down pipe that aids the flow of water away from the roof. It acts as an external overflow point to reduce water surges into the storm water system and aid the flow of water down the down pipe. Because rainheads are positioned outside, they minimise the risk of water overflow inside a building. The addition of an overflow provision provides even greater protection against water overflow in extreme conditions.

This video from Dam Busters explain how rainheads are installed and works

Garage Ceiling Repairs

Garage ceilings have been an issue for many years.

Noticeable signs are sagging ceiling, garage roller door jamming or a complete collapse. Common problems are storm water damage and poor workmanship.

Options to repair plaster garage ceilings are;

Re-fixed using screws if not yet collapsed or sagging excessively – less expensive but not fully guaranteed.
Better option is to fix wooden strapping along plaster joints using screws to garage ceiling joists in a cross pattern.

This option guarantees that garage ceiling is secure from collapsing.

With a total garage plaster ceiling collapse or extensive damage, the only option is to replace the collapsed section or entire plaster ceiling. When replacing the entire plaster ceiling I highly recommend fixing metal furring channels / metal battens at 450mm. centres (see pictures below) to truss joists that are often 600mm centres then fixing new plasterboard ceiling using screws and glue. This guarantees 100% workmanship. Of course this is the most expensive exercise.

New Metal Furring channels fixed at 450mm. spacing

For more technical information on plaster and plasterboard standards

Click Here

Water Damage Ceiling Repair – How to Repair – Part One

Plaster and water do not mix.
When you see drywall or plasterboard sagging or deforming, it’s obvious that there is something wrong.
Most likely it is caused due to water, moisture or even insufficient fixing.
First thing is to assess and rectify the nature of the problem prior to repairing drywall plaster.
Water damaged drywall plaster must be removed as the water damages the paper and plaster causing drywall plaster to sag and deteriorate with the risk of falling to the ground creating a safety issue.
If it’s a fixing problem, it’s because of poor workmanship, there’s not enough nails/screws / stud adhesive or simply wrong or too shorter clouts used which can be re-fixed without removing the existing drywall plaster if the sagging is minimal.
Use manufacturer’s specifications to ensure correct methods of fixing Drywall/Plasterboard.

Equipment required,
plaster trowels (blade and joint knives), key hole saw, tape measure, chalk line or straight edge, plasterer’s-drywall square, 30mm. pan head drywall screws and screw gun or pan head drywall clouts (I prefer screws and screw gun), hammer, ladders, stanley knife sanding block or sanding float with sand paper, brush. Builder”s nail pouch will be handy to carry your tools on you.

Materials required;
cornice adhesive plaster (cornice cement); topping coat; drywall – plasterboard sheet enough for damaged area and “back-blocking” strips
This repair requires more experience but with the aid of my other step by step “how to” videos tips you’ll see that the repairs are executed the same way.
I suggest you use this website as learning course and start with tips on repairing holes from smallest to large to get a full understanding of the principles and tips.

Now view videos (parts one and two) for tips on repairing drywall plaster for ceilings.
Same principle applied to walls.

Tag: Damage

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Chimney Restoration Williamstown Vic.

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Box Gutter / Rainwater Head

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Garage Ceiling Repairs

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Water Damage Ceiling Repair – How to Repair – Part One

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Water Damage Ceiling Repair – How to Repair – Part Two

Covering Melbourne, Eastern and South Eastern Suburbs