So I live in an old house, and for a long time there has been a crack in the upper corner of one of the bedrooms. After knocking on the wall and it sounding hollow, I removed all of the weak sections, which basically turned to sand when I pulled them away.
Now I’m left with a relatively large gap of exposed brick wall. I figured that plaster was the way to go, but there’s a whole lot of differing information online. Like do I PVA the wall, or do I not PVA the wall and just wet it instead? Also what kind of plaster do I use and how do I mix it correctly? Just not entirely sure is all.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @CallMeRoy. It's great to have you join us.
The first thing that stands out to me is the cracking in both the plaster and the brickwork itself. Cracks running through the bricks rather than just the plaster are often an indication that the building has experienced movement.
Before repairing the wall, I'd suggest having the building assessed by a structural engineer or a qualified builder experienced with older homes. They should be able to determine whether this is historic movement that has long since stabilised or whether it is still active. If the movement is ongoing, it will need to be addressed first, as repairing the plaster alone is only likely to result in the cracks reappearing. Depending on the cause, it could involve work to stabilise the foundations or supporting piers.
Once you're confident the movement has been resolved or is no longer active, you can look at repairing the damaged area by following our guide: How to hard plaster a brick wall.
Bear in mind that patching an area this large and blending it into the surrounding wall does take a bit of practice. If you're not confident with plastering, it may be worth engaging a professional plasterer to achieve the best finish. Let me tag @Nailbag to see if he has any thoughts.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi @CallMeRoy
This is outside of my wheelhouse sorry. Unless you're experienced in hard plastering or rendering, I would get it professionally repaired. However the first thing that needs to be established is if the cracks right through the bricks is going to continue or has settled. A domestic engineer would be the person to ask on this. Based on their report the plan of attack for the repair can be established.
Nailbag
