How to build in over interior painted brick wall?

[tthomas19]

Hi all,

We're planning to cover these painted interior brick walls with framing/gyprock to modernise our space. The brick was painted many years ago and we're trying to work out the best approach. Our main question: Should we strip the paint off the brick before installing vapour barrier, framing and gyprock, or is it fine to frame directly over the painted surface?

We've never noticed any dampness on the walls, but there is some peeling of paint (as pictured).
Of course, we're looking to do this properly to avoid any issues down the track.

Grateful for any advice on best practice, potential pitfalls to watch for, or if there's anything else we should consider before starting this project.

Thanks!

[JacobZ]

Hi @tthomas19,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

If there seems to be no existing issues with moisture, then there is no real need to strip back the wall or add a vapour barrier, as the wall is keeping moisture out as intended. Stripping the wall is more work for little to no benefit, and adding a vapour barrier would just trap any moisture that does occur. If you had concerns, you could always check the wall with a moisture meter, but I am not seeing anything that would indicate issues that you should worry about. If the peeling paint was due to moisture, you would expect to see bubbling and more widespread issues. I'd say the peeling paint is more likely due to poor preparation or installation than issues with moisture.

The best thing you can do is frame the wall so that there is space behind the framing, so any moisture that might occur will be able to drain away from the framing and dry. To achieve this, you can use furring channel, attached to the wall with Siniat 7.5mm Furring Channel Anchor Clips. The clips are anchored to the wall, and the furring channel is clipped into it, which creates the gap between the framing and the wall. You can then attach the plasterboard to the furring channel as you normally would.

Otherwise, you could use timber framing, with window packers placed at the anchoring points to keep the framing a consistent distance from the brick wall. By separating the framing from the wall, you don't have the direct contact that can cause moisture transfer. If you use a bottom plate that is in contact with the slab, then it should be protected with plascourse.

To summarise, the best thing you can do is separate the framing materials from direct contact with the brick. From your description, I doubt there are any moisture issues to worry about but keeping them separated will allow any moisture to dry without soaking into or damaging the framing.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1 and @Nailbag to see if they have any advice they can offer.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob