How to strengthen weak walls?

[steezy]

I bought an old house and have discovered some weak walls that move when you push on them. 

Is there anything we can do to strengthen the walls without removing or replacing them?

I.e. will skimming help to reinforce the wall? In the UK I have seen wall hardeners/mineralising primers, but I haven't found anything like that available at Bunnings.

[Akanksha]

Congratulations on your purchase, @steezy and a warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We look forward to assisting you with your home improvement and garden projects.

Our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc is currently away but I'm sure will be happy to provide some advice on how to strengthen your walls as soon as he can. 

Let me tag our experienced members @Jewelleryrescue, @redbournreno and @BoeingFan to see if they have any thoughts in the meantime. 

Akanksha

[BoeingFan]

Hi @steezy,

Congrat's on your purchase! When you say the 'walls' move, do you mean the gyprock/masonite/fibro lining, or the actual frame of the house?

Jason

[Dave-1]

Howdy @steezy 

Could you supply some photos of the walls and also how far do they move?  Once we know a little more as in what they are made of (timber/plaster/brick/masonite) we might be able to help out with some suggestions.

Congratulations on purchasing a house I actually like old houses over new ones, something about working on them I find more appealing Id also like to say Welcome to the Bunnings community Its an interesting place to hang out in especially if you have a list of projects you want to do!

I havnt heard of skimming before so just had a look up as to the meaning. Skimming will not make the wall stronger, it just fills holes ect you may have in the surface of the plaster (divits, bumps ect, tho no through holes)

Dave

[iveg]

Hi steezy,

Welcome steezy. I have done many renovations on older homes over 35 years building experience. Yes, we do need to know if it is a timber frame wall or other. If timber framing you may have timber rot issues or maybe termite damage, since you have a few walls that do this. Could you remove part of external or internal lining of the wall to find out how it is constructed or alternatively have a look in the roof space where the wall is and check if brick or timber framing. Let us know what you discover so we may have a better idea of what your up against. Good luck my friend.

[steezy]

Hi Jason,

The gyprock moves, the frame is fine.

[steezy]

 hi Dave,

This is some pictures from the building report.

I'd say they move 3-5mm at most.

There are quite a few large cracks in the plaster, maybe after we fill them in it will be more sturdy?

[Dave-1]

Evening @steezy 

Thanks for the photo tho it dosnt really show what I was after. Any chance for some photos of as is and then when you push it?

Cracks happen in older houses for sure and can be repaired easily. They will not stop the wall moving tho.

If you show us some photos from further back of the general area it will help. As @iveg has mentioned there could be a few reasons why the plaster shifts.

Dave

[redbournreno]

Hi @steezy 

This looks like it is Masonite or fibre cement sheeting. Be careful working with it as there is a high chance it contains asbestos. 

Firstly, be sure there isn't other signs of water or pest damage causing it - in which case further investigating is necessary. 

If it's just the lining that is flexing in that era house then I suspect it just needs some more nailing or screwing the lining into the frames in more places. You will need a stud finder and safety gear if working with asbestos.

Look behind any PowerPoint  switches or damaged areas to check what the sheeting is.

Unfortunately Australian houses of that era are built like a 3 year old drew them. I have renovated in the UK too. The flex in sheeting may not even matter. Just fill the expanding gaps with a flexible gap filler that you can paint over.

Good luck

[MitchellMc]

It's great to see you've been receiving help from our members @steezy.

@redbournreno sums up my thoughts well. The sheeting likely has just pulled away from the stud framing and needs to be fixed back in position. That is great advice about having the sheeting and how to assess for asbestos. Please take all precautions when working on a house of that era. Once the sheeting is fixed back in place, you can fill the gaps and cracks.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell