Plaster damage?

Question

We are removing wallpaper in a house and we have it all off almost and all the walls are in really good condition, barely any cracks at all. But, along the chimney wall there is a lot of water damage. The roof was leaking but that is fixed now because there was a new roof put on. The damage is brown/black but it is dry and not falling apart, it is still rock solid too. My question is do we we have to remove all this plaster? I see that plaster is hard to put up. I really hope we can just prime and paint over this because it is dry. Any advice??

Answer 1

I would sand it and seal it after you TSP it.

then you should be able to paint over it and not have the underneath bleed thru.

this goes for the whole area and walls.

sounds like you have lathe and plaster walls.

Answer 2

just prime and paint

Answer 3

(Yep, plaster can be a pain.) But, since you said the area is solid, you are likely okay. Prepare the surface well. Clean the area with a bleach solution. Rinse and let dry. Apply a good quality primer that matches the needs of your situation (interior/exterior, stain blocker, mildew-resistant, etc.) Don't tint your primer; it weakens it. Keep in mind that you might need an extra layer of your top coat in this area, though.

Answer 4

I would suggest a couple of things:

Before you apply paint, do your best to kill whatever mold is living in the plaster. Start with painting on some bleach onto the bare plaster. You might try a couple of applications and let that dry before proceeding with priming. There are many commercial preparations for killing mildew, Zinnser makes one called "Jomax".

Then, I would prime with a primer containing a mildewcide. If you can find it, you might get some additional midewcide and mix it in with the primer. Someone else mentioned Kilz, that is a widely available brand of primer with mildewcide in it. But, I would also recommend adding more mildewcide to the Kilz to be more aggressive in containing the problem. There is another Zinnser product called Add-2, but there are others out there as well.

If you're really concerned about the mold stains bleeding through your paint, and you won't really ever know how much a threat it is until it happens, then you kind of have to throw everything you've got at it in hopes that it will contain the spread of mold. There are some two-part epoxy based primers that are used for difficult applications, like masonry prone to dampness. You might consider applying some of that too.

But, if you have a plaster wall, and it's solid, definitely save it! You'll have a hard time finding someone to re-plaster it as plastering has been a dying trade for a long time. A plaster wall is so much more solid than cheap drywall and since plaster is applied by hand, there is a hand made quality to it which is considered desirable.

Answer 5

If it is dry and there is no sign of surface damage except for the stain, I'd suggest you put a couple of coats of sealer over the stain just to prevent any leaching of the stain through onto your paintwork. Good luck with your project, and have a great day!

Answer 6

you can prime and paint over it just make sure the water damage didnt cause any mold behind the drywall.  As in the obvious; mold would cause a lot of problems.

like that guy suggested kilz will work but actually any kind of paint will work.. it's a primer so it doesn't matter if you have a can of spray paint use it theres no sense in going out and spending 4+ for a can of primer.

depending on your wall color use a light base color to prime it. so it will be easy to cover when you paint over it. if it's a color that has alot of red and black in it use a gray color if not you'll be painting over that spot 3 or 4 coats.

Answer 7

If you just paint over it, the mold WILL bleed through eventually. Kilz is the best way to go. I never had much like using normal primer, either.

Answer 8

no all you need to do is put a couple of coats of a primer called Kills . it will keep the stain from bleeding thru the new paint . you can get Kills in and hardware store . 2 coats should do the job