Signs That Your Walls Need Replastering

While wall plaster is made to last for a lifetime and more if well-maintained, issues can still arise, such as due to water damage or other unexpected issues.

In this blog, we’ll highlight the signs you should watch out for that your walls need replastering, including cracks, damp patches and uneven surfaces. Let’s dive in!

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The Importance of Hiring a Professional

You should hire a plastering professional to replaster a surface, especially if the existing surface has been damaged.

When seeking a local plasterer, we recommend landing quotes from several professionals so that you can weigh up your options. When comparing these professionals, you’ll want to consider their pricing, experience and (if available) online customer ratings/reviews.

1. Damp Patches

Note: If there is damp damage in your home, be sure to address the root cause to prevent such issues from returning. This could mean lowering condensation in the air or/and having a suitable professional fix a source of leaking water.

One indicator of one or more surfaces that need replastering is the existence of damp patches. These patches can result from a number of causes, including condensation and leaks.

Damp walls, including damp plaster, should be dealt with fast. After all, dampness can pose health hazards like mould and even threaten a home’s structural integrity or otherwise cause further damage.

While dampness will generally take time to pose a threat to a property’s structural integrity, it’s still important to take steps to prevent this ASAP. Also, just because you are seeing dampness or signs of it now does not mean the issue as new as the dampness may have persisted long before it was noticed, thus having time to further cause damage and issues.

Damp patches can signify that plaster has been substantially damaged to the point that replastering is needed. Of course, you will not likely be able to tell from the surface of a wall whether or not the plaster has been damaged.

Either way, you’ll need to hire a professional plasterer for this work to evaluate the potential damage and perform the necessary repair work.

2. Cracks In Plaster

Cracks in plaster can occur for a range of reasons such as shrinkage, debonding, dampness, the growth of tree roots and even vibrations caused by road traffic.

As you may already be aware of, plastering cracks can differ in sizes significantly, ranging from hairline cracks to structural damage.

If you notice wall cracks of any size, hire a professional plasterer to evaluate and perform the necessary repair work. You should also consult with them as to what may have caused the crack(s) and what, if anything, should be done to address the root cause and how this might be done.

3. Uneven Surfaces

If surfaces are uneven, this could signify the need to have the surface(s) replastered. This might include a poor installation and other problems that may develop over time.

Of course, it may just be at the level of the paint or wallpaper that the surface is uneven as opposed to the plaster itself. Either way, hiring a professional plasterer can help determine what is wrong and how to fix it.

4. Visually Worn Plaster

If your wall is worn down, it may also mean that the plaster itself has been degraded over time. In this case, you’ll need the surface(s) in question to be replastered. The same applies if the plastering is outdated in one form or another and particularly if this poses concerns for the durability or/and effectiveness of the plaster.

Of course, if unsure, you’ll want to verify with a professional plasterer who you’d need to hire to inspect and perform the replastering if needed.

5. Sound or Heat Insulation Problems

If you feel that a room in your home no longer keeps the heat it so well or/and fails to insulate against outdoor sounds like it used to then it may be a case that your walls need replastering. This is because, among other benefits, plastering can act as an acoustic and thermal insulator.

Obviously, a space in a home lacking heat or/and sound insulation can be explained by other problems such as single-glazed windows and a lack of wall insulation (not plastering but independent insulation such as spray foam insulation).

For deteriorating wall plaster to be the issue, it will generally apply to scenarios where heat or/and sound insulation was once better and has decline since.

If this seems to have occurred, it’s worth hiring a professional plasterer to look into it and replaster if needed. It is still possible that another issue is at hand, but a professional can make a determination one way or another.