When considering home renovations, your thoughts first turn to the four walls that shield your home against the external elements. You may find yourself quite happy with their performance. However, your internal walls are worthy of some attention too, as with the passage of time, these walls may start to deteriorate.
That being said, not every crack on your interior walls is a sign of a major problem. We recently published and article on home-Improvements you should’nt do yourself, however, their are some small works around the house that you can tackle yourself.
Small hairline cracks indicate shrinkage in the plaster or render that can be easily be repaired, without spending too much. But here are some of the most common problems with interior walls that need to be repaired immediately:
Plaster Cracks
In older buildings, such as Victorian homes in London, timber laths were used to construct walls, and due to the poor adhesive properties of the material, small and irregular-shaped cracks and unevenness can build up in the lath.
This is most visible when plaster cracks start to appear. However, modern plasterboard-line studded walls can also suffer from cracks due to rising thermal insulation problems.
As a remedial solution, look for any lumps of loose plaster in the cracked area. If the problem is small, simply cut out the plaster and screw the laths back into the joints. Then patch the plaster into a flush finish. Any defects in the plasterboard can be easily fixed as well and painted and decorated to finish.
Soundproofing Issues
In most attached homes, noise pollution and sound intrusion are clear-cut signs that the interior walls need attention.
Poor soundproofing quality can be due to several gaps and holes that build up over time – since most of the interior walls contain only single-width brickwork between houses on the party walls.
Soundproofing your interior walls requires minor restructuring as we display one system here to the left, which can be applied over existing poorly insulated internal walls.
If you have gaps in the interior walls, these can be filled with the help of expanding foam that blocks the air path. The end-result is a soundproofed wall that restricts the level of noise entering your home.
Dampness
Peeling wallpaper, moulds, damp patches and the smell of water-soaked plaster are some of the many signs that your walls are becoming damp.
This is the most common and persistent of all problems, from which no interior wall of your home can be safe for long.
Removing the damp spot requires major work. First of all, you need to identify the source of the dampness. Lift up any adjacent floorboards and thoroughly examine the ground floor joints for any signs of dampness.
In the next step, consider repair work., which might involve some form of basement tanking or structural waterproofing to solve the issue in the longer term.
We advise against damp resin injections, as we think these are a waste of time and represent poor value for money.
if necessary. Improve the ventilation under your timber floors to prevent dampness from accumulating. Also, install a proper drainage channel that disperses all surface water out of your home.
To learn more about common interior wall problems and how to fix them, please feel free to contact us today!
Hope this information was helpful. The Diligent Team.
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