I am living my mother's home, which was built in 1906. In 1993 my parents had the entire upstairs bathroom redone, removing wallpaper and using joint compound over the upper half of the walls. This was then covered with a latex semigloss paint. We had a ring support placed over the claw foot tub for a shower, which adds to the moisture in the room.
My question: For the past several years, nearly all of the joint compound has cracked and/or peeled off, revealing rough, but perfect plaster (no cracks) underneath. The joint compound will be very easy to remove, but now I wonder how this happened before restoring this. Was it the type of paint used or was it a bad match of joint compound over plaster? Should we skim coat with a thin layer of plaster to create a smooth finish before repainting? Should I use any special paint? My mother does not want to install a vent, so I realize that this will have to stand up to extra moisture. I should mention that the exact same problem with the joint compound is occurring in our downstairs back hall ceiling, which was also done in the 1990s.
By Kathy
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I live in the UK but was born and raised in the US, and restored several early 20th century homes whilst living in the US.
From what I recall of how US homes were built in the early 20th century, your plaster under the joint compound is likely a plaster and lathe combination. If the painters who did the work in the late 20th century didn't understand how to properly prepare the plaster and lathe surface it's no wonder the bond has failed the way you are describing, especially with the high moisture in affected areas.
Also, the type of plaster used in US homes of the early 20th century wasn't consistent-each builder mixed his own because, lol, Home Depot or even Ace Hardware weren't around back then. Even the building materials one could order from Sears Roebuck Company were not necessarily consistent. So the joint compound made in 1993 may be reacting to something in the 1906 chemical compound of the plaster applied over the lathe wall framing.
There are several good 'this old house' type books and websites that can give you excellent advisement on the proper 'next steps' in solving your problem (starting with determining what makes up the original plaster and then proper surface prepping). Use a search term that includes the words early 20th century plaster wall surface preparation.
However, without the installation of a vent you will more than likely continue to have moisture related problems. Properly prepared surfaces can only go so far.
If you are asking about a UK home, my husband (a retired historic building conservation officer) says the Artex joint compound (used most in the UK until the early 2000s) has very likely reacted with whatever type plaster the wall was constructed with.
He said that asbestos is a very real concern considering the age of the building and that you should contact a joiner who is certified in sorting this safely and correctly.
He went on to say a vent needs to be installed; Xpelair ventilation products are reliable and reasonably priced.
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