What's gone wrong here?

[lngn2]

Lime plaster job down in Hampshire. Cracks all over the place. Anyone care to venture a diagnosis?

 

[John j]

It's s**t

 

[lngn2]

Yes. For the avoidance of doubt this was the work of a pair of subbies who are blaming it on the materials.

 

[Monkey Boy]

 

[000]

 

[Sitemonkey]

Lime plaster job down in Hampshire. Cracks all over the place. Anyone care to venture a diagnosis?
View attachment 72370

It hasn't been damped down in-between coats so it's dried too fast

 

[lngn2]

It hasn't been damped down in-between coats so it's dried too fast

Thanks - could well be - they certainly didn't sheet it up...

 

[Sitemonkey]

Lime needs plenty of spraying down to prevent cracks it's totally different to cement based renders .

 

[johnzo]

Did they use fibres in the scratch and allow enough time between coats and plenty of hydration

 

[lngn2]

Did they use fibres in the scratch and allow enough time between coats and plenty of hydration

Yes - scratch was haired. There were complaints the top coat was too wet (!)... We are coming to the view that it's been massively over-worked (an electric float was used...). The below shows a panel using the same material done by our builder recently. Chalk and cheese..

 

[Kasper]

It should be left for good few weeks to dry between coats, in the meantime sprayed regularly and covered in damp hessian, thats the way we used to do it, small cracks in scratch are nothing to worry about but yeah not the topcoat

 

[lngn2]

It should be left for good few weeks to dry between coats, in the meantime sprayed regularly and covered in damp hessian, thats the way we used to do it, small cracks in scratch are nothing to worry about but yeah not the topcoat

Ha, yes indeed. The blokes who did it are insisting it's fine so think it's going to be an insurance job.