Distemper

[mad-dawg]

Hi
I have boarded a landing wall (dot and dab) and skimmed the wall.
When you bang the wall in a few places the boards sound loose like the adhesive has not stuck to the board or wall (gutted).
To cure this I have had to drill the wall in a few places and secure with plugs & screws.
This problem is not all over the wall which is about eighteen feet long.
Originally I was going to skim the wall but it was so out of true it was easier to board it, the wall surface was plaster with a blue dusty finish, which I assumed was distemper so I washed the wall with sugar soap until the grey plaster was exposed.
I have another landing wall and a staircase to do and dont want the same thing to happen again so I welcome any ideas what could be wrong or whether this is distemper and how to get skim or board adhesive to stick to it
Thanks for your help guys, this is the best forum by miles and some of the stuff on here has me in stitches.

 

[TonyM]

Dri-wall adhesive (gypsum) reacts with lime. The surface needs to be sound and dust free, then sealed. I've been using Knauf Betokontakt and adding a few screws per sheet to be sure.

 

[CKJ]

Yep as tony said and you can get nailable plugs for dot and dab.

 

[mad-dawg]

Thanks Guys
I will try the Knauf stuff and screw/nail the rest of it.

 

[mad-dawg]

Is the Knauf Betokontakt the same as WBA? if not do you have a supplier of Knauf Betokontakt in mind, local build center say they cant get it and I dont have an account with Sheffield Insulations.
Thanks