Phillymclee
New Member
Hi guys. I have recently replaced the first floor ceiling joists in our renovation project for a future loft conversion. I had to remove the old ceiling along with the old coving which took the plaster at the top of the walls with it. It is a 1930's property with cavity walls and lime plaster. I intend on fitting resilient bars to the underside of the new joists so looking at resilient bar details it looks like the wall plaster should continue up passed the ceiling plasterboard and the ceiling plasterboard sit inboard of the wall plaster with a gap filled with acoustic sealant. What is the best way to fill these gaps at the top of the wall? I understand that lime is better than gypsum for breathability (but then less important for cavity walls) and I will do my best to use lime plaster where I have any large patches that have come loose but I also understand that lime doesn't really stick to timber so was wondering if the best idea would be to use bonding plaster for the strips around the top of the wall where there are timber wall plates. I was thinking to additionally fix 100mm wide galvanised expanded metal lath to the 50mm wall plate and brickwork under, sealing with PVA and then bonding over in 10mm layers. I know that I could probably do the same with lime but would need stainless EML and fixings if I am not mistaken and it just starts adding to the cost so would only do that if it was absolutely necessary. Does my approach sound reasonable and won't end up cracking all over the place or inadvertently rotting the wall plates because they can't breathe haha. Also will this approach be fine for a bathroom? Many thanks in advance.