What is this soft damp clay like material?

Ruththeplasterer

Ruththeplasterer

New Member
Hi all,

Just started hacking back the bubbly plaster round a window in our kitchen. The salts have been coming out the wall as I think previous owners used gypsum (external wall on a victorian house).

There appears to be two materials packed in down the sides of the window. A white one and a terracotta coloured one. Similar texture. Bit like clay. The red one is more crumbly.

Any ideas what it is? Not sure if I should keep removing it, or take the external render off and let it dry out. May also be a badly fitted window.

All the best,

Ruth
 

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Not enough info really
Looks wet/damp
Is there an angle bead rusting there ?
Possibly windows fitted Then used bonding (terracotta part) to repair reveals Over existing original lime product (clay part)

other than that looks like tiramisu Ice cream!
B064B7BC-DE88-4A62-BE32-E78125D1C663.jpeg
 
Ruththeplasterer said:
Hi all,

Just started hacking back the bubbly plaster round a window in our kitchen. The salts have been coming out the wall as I think previous owners used gypsum (external wall on a victorian house).

There appears to be two materials packed in down the sides of the window. A white one and a terracotta coloured one. Similar texture. Bit like clay. The red one is more crumbly.

Any ideas what it is? Not sure if I should keep removing it, or take the external render off and let it dry out. May also be a badly fitted window.

All the best,

Ruth
Click to expand...

just be brave and hack it back to the brick
 
Welcome along Ruth!

If I’m ever unsure, confused, scared or intimidated I smash it with a hammer! This goes for work, cooking tea, tax returns, cat poo in the garden.... etc etc

Definitely take it all back to brick. Have you found the source of the problem?
 
JessThePlasterer said:
Welcome along Ruth!

If I’m ever unsure, confused, scared or intimidated I smash it with a hammer! This goes for work, cooking tea, tax returns, cat poo in the garden.... etc etc

Definitely take it all back to brick. Have you found the source of the problem?
Click to expand...
Jesus, do you belt your old man with a hammer every time he pushes you into the bushes on the way home from the pub?
 
JessThePlasterer said:
Welcome along Ruth!

If I’m ever unsure, confused, scared or intimidated I smash it with a hammer! This goes for work, cooking tea, tax returns, cat poo in the garden.... etc etc

Definitely take it all back to brick. Have you found the source of the problem?
Click to expand...
Not yet, but we are having the window enlarged downwards and a new one, so hopefully that will sort it. Going to take the render off outside and let the wall dry out before putting lime render on as well.
 
The shed beat me to it, it's bonding used to bodge the opening to make it smaller when the window was changed and they got the wrong size. It's been soaking up moisture thru' the brickwork.

SDS drill?? Don't be a wuss, as Jess says, use the hamnmer and build some muscle.
It's theraputic, my missus loves to smash stuff with a lump hammer, chased out rock hard brickwork with a 1" bolster a few years ago for her kitchen. She's just finished hanging the lining paper in the lounge, wouldn't let me touch it, but she did let me do some plastering!!
 
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