Repairs: electrics and miscellaneous items

Painting and decorating

Decoration should usually be quite straightforward when dealing with modern construction and new build. However, for repair purposes, you are often likely to be dealing with older properties, so before specifying decorations cast aside any assumptions that spring to mind and look carefully at the situation that you are facing.

Ensure that you are combining compatible materials:

  • Older properties might incorporate a lime-wash finish to external render, or you may find (occasionally) a property that still has distemper finishes – particularly on ceilings. Such surfaces do not take modern paint finishes well and are prone to flaking and blistering.
  • Where distemper is present it is usually better to strip the finish entirely rather than to try and stabilise it. This would add to the cost.
  • Use of stabilisers once any old finishes have been stripped may, however, still be appropriate, such as the use of PVA in a thin wash solution to control suction to old plaster finishes, for example, as well as bonding loose and desiccated surface material on the finish.

When carrying out maintenance or extension works, the building is likely to be occupied. Give careful consideration to the occupants. Are there babies or children in the house? Will it be occupied at all times during the day?

Use of modern low-odour and water-based paints may be appropriate in these situations, and in any case are increasingly preferred because there are no volatile solvents.

If the building is listed or is in a conservation area, or there are wider conservation issues that need to be dealt with, reflect on the implications.

You could carry out a simple test to check for lead; cheap and easy test kits are available from most builders' merchants. Applied to old paint finishes the test will help determine whether lead is present. This will help you to determine the most appropriate methods of repairing the surface. For example, stripping finishes by burning off would not be appropriate, in most cases, for lead paint finishes: a chemical stripping agent would be preferred. Also, think about disposing of waste appropriately.

It may be possible to continue to use lead paint on some listed buildings. If so, check that the appropriate permissions have been obtained and that the CDM document has had proper regard to this.

Keep it clean

Where buildings are being refurbished and large amounts of old wallpaper are being stripped out and plaster repairs are being completed prior to redecoration, there is a peculiar tendency for large amounts of surplus mix to be flushed down the loo. It usually manages to proceed half way along the drain run to the property before solidifying in the drainpipe. The full extent of the problem usually only becomes apparent once the building is back in normal use!

All trades need to be aware that this is not an acceptable practice: mixing buckets and paint kettles need to be properly cleaned out, with appropriate areas set aside for that purpose with waste knocked into the skip.

Any hazardous waste needs to be dealt with separately and appropriately.

It is usually easier to ensure that the drains are scraped out prior to recommissioning of the building, because despite all the best precautions, plaster or mortar mix, tiling grout and other matters still find their way into the drain run.

The previous fad for textured plaster finishes has diminished and there is a return to flat/plain plaster finishes. Consequently many refurbishment jobs require removal of textured plaster finishes and skimming over to create a smooth plaster finish.

  • Asbestos was often used as binding agent or bulking agent in some of the textured plaster finishes, into the 1980s and possibly later. So it is essential to adopt an appropriate method of working when scraping off the textured plaster. Wetting down the finish could be a minimum requirement to control dust.
  • If the property is a commercial one, check the Asbestos Register, although this is no help for residential properties. If you think there is likely to be an asbestos risk, you have a duty to put appropriate precautions and even testing/removal in place. Certainly use of abrasive finishes to remove the textured plaster would not be appropriate in this instance.

Sometimes with old buildings – for example, in kitchens – the plaster or paint finishes can be contaminated with oil-based finish. A variety of silicone-based stain-blocking agents are now available to skim over the finish. This will seal in the stain to provide a good base for further decoration, and so that the stain does not subsequent spoil the new finish.

Glossing over paint problems

An alternative – when in dire need – is to apply gloss paint over the area of stain, then undercoat over the gloss paint, followed by a build up of the appropriate decorative finish. Although this is not always successful, it could be your 'get out of jail free' card.

Note that the gloss paint means that the plaster will no longer have an absorbent surface, so it would be an inappropriate fix in a bathroom where large amounts of condensation are frequently absorbed into the wall to slowly dry out later.

When repairing plaster, ensure that the new plaster is compatible with the old, to prevent excessive shrinkage.

Some plasters may have a chemical reaction, so ensure that the appropriate trades are briefed in advance and if necessary there is a contingent sum in the specification, or the plaster specification has been determined in advance. In historic buildings, lime-based plasters would be appropriate internally, just as they would for external render or brick jointing.