home > what to do > repairs > plaster and dry linings
Unless the flood was only a few minutes in duration, gypsum-containing materials and components will absorb large quantities of water and begin to distort. Plasterboard dry-linings or insulated plasterboard fixed to the wall with plaster adhesive will need removing and replacing up to at least the high water mark if they have de-bonded (partially separated out into layers).
Remove the skirting boards and cut or drill holes through the plasterboard or dry-lining to drain out trapped water and aid drying out. If the plasterboard or dry-lining are beginning to distort remove up to at least the high water mark, let the timber studs dry out and then replace. Plasterboard would need to be renewed (consider replacement with wooden dry lining) whilst wooden dry-lining can be dried and re-used.
Any plaster that is dry on its surface can be redecorated if it is in good condition and has been cleaned thoroughly. Ensure the whole surface is dry (ordinarily light pink in colour).
Replace detached, friable or damaged plaster, but wait until it becomes apparent that crack movement and salt deposition (i.e. the formation of salt crystals on the surface) has ceased. Where you have to replace plaster, consider using an alternative that is less vulnerable to damage in the event of another flood, for example use tanking.
Check the section on walls for further information.
20 November 2002