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Are lath and plaster walls load bearing4/14/2024 You also need a building warrant to remove or alter walls and you will need to provide other support, such as a reinforced steel beam (RSJ) to support the joists or walls above. This obligation extends to internal walls. You have a duty to maintain your flat, so as to provide support and shelter to the rest of the building. Your guide to energy efficiency in tenements Altering or removing wallsĭon’t remove layers of plaster from both sides of a thin brick wall at the same time as this can make the wall unstable.īe careful about changing doorways and doorframes as the side and top timbers of the doorframe may be holding up the brickwork above. If your walls are cold, there is some very good advice on insulation prepared by Changeworks for Citizens Advice Scotland. The steel can then be plastered or covered over. If the cracking appears to be significant or recent, then it is wise to engage an engineer to inspect it. The engineer may recommend installing tie rods through the outer wall and securing them to steel plates which are then fixed to the thinner close walls. Internal decoration and ducting often disguises these 'separation cracks'. This is often visible in the close walls, where they meet the outer wall. If the plaster on either side of the crack is still firmly fixed to the wall, widen the crack and clean the sides before filling with fresh plaster.īrick walls may be poorly bonded (tied in) to the external walls. 'Boss' plaster is where the plaster sounds hollow when tapped, meaning it is coming away from the wall.Ĭracks in plaster can be the result of old movement. Both brick and timber stud walls may be loadbearing. Walls which support floor joists or other walls above are loadbearing. Bed recess, corridor walls, and other walls which run parallel to the back and front walls of a tenement are normally loadbearing. Skirtings are not just a decorative finish to a wall, they also help block gaps that can allow noise or draughts to come into your room. Quarter-round 'mouse moulding' was also used at the junction of the skirting and the floor to block gaps. Double sheeting the plasterboard provides better sound insulation. In newer and refurbished buildings, timber stud walls have a plasterboard finish. Lath and plaster may also be used on the inner face of external walls. Ridges of plaster would be formed as the mortar was squeezed through the gaps between laths. These nibs of mortar help hold the plaster to the wall. Lightweight timber laths with small gaps between them were nailed onto the studs, and lime plaster mortar, reinforced with hair, was then applied to the laths. These lighter weight walls are built from vertical timbers (studs) stiffened with horizontal timber pieces (dwangs). Timber stud walls sound hollow when tapped. Internal half brick wall John Gilbert Note timber batten stiffening. Sometimes timber battens are built into walls to provide stiffness - this is more likely to be the case in top floors where the lack of weight above allows the wall to flex. The space above the timber lintel would be filled with brick. The frames were built as 'H' frames with two vertical timbers joined with a horizontal timber lintel above the door. In older tenements, door frames in internal walls are part of the structure of your building. Sometimes, such as above shops, internal walls are built on stiffened joists or large timber beams, and some movement is common in these cases. These walls extend from a foundation up to the roof. At solum level (the space under the ground floor) they may be built as a honeycomb wall to allow ventilation to the joists to help prevent rot. Most internal walls are built of a single skin of brick, 110mm wide, with lime plaster on both sides making the walls about 150mm thick. You may find thicker walls at ground level and where there are ducts or chimneys.
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