Patching and Plastering - (re)fixing leak-damaged plaster
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actualair
05-30-09, 08:02 AM
Hi there,
I live on the second story of a typical two-flat building in Chicago. For the past couple years, there was a leak in the roof at the front of the building. Whenever we got heavy rain, water would seep through my front wall and drip down my wood window frames.
After some trouble determining the source, the leak seems to have been fixed for good this past spring. There was some staining at the top of the wall between the ceiling and the window--a few weeks back, a contractor came over to remove the damaged plaster and re-mud it. He recommended that I use a stain-blocking primer before repainting--I put a coat of Zap (http://www.ebuild.com/articles/sectionId.1598/785231.hwx) over it, and repainted a few days later.
Within about a week, I was dismayed to see that the newly-painted area was beginning to discolor and bubble. The problem has gotten progressively worse, to the point that it currently looks like this:
http://fallingandlaughing.com/misc/1.jpg
http://fallingandlaughing.com/misc/2.jpg
http://fallingandlaughing.com/misc/3.jpg
The contractor (without having been back yet to see the new damage) had recommended applying bleach and seeing if it'll go away, but something tells me that won't do the trick--this is some funky, crusty stuff. Doing some research on water-damaged plaster just now, it seems like the only solution is to scrape away the damaged area and replaster it once again.
My question is: since this area has already been replastered and primed with stain-blocking primer, what's to say the whole cycle isn't just going to start over? Should we be worried about deeper moisture issues that go beyond what replastering can solve?
Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can provide.
Erik
I live on the second story of a typical two-flat building in Chicago. For the past couple years, there was a leak in the roof at the front of the building. Whenever we got heavy rain, water would seep through my front wall and drip down my wood window frames.
After some trouble determining the source, the leak seems to have been fixed for good this past spring. There was some staining at the top of the wall between the ceiling and the window--a few weeks back, a contractor came over to remove the damaged plaster and re-mud it. He recommended that I use a stain-blocking primer before repainting--I put a coat of Zap (http://www.ebuild.com/articles/sectionId.1598/785231.hwx) over it, and repainted a few days later.
Within about a week, I was dismayed to see that the newly-painted area was beginning to discolor and bubble. The problem has gotten progressively worse, to the point that it currently looks like this:
http://fallingandlaughing.com/misc/1.jpg
http://fallingandlaughing.com/misc/2.jpg
http://fallingandlaughing.com/misc/3.jpg
The contractor (without having been back yet to see the new damage) had recommended applying bleach and seeing if it'll go away, but something tells me that won't do the trick--this is some funky, crusty stuff. Doing some research on water-damaged plaster just now, it seems like the only solution is to scrape away the damaged area and replaster it once again.
My question is: since this area has already been replastered and primed with stain-blocking primer, what's to say the whole cycle isn't just going to start over? Should we be worried about deeper moisture issues that go beyond what replastering can solve?
Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can provide.
Erik
marksr
05-30-09, 03:02 PM
Welcome to the forums Erik!
Are you sure the leak is fixed?
Was everything dry when the plaster was repaired?
I'm not familiar with ZAP primer. Is it latex? or oil base? I've never used a latex based stain killer that I had any confidence in. Oil primers do a much better job of sealing water stains and when oil base won't do the trick, a pigmented shellac like zinnser's BIN is used...... but the moisture causing the mold must be fixed first!
Are you sure the leak is fixed?
Was everything dry when the plaster was repaired?
I'm not familiar with ZAP primer. Is it latex? or oil base? I've never used a latex based stain killer that I had any confidence in. Oil primers do a much better job of sealing water stains and when oil base won't do the trick, a pigmented shellac like zinnser's BIN is used...... but the moisture causing the mold must be fixed first!
actualair
05-31-09, 07:49 AM
Hi Mark,
Thanks very much for the reply! The ZAP was, unfortunately, latex-based, so that could be part of the problem. I really appreciate the suggestions for alternatives.
And yes, the idea that there is some underlying moisture that needs to be addressed is definitely what I'm most concerned about. I do feel reasonably confident that the original leak in the roof is fixed--since it was repaired a couple months ago, we've had some torrential rains in Chicago and I didn't see any of the seeping and window-frame-dripping I would see before the leak repair.
I think part of the problem is that the person who did the original patching is a general contractor and not a mold specialist, so I'm not totally sure he was in the best position to assess the underlying problem. I'm a renter, so some of these decisions aren't in my hands! But I'm trying to work with my landlord to get to the bottom of what's going on.
Thanks very much for the reply! The ZAP was, unfortunately, latex-based, so that could be part of the problem. I really appreciate the suggestions for alternatives.
And yes, the idea that there is some underlying moisture that needs to be addressed is definitely what I'm most concerned about. I do feel reasonably confident that the original leak in the roof is fixed--since it was repaired a couple months ago, we've had some torrential rains in Chicago and I didn't see any of the seeping and window-frame-dripping I would see before the leak repair.
I think part of the problem is that the person who did the original patching is a general contractor and not a mold specialist, so I'm not totally sure he was in the best position to assess the underlying problem. I'm a renter, so some of these decisions aren't in my hands! But I'm trying to work with my landlord to get to the bottom of what's going on.