Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
undecorated. Wallpaper pastes with
fungicidal additives only should be
used.
After treating and redecorating,
rooms should be allowed to ventilate
thoroughly for some days. Items of
furniture should not be placed close
to external walls, and cupboard doors
should be kept open for as long as
possible.
In addition to suffering from
mould growth, wallpapers may also
be attacked by grazing silverfish or,
less commonly, psocids. They feed on
the paper and also on small amounts
of protein from glues or pastes. If
wet, the paper should be dried out as a
first step in preventing further
deterioration, but an insecticide in
crevices in the wall (eg at skirting
level) could be used if the drying
failed to control the outbreak.
Conservation of the papers
themselves is a specialised field
(271)
.
Work on site
Workmanship
Relatively small departures from
recommended details such as
thickness, substrate, fixings and
adhesives can materially affect the
performance of lining materials under
fire propagation criteria.
Inspection
The problems to look for are:
◊
inappropriate surface spread of flame
category
◊
low thermal insulation (eg from
plasterboard dry-lining on plaster
dabs)
◊
rot in timber battens fixed to solid
Figure 10.15
Repairing damaged plasterboard linings
Maintenance
Plasterboard is vulnerable to impact
damage. Damaged parts of boards
must be cut out to rectangular shapes
and replaced. When the damage is
considerable, it may well be
appropriate to replace whole boards.
For small holes, rebates are formed
with plasterboard strips glued to the
back face of the damaged board or
with timber noggings as appropriate,
and the replacement piece of board
glued into place before filling the
joints and lightly sanding smooth
(Figure 10.15).
Wood in panelling may require
feeding to keep it in good condition.
Splits in panels may need to be
removed to re-glue and clamp before
replacing the beads.
