I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

On Nov 3, 2:56*pm, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.
Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

It was put up for any of the following:
- cover cracks or rough surfaces
- stop damp condensing on walls
- provide a little insualtion


NT

On 03/11/11 14:59, NT wrote:

- stop damp condensing on walls

We did our small cold bedroom to stop condensation.
Worked a treat - at least you can wipe it off the windows!

Andy C

Yes its in my house as well, seems to have survived quite well actually. I
think the issue was use of a parafin heater.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"NT" wrote in message
...
On Nov 3, 2:56 pm, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.
Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

It was put up for any of the following:
- cover cracks or rough surfaces
- stop damp condensing on walls
- provide a little insualtion


NT

JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone
(and 150-yr old lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well
rendered with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's - generally sold on the premise of:

a) Warming the walls to the touch;

b) Smoothing out crap walls;


--
Tim Watts

In article , Tim Watts
writes

There was a fad for this in the 80's

Wouldn't it be dangerous in a fire? (I'm thinking of poly ceiling
tiles).

--
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

On Nov 3, 2:32*pm, Mike Tomlinson wrote:
In article , Tim Watts
writes

There was a fad for this in the 80's

Wouldn't it be dangerous in a fire? (I'm thinking of poly ceiling
tiles).

yes, and should be removed.


NT

On Nov 3, 4:08*pm, NT wrote:
On Nov 3, 2:32*pm, Mike Tomlinson wrote:

In article , Tim Watts
writes

There was a fad for this in the 80's

Wouldn't it be dangerous in a fire? (I'm thinking of poly ceiling
tiles).

yes, and should be removed.

You better remove the vinyl wallpaper, has a superb wicking effect in
hallways... and the 80/20 wool carpets re cyanide... and the PVC
cables... and those unsealed ceiling spots with bare boards above
sometimes lacking T&G in areas re downstairs smoke propogation :-)

Fact is you have 2 mins or so to get out re smoke anyway.

A working smoke alarm up & bottom in the hall is the thing to fit
before taking your shoes off on first walking through the door. Even
two battery units is better than nothing, you can buy Aico Ei 146
Mains Interlinked and run them off their 9V battery for a year or so
whilst you sort out a fused spur off a regularly used lighting circuit
(hall) or dedicated circuit if not too difficult.

On Nov 3, 5:22*pm, "js.b1" wrote:
On Nov 3, 4:08*pm, NT wrote:

On Nov 3, 2:32*pm, Mike Tomlinson wrote:

In article , Tim Watts
writes

There was a fad for this in the 80's

Wouldn't it be dangerous in a fire? (I'm thinking of poly ceiling
tiles).

yes, and should be removed.

You better remove the vinyl wallpaper, has a superb wicking effect in
hallways... and the 80/20 wool carpets re cyanide... and the PVC
cables... and those unsealed ceiling spots with bare boards above
sometimes lacking T&G in areas re downstairs smoke propogation :-)

Fact is you have 2 mins or so to get out re smoke anyway.

A working smoke alarm up & bottom in the hall is the thing to fit
before taking your shoes off on first walking through the door. Even
two battery units is better than nothing, you can buy Aico Ei 146
Mains Interlinked and run them off their 9V battery for a year or so
whilst you sort out a fused spur off a regularly used lighting circuit
(hall) or dedicated circuit if not too difficult.

A lot of people are pulled out of fires alive and ok after more than 2
minutes.


NT

In article
,
NT wrote:
On Nov 3, 2:32 pm, Mike Tomlinson wrote:
In article , Tim Watts
writes

There was a fad for this in the 80's

Wouldn't it be dangerous in a fire? (I'm thinking of poly ceiling
tiles).

yes, and should be removed.

flameproof polystyrene is available, isn't the "behind wallpaper" stuff
made from it?

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.16

On 03/11/2011 15:15, Tim Watts wrote:
JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone
(and 150-yr old lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well
rendered with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's - generally sold on the premise of:

a) Warming the walls to the touch;

b) Smoothing out crap walls;



Both of which it actually did rather well. Very vulnerable to knocks though

On Nov 3, 3:15*pm, Tim Watts wrote:
JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone
(and 150-yr old lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well
rendered with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's

70s

On 03/11/2011 16:10, Man at B&Q wrote:
On Nov 3, 3:15 pm, Tim wrote:
JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone
(and 150-yr old lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well
rendered with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's

70s

We left the house we used it in, to stop condensation on a solid wall,
in 1967.

Colin Bignell

On 3 Nov, 16:10, "Man at B&Q" wrote:
On Nov 3, 3:15*pm, Tim Watts wrote:





JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone
(and 150-yr old lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well
rendered with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's

70s- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I remember hanging this when decorating bedrooms, around 1984.

Cheers
Richard

On 04/11/2011 08:36, geraldthehamster wrote:
On 3 Nov, 16:10, "Man at wrote:
On Nov 3, 3:15 pm, Tim wrote:





JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone
(and 150-yr old lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well
rendered with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's

70s- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I remember hanging this when decorating bedrooms, around 1984.

Cheers
Richard

When I hung it in 1977 It was a bit fragile and bends and corners were
tricky because expanded polystyrene even when relatively thin is not
exactly flexible beyond the curvature of the rolls it was bought in.

Hugh - Was Invisible wrote in
:

JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed
some wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been
previously papered with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to
applying the normal (paper) wallpaper. Why would they have done
this? Initially, I wondered if it might have been to seal in
dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant dampness in
the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered
with modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS
any damp, I can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's

70s- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I remember hanging this when decorating bedrooms, around 1984.

Cheers
Richard

When I hung it in 1977 It was a bit fragile and bends and corners were
tricky because expanded polystyrene even when relatively thin is not


The other thing I don't like about it is that wallpaper doesn't seem to
stick very well to it. The wallpaper is lifting off the polystyrene
sheeting in my house, especially around windows. That was what made me
inclined to scrape it all off and just paint with emulsion. Having said
that, if I do so and find I start getting condensation during Winter, I
will probably re-do with new polystyrene sheet or some alternative anti-
condensation material.

Jake

On Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:15:44 +0000, Tim Watts
wrote:

JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper.
Jake

There was a fad for this in the 80's - generally sold on the premise of:

I would have thought it was 20 years earlier than that,parents did
some bedrooms around 1964.

a) Warming the walls to the touch;
Remember actually touching the stuff and getting that effect. Hard to
believe now but it was seen as a new wonder material at the time.


b) Smoothing out crap walls;
Our walls were reasonably smooth .Stone built with no cavity but
rendered quite well.

G.Harman

On 3 Nov 2011 14:56:38 GMT, JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

used n the 60's = my parents put this in my bedroom then went under the
trade name of cttina sp IIRC
--
(º€¢.¸(¨*€¢.¸ ¸.€¢*¨)¸.€¢Âº)
.€¢Â°€¢. Nik .€¢Â°€¢.
(¸.€¢Âº(¸.€¢Â¨* *¨€¢.¸)º€¢.¸)

On 03/11/2011 17:17, Ghostrecon wrote:
On 3 Nov 2011 14:56:38 GMT, JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

used n the 60's = my parents put this in my bedroom then went under the
trade name of cttina sp IIRC

ISTR it was called Cotina but could be wrong. It is for heat insulation
and quite probably to avoid resultant condensation.

In 1977 I bought a maisonette which the surveyor thought had rising damp
and so the building society wanted a damp proof course installed.

Specialist damp company said it was a leaky downpipe which had recently
been repaired and might be some condensation.

Building society then made it a condition of the mortgage that expanded
polystyrene be used in 2 rooms to avoid condensation. Main problem we
found was that if anything fell against the wallpaper it either dented
or ripped because of the crushable expanded polystyrene underneath.

Turned out that the previous occupiers had blocked the ventilators and
not heated the place adequately.

On 03/11/2011 17:35, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 03/11/2011 17:17, Ghostrecon wrote:
On 3 Nov 2011 14:56:38 GMT, JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously
papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and
150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

used n the 60's = my parents put this in my bedroom then went under the
trade name of cttina sp IIRC

ISTR it was called Cotina but could be wrong. It is for heat insulation
and quite probably to avoid resultant condensation.

In 1977 I bought a maisonette which the surveyor thought had rising damp
and so the building society wanted a damp proof course installed.

Specialist damp company said it was a leaky downpipe which had recently
been repaired and might be some condensation.

Building society then made it a condition of the mortgage that expanded
polystyrene be used in 2 rooms to avoid condensation. Main problem we
found was that if anything fell against the wallpaper it either dented
or ripped because of the crushable expanded polystyrene underneath.

Turned out that the previous occupiers had blocked the ventilators and
not heated the place adequately.

Got the spelling slightly wrong:

http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35178

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...d.php?t=363779

The other Hugh

On Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:26:11 +0000, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:

On 03/11/2011 17:35, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 03/11/2011 17:17, Ghostrecon wrote:
On 3 Nov 2011 14:56:38 GMT, JakeD wrote:

I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously
papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it
might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and
150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

TIA

Jake

used n the 60's = my parents put this in my bedroom then went under the
trade name of cttina sp IIRC

ISTR it was called Cotina but could be wrong. It is for heat insulation
and quite probably to avoid resultant condensation.

In 1977 I bought a maisonette which the surveyor thought had rising damp
and so the building society wanted a damp proof course installed.

Specialist damp company said it was a leaky downpipe which had recently
been repaired and might be some condensation.

Building society then made it a condition of the mortgage that expanded
polystyrene be used in 2 rooms to avoid condensation. Main problem we
found was that if anything fell against the wallpaper it either dented
or ripped because of the crushable expanded polystyrene underneath.

Turned out that the previous occupiers had blocked the ventilators and
not heated the place adequately.

Got the spelling slightly wrong:

http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35178

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...d.php?t=363779

The other Hugh

ah not as badly spelled as my effort lol Kotina....
--
(º€¢.¸(¨*€¢.¸ ¸.€¢*¨)¸.€¢Âº)
.€¢Â°€¢. Nik .€¢Â°€¢.
(¸.€¢Âº(¸.€¢Â¨* *¨€¢.¸)º€¢.¸)

On Nov 3, 2:56*pm, JakeD wrote:

I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this?

The belief that it's equivalent to a foot of real insulation. In
practice it has very little insulation value, simply from being too
thin.

It does have some use for reducing condensation on cold walls. It
doesn't reduce the heat flowing by much, but it does raise the
temperature of the inside face of the wall to above the dewpoint.

On 03/11/2011 23:07, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Nov 3, 2:56 pm, wrote:

I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this?

The belief that it's equivalent to a foot of real insulation. In
practice it has very little insulation value, simply from being too
thin.

It does have some use for reducing condensation on cold walls. It
doesn't reduce the heat flowing by much, but it does raise the
temperature of the inside face of the wall to above the dewpoint.

And yet 5mm of foam on the wall can halve heat loss through brick? Not
my figures, but my experience suggests that a little insulation makes a
big difference

On 04/11/2011 09:06, stuart noble wrote:
On 03/11/2011 23:07, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Nov 3, 2:56 pm, wrote:

I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this?

The belief that it's equivalent to a foot of real insulation. In
practice it has very little insulation value, simply from being too
thin.

It does have some use for reducing condensation on cold walls. It
doesn't reduce the heat flowing by much, but it does raise the
temperature of the inside face of the wall to above the dewpoint.

And yet 5mm of foam on the wall can halve heat loss through brick? Not
my figures, but my experience suggests that a little insulation makes a
big difference

When we had it the coated walls always felt warm to the touch because
heat was not conducted away from our hands.

Yes, this house does not have cavity walls and with the paraffin heater it
stopped condensation on the walls dead in its tracks.
Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Hugh - Was Invisible" wrote in message
...
On 04/11/2011 09:06, stuart noble wrote:
On 03/11/2011 23:07, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Nov 3, 2:56 pm, wrote:

I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this?

The belief that it's equivalent to a foot of real insulation. In
practice it has very little insulation value, simply from being too
thin.

It does have some use for reducing condensation on cold walls. It
doesn't reduce the heat flowing by much, but it does raise the
temperature of the inside face of the wall to above the dewpoint.

And yet 5mm of foam on the wall can halve heat loss through brick? Not
my figures, but my experience suggests that a little insulation makes a
big difference

When we had it the coated walls always felt warm to the touch because heat
was not conducted away from our hands.

Thanks to all for the informative input! Having read all the suggested
pros and cons of the said foam sheeting, I'm inclined to scrape it all
off, and paint the bare walls with regular emilsion.

It's very true that it makes the walls seem warm to the touch, but I
can't really see how 1/8" of anything is going to make any significant
difference to the overall thermal insulation of an 18" thick solid stone
wall. I could be wrong.

As for the condensation issue, the heating in this house is now coming
from radiant/convecting gas fires which I've recently installed. Their
moisture-ridden exhaust goes up the chimney, but I wonder if I will still
suffer condensation problems if I remove the polystyrene foam sheet from
the walls...

As someone rightly said, one of the main problems with the stuff is that
a bump or knock to the wall easily creates a nasty scar that's difficult
to repair.

Another disadvantage, is that it makes it impossible to remove the
wallpaper without damaging the foam. So the previous owners of this house
have simply painted over the paper numerous times. This seals in any
slight moisture, causing moild to grow underneath.

My guess is that it's probably better to remove the foam and just paint
the walls with emulsion.

I was going to say that the stuff must have been largely a con, otherwise
it would be more widley in use today. However, perhaps the reason it is
not so widely used today, is that almost no-one uses parrafin heaters any
more!

Apart from being an anti-condensation measure, I suspect the foam in my
house was added to even out what looks like some rather rough plastering.
What is the easiest/cheapest way to smooth over iregularities and
roughness in plaster? Polyfilla, applied a wide spatula/spreader perhaps?
I don't want to go to the trouble and expense of applying plasterboard to
the walls. And I don't want to use embossed (or similar) wallpaper. I
could skim-coat with plaster, except that the underlying walls have been
painted with what looks like vinyl silk or similar.


TIA

Jake

On Nov 4, 9:06*am, stuart noble wrote:
And yet 5mm of foam on the wall can halve heat loss through brick?

{{cn}}

Post the U values, then we dont need to guess.

On 11/11/2011 22:45, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Nov 4, 9:06 am, stuart wrote:
And yet 5mm of foam on the wall can halve heat loss through brick?

{{cn}}

Post the U values, then we dont need to guess.

Indeed, it does not sound that plausible...

The k value for EPS is about 0.035 W/mK, so 5mm of it would yield a U
value of 7

9" solid brick wall has a U value of about 2.2. So together you get a
reduction to 1/(1/2.2 + 1/7) = 1.7



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 12/11/2011 03:29, John Rumm wrote:
On 11/11/2011 22:45, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Nov 4, 9:06 am, stuart wrote:
And yet 5mm of foam on the wall can halve heat loss through brick?

{{cn}}

Post the U values, then we dont need to guess.

Indeed, it does not sound that plausible...

The k value for EPS is about 0.035 W/mK, so 5mm of it would yield a U
value of 7

9" solid brick wall has a U value of about 2.2. So together you get a
reduction to 1/(1/2.2 + 1/7) = 1.7




NP's figures IIRC

On 03/11/2011 14:56, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

It was sold to provide a small amount of insulation and make the wall
"feel" warmer to the touch. Quite effective at reducing condensation
forming on the walls.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:06:35 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

On 03/11/2011 14:56, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

It was sold to provide a small amount of insulation and make the wall
"feel" warmer to the touch. Quite effective at reducing condensation
forming on the walls.

Bought some rolls from Wickes last month for condensation problem.
Lovely stuff.

On 04/11/2011 22:33, Ericp wrote:
On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:06:35 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

On 03/11/2011 14:56, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and 150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

It was sold to provide a small amount of insulation and make the wall
"feel" warmer to the touch. Quite effective at reducing condensation
forming on the walls.

Bought some rolls from Wickes last month for condensation problem.
Lovely stuff.
Would that be Erfurt Wallrock? We have just put some up on a 9" solid
brick exterior wall to combat condensation. Not cheap and nor is the
(PVA based?) adhesive, but it goes on very easily and with a finish
that's ready to paint.

Time will tell whether it works.

Pete

On 05/11/2011 09:54, Pete Shew wrote:
On 04/11/2011 22:33, Ericp wrote:
On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:06:35 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

On 03/11/2011 14:56, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously
papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if
it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and
150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any
damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

It was sold to provide a small amount of insulation and make the wall
"feel" warmer to the touch. Quite effective at reducing condensation
forming on the walls.

Bought some rolls from Wickes last month for condensation problem.
Lovely stuff.
Would that be Erfurt Wallrock? We have just put some up on a 9" solid
brick exterior wall to combat condensation. Not cheap and nor is the
(PVA based?) adhesive, but it goes on very easily and with a finish
that's ready to paint.

Time will tell whether it works.

Pete

Sounds like a big improvement over polystyrene from a practical point of
view

On 05/11/2011 12:12, stuart noble wrote:
On 05/11/2011 09:54, Pete Shew wrote:
On 04/11/2011 22:33, Ericp wrote:
On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:06:35 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

On 03/11/2011 14:56, JakeD wrote:
I'm redecorating a cottage I recently moved into. When I noticed some
wallpaper peeling, I found that the whole room had been previously
papered
with thin polystyrene sheeting, prior to applying the normal (paper)
wallpaper. Why would they have done this? Initially, I wondered if
it might
have been to seal in dampness, but there doesn;t seem to be any
significant
dampness in the walls, despite being 18" thick solid stone (and
150-yr old
lime mortar). The exterior of the cottage has been well rendered with
modern mortar and painted with Weathershield, so if there IS any
damp, I
can't see where it would come from.

Any ideas?

It was sold to provide a small amount of insulation and make the wall
"feel" warmer to the touch. Quite effective at reducing condensation
forming on the walls.

Bought some rolls from Wickes last month for condensation problem.
Lovely stuff.
Would that be Erfurt Wallrock? We have just put some up on a 9" solid
brick exterior wall to combat condensation. Not cheap and nor is the
(PVA based?) adhesive, but it goes on very easily and with a finish
that's ready to paint.

Time will tell whether it works.

Pete

Sounds like a big improvement over polystyrene from a practical point of
view
It is certainly much more structurally durable. SWMBO stepped back and
put her heel on the edge of a piece lying on the floor with no
noticeable effect. It has a hardish smooth side and a fluffy side. Gob
glue on the wall with a roller and stick it on. Butt the edges to leave
a smooth finish, but any gaps can be filled with caulk or even the glue
which has a filler in it so it will go over rough walls.

No association with the company, but surprised how easy it was to put up
(and I've hung a lot of rolls of paper in my life).

Pete