Garmaine Staff asked 2 years ago
We are trying to combat damp issues and were told to batten the stone wall, then attach a drywall to it. After knocking out the previous cement / concrete / mortar, which was covering the original stone, we noticed the stone wall is extremely uneven. At some points there are protruding stone pieces even 5cm away from the rest of the wall. Wall is nearly 3m long, so we are struggling to see how can we manage to get it perfectly straight. Battens will be 5cm thick, so in theory will always end in front of any stones, but how do we make sure they are vertically (and horizontally) straight.
- Are plastic shims what we need? Do they come in size enough to do this?
- Or do we need to somehow apply lime plaster in vertical strips where the tantalised battens will go?
- Any other way to do this?
We were also told to add a damp proof course membrane. What we saw online is that DPC goes in first, then battens, then drywall. We are really struggling to see how this membrane will cover the uneven wall, how to apply it before the battens go up and similar.
- Does DPC go next to the drywall or on the other side of the battens (next to the wall)?
My final question is about using the wall plugs with this wall. Do we aim to push the screws into the grout or into the solid stones? If so, is it a masonary drill bit we need – is there any possibility to crack the stones?
I understand I might be asking too many questions at once, but I think they are related to the initial problem – keeping battens straight. Please help 🙂