
Each room had a flue opening, but heating pipes were often removed in the spring and stored until fall, leaving openings (often unsightly) in the walls. But in the days when houses were heated with wood, oil or coal-stoves, heat carried up through brick or stone chimneys to the upper floors. But if you're painting it too, you'll need a plaster finish (or 'skim') as well.You may never have a chimney or wall duct opening in your home that needs covering, so you won’t be in need of a decorative flue cover. If you're papering your wall, plaster undercoat will give a good enough finish.

#DECORATIVE COVER FOR HOLE IN WALL PROFESSIONAL#
Gypsum plasters - requiring two coats and often used by professional plasterers, these fillers are economical and set quickly, but are quite difficult to use.Foam or expanding filler - for large holes or gaps If you're tackling a more extensive repair, there are two main types of plaster:.Flexible acrylic fillers - for gaps between plaster and woodwork.Fast-setting filler - a filler that sets in 10-20 minutes.Deep-repair filler - a ready-mixed lightweight filler for holes up to 20mm deep.Fine-surface filler - an ultra-smooth filler for minor cracks and surface imperfections.Interior filler - a general-purpose filler that comes ready-mixed or as a powder to mix with water.You can choose from a wide range of fillers for minor repairs: For larger holes, you might need to build up several thin coats of filler rather than one thick one, making sure to let each coat dry before adding the next.
#DECORATIVE COVER FOR HOLE IN WALL CRACK#
You can fill a deep crack with screwed-up newspaper, which makes a good base for the filler. Lightweight internal walls can even be made from glass blocks. Internal walls can be made from a variety of materials including stone (in older houses), brick and concrete blocks, and plasterboard or wallboard fixed to frames made from timber or metal. Partition walls divide up the floor space within a property into rooms, and are usually (although not always) non-load-bearing. Party walls are shared walls between detached or semi-detached houses. There are two types of internal wall in a house: party walls and partition walls.

Uninsulated cavity brick walls can also have insulating material blown between them - which makes your house much cosier and more energy-efficient. They're more effective than solid walls at preventing moisture penetration and heat loss. Typically, the leaves (walls) are each about 100mm thick, separated by a gap of at least 50mm, and tied together with metal wall ties to make them stable.Ĭavity walls are built from bricks, concrete blocks or timber framing, or a combination of these. Most modern houses have external walls constructed with a cavity in the middle. This type of wall generally gives good sound insulation, but doesn't retain heat very efficiently. Today, solid walls are usually made from concrete blocks.

They're usually at least 225mm thick (the length of a standard brick), and are often a brick and a half-thick where the house is exposed to severe weather. In houses built before the 1920s, you'll usually find solid external walls are made of natural stone or brick. Start by watching our video guide below for help to fix small holes.Įxternal walls can be of solid or cavity (hollow) construction. So never assume an internal wall is non-load-bearing, and always get professional advice before you attempt any major alterations. Some can partly support floor and ceiling joists, while others add to the stability of the building. Not all internal walls are non-load-bearing, though. Because many internal walls aren't structural (in other words, they don't support the structure) they're known as non-load-bearing walls. Internal walls divide the floor space into rooms, and are usually made of less heavyweight materials.

The external walls of a house are all load-bearing, as they support the weight of the roof, floors and internal walls. The construction of the walls depends on whether they're external or internal, and whether they're load-bearing or non-load-bearing. Some older houses can also be made of local natural stone. Most houses are built from a combination of bricks, concrete blocks and timber on a solid base known as the foundations.
