LOUNGE CEILING
Winter 2020 / 2021 was unusually and exceptionally warm and wet. Two years ago, on 5 Feb 2021, following 3 weeks of continual rain, rainwater eventually penetrated the saturated loose & missing chimney pointing resulting in some damage to two isolated areas of the lounge lath & plaster ceiling:
Area 1: Water staining above the multi-fuel stove.
Area 2: A crack in a section of skimmed plaster / polyripple coating to the left of the multi-fuel stove.
Industrial dehumidifiers were brought in to fully dry the ceiling, and the 'dry certificate' was issued by BELFOR Restoration on 12 March 2021. The chimney was checked, repaired, and fully repointed in August 2021.
See below for detailed close-up photos of each of the affected areas of the lounge ceiling:
Area 1: Water stain. Photo taken directly underneath stain at close range.
Area 2: Crack in plaster / polyripple. Photo taken directly underneath at close range.
Ceiling sample: The Contracts Manager from the insurer's approved reinstatement company was obliged to remove a small sample of the lounge ceiling's polyripple coating for lab testing to confirm that the product contains no asbestos. He then applied the duck tape "X" to identify the area from which the sample had been taken.
Lounge Chimney Repair: Feb 2021 (before repair and repointing) & Aug 2021 (after repair and repointing)
