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Submit plansI have used Thermalite standard blocks, with partial cavity closure, in my build – is it better to dry-line plaster or use a base coat and traditional plaster?
A wet plaster finish on a lightweight block substrate is much more likely to cause shrinkage cracks as the building dries out. Dry-lining with a skim coat is the better approach with lightweight blocks. A wet plaster finish really needs mediumweight concrete blocks such as Fenlite or Hemalite, which tend to be more stable. To minimise shrinkage the broad principle of plastering or rendering is that each coat should be weaker than the previous, which should all be weaker than the substrate.
