Newly skimmed wall showing brown stains + rough patches — damp or poor prep? Should I go back to plasterer?
Hi all,
Looking for some advice on an issue with a recently reskimmed/replastered room.
I’ve just had the walls skimmed, but in several areas I’m getting heavy brown staining coming through. It’s quite patchy, worse in corners and around the window, and some areas look almost like drip marks or spotting. The colour is quite dark (brown/orange rather than just damp patches).
Also, the texture in those areas feels noticeably different — rougher and almost sandy compared to the rest of the wall.
For context:
This is an external wall
No decorating has been done yet — this is over a week after plaster drying
Photos attached.
My questions:
Does this look like damp coming through, or something like old staining bleeding through?
Could it be rising damp vs penetrating damp vs condensation?
Should this have been treated/sealed before skimming?
What would be the correct next step — let it dry, seal it, or does the plaster need to come off and start again?
Should I be going back to the plasterer about this, or is this something outside their responsibility?
Appreciate any advice!