I recently had a large living room skimmed with new plaster and wondered if it would be a good idea to use a dehumidifier to dry the plaster.
As tempting as it may be to use this to speed up the drying process (I mean who doesn’t want it to dry ASAP so they can get on with decorating!), it is actually a bad idea and can ruin the good hard work that has just been completed.
After consulting my plasterer, he advised to open the windows to the room allowing the moisture to escape. It was a fairly warmish few days after the job was complete and it only took 4 days for it to dry completely ready for painting.
Using a dehumidifier to speed along the process actually stops the plaster from drying and curing in the way that it should.
By drying it out quicker, it can lead to cracking either immediately or over time. Plaster will often crack a little as a natural process or due to movement in the house, but don’t make the problem worse by using your dehumidifier to dry out the room!