Plaster and lath walls are notorious for developing sections of loose, crumbling plaster, exposing the wood lath beneath. If the damage is widespread, you should consider ripping out the wall and replacing it with modern drywall. However, if it is just a foot or two, you can again secure the lath and resurface the plaster.
Instructions
1. Remove all the loose plaster in the damaged area, pulling it off manually to expose the lath beneath. Secure any loose lath to the studs, using a hammer and trim nails.
2. Spread joint compound over all the exposed lath inside the damaged area, at a thickness of about a quarter inch.
3. Tear off a piece of paper drywall tape to fit inside the damaged area. Press it into the wet compound. Repeat, pulling off multiple pieces of tape and laying them side-by-side in the compound, so you have a layer of tape covering all the wet plaster. Do not let any part of the tape stray outside the indentation of the damaged area.
4. Let the compound set for eight hours.
5. Spread on a layer of joint compound over the tape, about a quarter-inch thick.
6. Let the compound set for eight hours. Apply another quarter-inch layer over the compound. Let that layer dry and apply another. Continue gradually building up the layers of compound until the indentation is even with the surrounding plaster.
7. Spread a top layer of compound over the whole repaired area, coming out on a few inches of the surrounding plaster. Let it set for 24 hours.
8. Sand the area flat with a drywall sander. The wall is now ready for repainting.
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