Old houses need special care when it comes to remodeling.
Homes built over 100 years ago often contain interior walls made of wood and lathe. The wood is the structure for the walls while the lathe holds the plaster. Today, drywall is the common material for nailing over the wood structure of the walls. However, before you attempt to repair old wood and lathe walls by covering them with drywall or sheet rock, consider the added weight of these boards on the old structure. Repairing the existing plaster will mean far less weight added to the house foundation and will be more in keeping with the age of the home.
Instructions
1. Press along the plaster walls to see where the plaster may have broken away from the wood lath. Screw in plaster washers every 6 to 8 inches to hold the plaster against the lath with wood screws. Look for bulges in the plaster wall and press them gently back against the lath. Tape over the washers with fiberglass mesh tape and smooth coat with joint compound applied with a 6-inch putty knife.
2. Repair areas where the plaster has fallen away from the wall and exposed the wood lath by cutting a section of diamond wire mesh to fill the area. Cut the mesh with tin snips and screw it into place with wood screws. Cover the metal mesh with brown plaster. Smooth the plaster over the mesh lower than the surrounding plaster. Allow the plaster to dry overnight then coat it with a layer of gypsum plaster. Smooth the edges over the surrounding plaster then let the material dry overnight.
3. Fill in any hairline cracks with joint compound and smooth over the areas with the putty knife. Wait for the areas to dry overnight.
4. Sand over the surface of the repaired walls with a sanding block. Keep a fan running to vent the dust outside of the home and use goggles and a dust mask to keep from breathing in the fine plaster. Wipe down the walls with a damp rag and vacuum the baseboards to clean up all of the loose plaster dust.
5. Fill in any areas where the repair needs another coat of joint compound to blend it into the rest of the wall smoothly. Apply a smooth coat then sand when dry. Clean up the walls again before painting them with primer and wall paint as you would for a dry wall surface.
Related posts
Plaster and lath walls that are damaged over a wide area may need to be completely replaced. More often, though, the damage is one small area of loose or crumbling plaster coming off the lath, whi...
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...
Plaster walls can survive centuries with the right upkeep.Plaster cracks are caused by a variety of reasons. Some of the common causes are due to seasonal moisture changes, wind, foundation moveme...
Plaster was the common wall covering until gypsum wallboard bumped it into obscurity.Plaster was once a common wall covering for homes built before World War II. Plaster walls are extremely durabl...
A hammer, crow bar and hard-working friends will all come in handy.Walk into an older home and you might notice that the walls aren't covered with drywall like today's homes. You will likely see t...
