Plaster Walls?
Question:My husband and I purchased an older charming home with 5 bedrooms. Most rooms still have plaster walls, which I have discovered I hate. A few of the walls that face outside started getting this weird damp feeling and started bubbling. We thought the roof might be leaking into the walls and causing the plaster to get damp. Now that we fixed the leakiness (we sealed the roof and cleaned the gutters and culked our brick) we want to fix the plaster walls that have gotten funky. Is there anyway to fix it--- how hard would it be to cut out plaster and put in drywall? My husband thinks the plaster is right on the exterior brick wall that is also support brick (?). Any ideas?
Answers:
Removing the plaster is hard, dirty work but it is not beyond the scope of something a homeowner can handle. Prepare for the dirt -- seal the room off and cover carpet. If the plaster is directly on the brick, I would take the loose pieces off and leave the rest, as you really should put up furring strips (pressure treated) with masonry screws before you put up drywall. You need to fasten to the brick -- if you just fasten to the plaster more could come loose and take your new drywall with it. It is difficult to fasten drywall directly to brick, and even the slightest amount of moisture will come through.
If you find that you already have wood studs inside the brick, the plaster will be attached to wood lath. Once you get started you can remove the lath starting at the top and working down with a pry bar fairly quickly. New drywall can go directly on the studs.
A cheap job is to install 3/8" drywall right over the plaster
okay, so you pretty much have 3 choices. one is to cover it up with drywall. notice i said cover it up. there is really no reason to remove it, especially if it is right on the brick. you'll just exhaust yourself. the second is to remove damaged areas and patch with plaster patch. plaster patch is a little goofy to work with though. the 3rd choice (and my favorite) would be to oil seal the walls after scraping any loose material, and then use joint compound to smooth out any holes. i would go into more detail but i have to go, good luck!
You can actually sand the plaster walls to a smoother finish and cover completely with sheets of drywall...this is the most economical, as well as time efficient, way of getting rid of the plaster. Attach the drywall sheets to the studs using longer drywall screws to go through the plaster, tape the seams connecting the sheets together, use drywall mud to cover your seams, sand and paint!! Just make sure the plaster is completely dried out from the leaks as it will allow mold and mildew to fester if it is not dried before sealing it off. Just to be sure - before you put the drywall over the plaster - paint the plaster with Kilz - a mold/mildew inhibitor to block it from coming through the drywall.
Plaster is almost always attached to some type of wooden lathe to hold it. If you choose to go the route of taking the plaster down and putting drywall up that's fine. Just be aware that when you have a joint where drywall and plaster butt together you will more than likely have a thickness issue to deal with.
regards,
Indy
using a hole saw, drill a small observation hole in the wall. see if there is studs or directly attached to the exterior brick. you will go through approximately 1/2" plaster and 1/4" of lath before you get through the wall. if the wall framing is there you can remove and replace the plaster wall with gyp board. if your house is old (sounds like it) you will probably find the studs are full dimension (2"x 4" not 1-1/2"x3-1/2") spaced 24" on centers. you will need 5/8" gyp. board to span 24" for ceilings. consider greenboard if you are experiencing moisture in the wall.. but most importantly, insulate the wall cavity with insulation before you cover the wall.
BE ADVISED, if you add gyp board to the plaster you windows and door trim will need to be reset.
as long as the main cause ie: water leak is fixed ( repointing is my option rather than caulking brickwork) u need to remove old horsehair plaster and wood lathes that hav got wet..make sure u hav a mask on for this part its a horrible dust to breathe in...treat damp wood with suitible sealer then i would use a foil back plasterboard then carlite bond(mixed to a thick creamy consistency) and using a straight edge that is wide enough to overlap onto old plaster screed off bonding as best u can..im only saying this way as plastering is not the kind of job any novice can try lol..u may hav to screed over a few times till u see its pretty well level..dont worry bout getting perfect as this is just a base for finish coat..wen dry u need to mix pva 1 part to 2 part water and brush onto bonding..now get to diy store and get some easy sand filler mix up as creamy as u can get it and using a scraper go over bonding ull see it fill up surface easy enough let it dry then sand ull b surprised how well itll turn out..failing that call me and ill come plaster it properly lol
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