Oilcan

I have a Craftsman home built in 1907 and could use some advice. Like for example: I just leveled my home and repaired the foundation but there are cracks all over my lath and plaster. Actually, more than just cracks. Whole areas that the plaster just fell off.

My first question is probably really dumb but on these houses that have lath and plaster...is that just regular plaster? Or is there some kind of special wall plaster?

Anyway, hello to everyone. I'm a sculptor in Los Angeles and I've worked as a set carpenter, cabinet maker and metal fabricator.

oc

inspectorD

There is no easy fix for old wood and plaster lathe problems....sorry. The easiest thing for the damaged areas is to cut them out as gingrley as possible and add some nailers for new rockboard ....for your new plaster.
The issue is how bad the lathe is...

There is also the demo option with updated everything.

sorry...I wish it was easy.

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glennjanie

Or take all the plaster and lath out and install gypsum wallboard (Sheet-Rock). A good finish on that and it will look just as good as plaster.
You may find there is no insulation in the wall; this would be a good time to re-wire and insulate.
Glenn

Oilcan

ugh..yeah, I was afraid of that. My wife keeps telling me just to put sheet rock up but that makes me...you know...stubborn. I think I'll take a crack at replastering before I go with sheetrock. There are few areas where the house was redone with drywall but in this particular area (dining room) previous owners have really tried to restore it back to its original design and materials.

thanks again

glennjanie

O K, going back with plaster is a nice adventure for you. They used a 'scratch' coat and a thin finish coat (finer sand and whiter finish). You can pick them up at the big box store or a specialty building supply house.
I admire your tenacity and wish you the best.
Glenn

Oilcan

Ahh, scratch coat. That was the phrase I was trying to think of.

Thanks again.

tyanny

Actually I saw a neat program on last night on Thisoldhouse I think, anyway PBS about a new adhesive solution for large areas of plaster which had cracked and separated from the wood lath. It involved drilling through the plaster at various points along the lath, injecting the special adhesive, using pressure umbrella head temporary nails to pull the plaster sections in.... a whole system. You might check their website for details. I had previously just torn off whole areas and tried to match the sections, but that was much harder.

Of course where whole sections have already fallen out, the sheetrock option sounds more attractive.