I wanted to put new drywall on my bedroom walls but now I might have a problem

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RipTheJacker

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I took off a tiny piece of drywall in my room and behind it there seems to be tiny boards one on top of the other running horizontally. I was hoping there would be regular 2x4s holding the wall. This house is kind of old so maybe it was built differently but does this affect how I will attach drywall? I need help pleas. Thanks

and this is my first post. What's up!
 
and i only took off a piece so maybe there are 2x4s there but i have no idea
 
Picture.jpg



thats a tv cable coming out of the wall and to the right you can barely see the wooden paneling that was over the drywall.
 
Welcome RipTheJacker:
The wall is typical old fashoned lath and plaster. Yes, the little small boards are probably attached to studs maybe on 2' centers. New drywall can be applied over the old provided you shim the places where the plaster is missing to level it up. You will need to locate the studs so you can attach the new drywall to them, especially at the joints.
Thanks for the pictures and We wish you the best with the project.
Glenn
 
wow didn't expect this much help! THANKS! and if anybody has anymore input please provide it.
 
so can I just remove these boards and then attach drywall to the studs like newer houses?
 
yeah you can if you want to go to all that work. I probably would but Glenn had an idea to just overlay. if your doing exterior walls I would definitely suggest ripping it all down and re-insulating as the insulation in those old houses tends to not be the best. If you are only going to do 1 or 2 walls i would get a small hand grinder with a cutting wheel to cut the corners before you rip the plaster and lathe off so that you don't rip the plaster off of the wall that you want to save. Be sure to wear a respirator and if you are going to cut with the hand grinder using a shop vac right with it cuts down on the dust immensely.
Welcome to the forum
Justin
 
oh no i do just wanna lay dry wall over I thought if i took off these horizontal boards it would look like the structure of newer houses. So how would i go about(in detail) replacing these walls the easiest way?
 
I really need to start on this project soon since it's already getting cold in the midwest. I need all the input, advice, and instructions I can get. I still need to tear off this paneling to reveal the drywall. I could take pictures and post them if needed. How can i tell when drywall needs to be replaced and not just repaired with mud or tape? And does anyone have a link on how to put drywall on lath and plaster walls? I need as much detail in the instructions as possible. I really want to get a person to do this for me but rather not spend the money on labor. I just need them to put up the drywall. I can do the mud and tape work myself. Does anyone know how much they should charge for an average size bedroom? and all the walls wont need to be replaced and I can tell the ceiling is fine.
 
Jack, you should post a picture of what you have after you take out the paneling.
Sheetrock is easy to hang, you screw it to the studs. I would take all the plaster off, wood lath and fix or update anything you need to inside the walls.
That is all pure labor and a dust mask and dumpster.:D
Then you get to do everything right, and if you have an issue some day you are not messin around with all the stuff you buried. Besids that, going over plaster makes your trim work harder. You need to remove the baseboard and window trim to do that anyway.
Go to the library for a free book on remodeling and sheetrock, that way you know the advice is good and handy.:)
There are plenty of sites for sheetrockin, just google it.
Let us know what else you need. And remember, have some fun with the demo, I usually cut a persons lifesize cuttout into the plaster and show the customer. It always gets a chuckle.:D
 
Just a lil something more...
Use screws to fasten the drywall over plaster. Pounding in nails can loosen the old plaster and cause it to fall off in pieces behind the drywall. This will cause lumps and bumps that will make it hard to finish and generally ruin your day. The best route is to strip all of the old plaster off then drywall but if you decide to leave the plaster, Try to not disturb it any more than necessary.

Stud detectors are less effective through layers of drywall and plaster and wood lath but they still might help. The best way to locate studs is to break away the plaster near the floor a few inches wide all the way around the room and mark their location on the floor.

Like InspectorD said, You'll have to put up a lot more effort to do this right but only you can decide what's worth doing and what's best left alone.
 
So are you telling me to just remove the drywall. Then leave the lath but remove the plaster entirely? or leave the lath and leave ONLY the plaster that may be sticking out causing trouble for new drywall i might put over it?
 
If this where my house, I would remove all old drywall and plaster and wood lath to start over from scratch. This way I can see all areas to improve upon.
This is a little more labor type of work, but like I said before, you will find it easier in the long run, and you will learn plenty.
We are here to help you along when you need it, but only you get to decide what is good for you.:)
 
Was there water damage? It kind of looks like there were some watermarks. If so, I would tear it out and replace it. Just make sure you figure out where the water is coming from and fix that before you put up new drywall.
 
Good eye you have there. There is a window just above this area to the right of the pic that you can not see. And i have an AC unit in the window. It sometimes drips water so that's where that water mark is most likely from. I hope to start tearing down this drywall within the next 2 weeks and I'll try to post pictures.
 
I just got through removing the paneling. It looks like most walls possibly all will have to be redone. Some started crumbling when I removed the paneling. I'd post pics right now but all my furniture is still obstructing the view of the walls. I've gotten an estimate from a friend when he seen the walls with the paneling still on and he said that it would cost around five or six hundred dollars. I'm willing to spend this much but I would also like to do it myself and save some money. I've done some mud work with my father on drywall so I know I could definitely do that. Just looking at these walls I'm thinking I could do this myself but once I remove the drywall I might think differently. I am probably going to need insulation and I don't know how I get that behind the lath and plaster(someone tell me). I hope the insulation isn't expensive. I'm going to get a few estimates from family friends that do this type of work.
 
Hi Rip the Jacker, I have an older house too, built in 1925. I've been remodeling a room at a time and I would recommend removing all the old plaster and slat boards and starting fresh. Its hard work but its definitley worth it IMO.
 
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