An old-fashioned plaster ceiling can be a long lived and beautiful thing or it can look like a train wreck depending on how your old house has been treated over the years. The reasons to keep your plaster are numerous and may surprise you. Over time everything needs a little maintenance and that includes plaster […]
Lath and plaster walls are a part of life in an old house. Depending on your situation they can be both beautiful and annoying. Plaster was used for centuries as a wall covering and it wasn’t until the mid-1940s that it began to be replaced in favor of newer and faster option, drywall. Whether it […]
Plaster is one of my favorite features in an old house and one that is easily overlooked. After all, how much do you really notice a wall or ceiling unless something is wrong with it. That being said, I think I can convince you to keep your plaster. You may notice cracks in you old […]
I posted a while back about my aversion to drywall and how I feel it has absolutely no place in an old house. I mentioned a technique that my company uses called ‘Modern Plaster’ to repair and re-coat old plaster walls and new sheetrock to make them look and perform like a brand new old […]
After a century or so, plaster walls and ceilings can develop a variety of problems from neglect or abuse. Your plaster can tell you a ton about issues that may be developing around your house if you know how to listen to what it is saying. In this post, I’ll show you how to diagnose […]
A lot of folks confuse plaster and stucco in old houses. While they are similar in a lot of ways, they are different enough that understanding when and where to use them, especially in renovations, is imperative. Their differences are not readily apparent to the naked eye. Plaster and stucco can both be applied much […]
Most of the handy devices for hanging things on our walls were designed for drywall, not plaster. Everything from how to find a stud in plaster walls to what type of fasteners your should use is different. Everyone wants to decorate their walls, so learning how to hang things on plaster walls is important for every homeowner […]
I’ve written about repairing plaster walls before, but sometimes there are sections of plaster that have been removed or are missing and you need to fill in the gaps. I’ll show you how to easily fill in these missing sections. This repair also works on drywall for all you new house folks too. When you […]
Yes, there are times when you need to cut a hole in a plaster wall. And before you do it wrong and knock big chunks of plaster from your walls or ceilings, I thought I’d give you some tips on how to cut plaster walls the right way. I see tragically destroyed original plaster walls […]
This week’s Ask The Craftsman question comes from Phil. “To repair a damaged wall [drywall] seems so out of place, but hiring a plasterer to do lath and plaster is way too high a cost. Is there an in-between solution?” There definitely is an in-between solution Phil and it’s called veneer plaster. A veneer plaster wall […]
If you own an old house with plaster and lath walls, you may have discovered how utterly useless a stud finder can be. Most smaller items can be hung pretty securely anywhere on the wall by screwing into the wood lath, but for heavy things that weight more than 10-15 lbs, like large mirrors and […]
Plaster walls are some of the most misunderstood parts of an old home. And many homeowners are quick to tear them down and put up drywall. But replacing plaster walls with drywall is not only a major mess and expense, but it also destroys the character of your home. Each plaster wall is unique. You […]
