How to repair plaster

[sam grey]

Hi:

A rain gutter above our bedroom window was leaking, and the water dripped behind the aluminum siding and began entering the house, right about the window. It was a slow leak so it took some time for us to realize what was happening behind the curtains, but I fixed the gutter and all is well with that; no more water coming in.

Now, however, I need to repair the water damage that occurred around the window. Mostly, it seems, the damage is cosmetic. Pictures are at:

As you can see, the plaster is cracking off. The underlying "foundation" is cracked in spots, but it is firm and dry to the touch and seems to be in good shape, overall.

I'm wondering how to go about repairing this; I've only worked with drywall before. I'd use spackling or somesuch but it seems too wide a damaged area for that sort of quick fix.

Is this merely a typical plaster job? Do I need just to remove all damaged plaster and reapply plaster to the underlying foundation? (I use "foundation" because I don't know the correct term for that grey stuff.) How do you get the final plaster surface so smooth?

Thanks for any pointers and tips. If you'd rather email than post a reply, please send it to mdestiny at comcast dot net.

Much appreciated.

[Jedd Haas]

1. Scrape off all the loose and damaged parts.
2. Fiberglass tape over all the cracks.
3. Plaster washers for any areas that have detached from the lath.
4. Quick-set compound for the first layer over the tape, bring it almost up to the final level.
5. Joint compound on top of that, smooth it out.
6. Prime and paint.

[sam grey]

many thanks for the tip!

[Jane]

HAHAHHAHHAHHA

Jane