Plaster skim coating - advice needed

[sz]

Hi all,

I recently moved into a house, built in 1897, with primarily wall-papered plaster walls. The plaster (on wood lathe) was apparently meant to be papered (not painted) as it is not very smooth. From the look of it, sand was mixed into the plaster.

I'd like to paint the walls rather than repaper them. This means, apart from some minor repairs, that I'll have to skim the entire surface of each wall to create a smoother surface. The house has no real historical value but I'd prefer to keep the look of plaster. I was leaning (based on past posts here) towards using joint compound for this but am now thinking of using some kind of plaster top-coat which, I'm told, will look better.

In my research it's become clear that skim coating is not as easy as it sounds. I'd be grateful for some advice on the materials and technique. Also, if anyone has had this done by a professional, I'd be interested in having some idea of the cost. I live in the Poughkeepsie, NY area. I'll be getting a couple of estimates but would like to have something to compare them to.

Thank! SZ

[Greg-EE]

Do your self a favor and go out and laminate / fur out your existing plaster wall with 1/8" sheet rock. You will get the walls you desire for much lees work than trying to repair the plaster. Plaster will crack over time no matter how good of a job you do.

[Bob]

Try painting a wall and see how it looks. I've added sand to plaster walls just to give them some texture for the paint. It looks better than plain flat walls.

Bob

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[Greg DeBacker]

First off, let me just say that I applaud you for keeping the plaster. Too many people give in to slapping up sheetrock rather than repairing the old plaster walls. I'm currently working on an 1895 Victorian myself. Below is a link to a sight that gives great directions for DIY plaster repair. Also, are links to 2 other sites dedicated to old homes. Great resources.

Greg

[kilerbbb]

[Doug]

[e-mail] (sz) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

[*Casey*]

Sand-finish plaster was almost never intended to be papered. It was a two-coat job, less expensive, and was probably whitewashed, if not left natural.

This does not stand to reason; in fact, the sand-finish walls can be painted as easily as white-coated walls. The will obviously have a different texture.

The house has no

The odds of a first-timer doing a decent job with white coat are low.

You'll need: Lime putty, gauging plaster, retarder, mixing board, hawk, decent trowels/floats, brushes, sponges, staging. Take care of pre-existing cracks in the substrate first. The white coat will bond to the brown coat, but maybe use a bonding agent ("Link") if the previous plaster has been painted. Casey

[sz]

Thanks everyone for your input!

I'd like to avoid going over the walls with drywall in the main rooms. This was done in the kitchen by the previous owner and the trim around the windows and doors does not look as nice when the walls are even with it. I would also have to extend all the electrical boxes. I probably will do this in a couple of closets, where it matters less and allows me to avoid extensive plaster repair.

As for the rooms, I'll do a little experimenting as suggested. The sand-finshed plaster walls have never been painted before but luckily the paper comes off very easily. I have a poor imagination when it comes to visualizing how things will look so a test patch with the existing texture is probably best. If it doesn't look good I'll try my hand at skimming in an unobtrusive area.

So many projects, so litle time! When the house is finally ready I'll either be a pro at DIY projects or ready for some new construction (which has it's own problems of course)!

Just in case, I've also started looking for local contractors to get estimates for professional skim-coating. :-)

Thanks again!

SZ

[Greg DeBacker]

I would respectfully disagree with almost everything you said. The amount of work and cost to rip out all of the old plaster and put up sheetrock does not seem to be reasonable. As for repairs to plaster not lasting maybe it was shoddy workmanship that caused this. I know several people who have repaired plaster walls with great success and I live in earthquake country. These repairs still look great years later. When keys break and the plaster separates from the lathe you can use plaster washers (aka ceiling buttons) and or adhesives to reattach it to the lathe. As for wiring, you can easily fish new wires behind walls with out destroying plaster. Plumbing will only be a few a places in the house so you may need to open up a few small places in the walls to upgrade but this is easily repaired or will most likly be behind cabinets and appliances. Save and repair the old plaster. It is a part of what makes an old house charming.

Greg

[p-j]

Don't forget that the walls will have to be furred out and even then there can be a lot of work necessary to make the walls even enough for a good drywall job.