Before I start getting bids on a home project I wanted to get the opinion of the group.
When putting rock over plaster is there anything I should be aware of that could make the job harder or not as smooth? Should firring strips be used on the plaster prior to the rock being placed?
TIA
First a couple of questions... How bad a shape is the plaster you plan on going over? Is it falling off the walls and ceiling? Places where the plaster has fallen off ? Loose lathes? Ect??? One thing to remember that almost all homeowners don't realize is you will lose most of your reveal on your window trim , door trim and crown molding ,ect. and will need to move outlet boxes and light fixtures out 1/2 inch. Although messy it's best to remove plaster especially on the ceiling . All that old plaster weighs ALOT and you can NEVER get the sheetrock to suck the old plaster back up on the ceiling. The sags will remain. Removing it gives you a chance to insulate and upgrade wiring as well which is USUALLY what I recomend unless it is in good shape than I recommend repairing plaster with buttons and Durabond and skimming walls-ceilings with Joint Compound. Pictures would help...
One thing I forgot to mention. Old house, built in 1933, only 780 sq.ft. Solid redwood throughout. Came through the Loma Preata earthquake with just a few cracks in the plaster.
85% of the plaster is ok, just minor cracks that can be fixed easily. One room has some sagging plaster (about 2' square) from an old leaky roof (now fixed). Also has popcorn on the roof.I plan on removing all the trim around the doors and windows anyway, and installing crown moulding (none now).
Insulating is not an issue nor is electrical which was done a couple of years ago.
I remember what a mess it was when my kitchen and bathroom were remodled and they did remove all the old lath and plaster.
All in all, I would say that the plaster is in good shape so maybe i'm better off just haveing it repaired and then painted.
Thanks for your valuable input. Appreciate it.
Repair cracks with Plaster Buttons and 2 inch drywall screws into studs not just the lathes.. Use Sheetrock Brand Durabond and either paper tape or mesh tape. I like paper as it covers easier. Skimcoat the walls with a couple of coats of joint compound then sand it. Use Binz-Kilz primer on any yellowing. or water stains that bleed through mud and then prime everything.
That ceiling spot that's sagging will need to be cut out square and patched with 3/8 drywall.Tape with Durabond and finish with joint compound. If it were me I would scrape all that popcorn off and skimcoat ceilings with joint compound as it will be impossible to hide the patch otherwise. Good Luck with your project...
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Great. Thanks a lot. I think you have answereed the questions I needed.
Maybe the best idea of them all...
Here's an alternate suggestion on how to do the repairs: don't skim coat with joint compound. IMHO, one of the benefits of plaster is that it is harder than drywall and joint compound.
For linear cracks in plaster, gouge them out a little to remove any loose materials and provide a key for the repair. Dampen the edges of the crack and fill it with a finish or topcoat plaster such as a veneer plaster. For really large cracks, first fill the bulk with an aggregated plaster, e.g. a perlited plaster like Struct-o-Lite, then apply a thin layer of topcoat plaster.
For delaminated sections, if you have access to the backside, you can use an adhesive to readhere the plaster to the lath, and then repair any cracks as above. Otherwise, for small sections (a few square feet), you could remove the delaminated plaster leaving the lath, apply a basecoat of the Struct-o-Lite to the lath, and then topcoat. For larger repairs, remove the plaster and lath, fur out the walls to within 5/8" of the finish surface, apply 1/2" veneer plasterboard base (blueboard), and then apply an 1/8" layer of veneer plaster, feathering it out to meet the surrounding area.
Cheers, Wayne
Instead of drywall you should use plaster board.
I wonder why I always make my life so difficult. I thought wisdom came with age...guess not
jacksf wrote in news:pb18i.7234$C96.5280 @newssvr23.news.prodigy.net:
Wisdom comes from experience. Experience *may* come with age...
Not a plasterer but I thought new plaster wouldn't bond to old plaster without first applying a bonding agent. Plaster is twice as messy and twice as expensive but will also work.
Bullshit. Plaster is not "twice as messy and twice as expensive". There is far less, if any sanding required with plaster and in my area plaster runs about 15% more than drywall. IMO it's a much better finished product and well worth the extra cost.
Really??? Ever hear of a Portercable Drywall Powersander with tool activated Portercable Shopvac? Gets about 90% of dust. Been using them for 5 years. Welcome to the 21st century... Only have to sand 1/2 inch of the inside corners. Very little dust. Plaster on the other hand is VERY messy to mix and washing mixing barrel and tools is messy as well... Ever TRY to scrape plaster off ANYTHING???? Good luck with that. LOL ...The price of plaster is about double around here.(Coastal Maine). A gallon of Bonding Agent is 80 bucks or more and ALL the walls and ceilings will need to rolled with it before any plastering can start. Plaster also takes longer to do and you have to wait till it cures which is up to 3 weeks depending on location in the house and time of year before you can paint it. Joint compound can be painted as soon as it is sanded allowing painters to start painting as soon as a couple of rooms are done. Plaster done right (basecoat and finishcoat) is a better finished product especially in new construction but the thread was about fixing a few cracks and skimcoating OLD walls and ceilings and in my opinion the method I described is the best choice for this job. I have NOTHING against plaster. The company I work for does BOTH.
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