The LR ceiling has a crack and a section is looking a bit saggy so we need to have the plaster either repaired or replaced. I haven't had any luck getting a plaster person out to look at it. My usual contractor says he can screw something - drywall maybe (although it may be plywood and then drywall - it's been awhile and I forget) - into the plaster and that would resolve the issue.
The LR has high ceilings so we can afford to lose a couple inches. Just not sure which is the right way to go.
Also, there are two patches on a wall that need to be replaced. When we bought this place our realtor said he had a similar house and replaced the plaster with drywall. Not sure if we should do that with the walls too - they have a lot of character to them and need to be skimmed. At the time we purchased it, I was fine with the plaster but if I have to have it repaired I'm not sure which route to go.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Sept 6, 2016 13:29:46 GMT -5
There are plaster anchors repair washers that are essentially large perforated washers with a screw in the middle that you screw into the lath (the wood that the plaster is adhered to) all along the length of the crack & sagging area, then you plaster over the crack and the anchors.
OR you could put a thin veneer (1/4" would do it) of drywall over the entire ceiling, which would solve the problem more or less entirely. Unless you want to keep the integrity of the plaster.
Edited to fix the terminology anchor vs repair washer so you could google the right thing.
Post by bunnymendelbaum on Sept 6, 2016 13:33:17 GMT -5
We did a mix on our current house. Some ceilings, we completely removed the plaster and installed new drywall. Some ceilings we put new lightweight drywall over the existing plaster. Same with the walls except in some cases the walls we just had them skimmed, but some got new drywall, some drywall over existing plaster.
Something to consider is that if you put new drywall over existing plaster, it interferes with door casings, baseboards and ceiling molding/medallions if you have any. (Because you are added depth)
If there is a big area sagging, then repairing plaster will be difficult. BUT not like either of the other 2 options are that easy. If you tear it out and do new drywall, it is hard to get it level. (Because the original ceiling joists are not as level as they are in new modern construction because plaster can vary in thickness to make up for the un-level joists. Does that make sense?)
We've also done a mix of repairing and replacing our plaster walls and ceilings. In the bathrooms which had a lot of moisture infiltration, we put very thin drywall over the lath. In the kitchen where we added recessed lighting, we removed the whole ceiling and put in regular drywall. Anything with just some cracks or bubbled areas we knocked out with a hammer and re-plastered. We've kept the plaster on the walls as much as possible to preserve the historic nature of the house, but ceilings we're less likely to keep.
I would not just cover it with drywall. The plaster is very heavy and it'll put too much pressure on the drywall as it continues to separate with the lathe over time. I'd take it down the plaster (you can leave the lathe if you want) and replace with drywall or try to repair it.
The repair process that we've done is kind of tedious, but has been successful on the walls and successful on cracks in the ceiling and sagging only around cracks, but if it's an entire section with cracks all around it we haven't had much success fixing those. For the large areas, we took out the plaster and screwed drywall that was close to or the same thickness as the plaster directly to the lathe and skim coated over the top so it is even.
Re: repairs, there are some pics in this post: pandce.proboards.com/post/3381279/thread You can google Big Wally's Plaster Magic for the process, but we did it for a fraction of the cost with a spray bottle of water, liquid nails, drywall screws, insulation foam sheeting, and washers. The process is: -Screw a bunch of holes in the plaster -Spray some water in the holes and let it sit for a few minutes -Squirt liquid nails in all the holes -Screw washers in to suck the plaster back onto the lathe -Let dry a good long while so the liquid nails holds the plaster -Remove all the screws -Plaster the holes and skim coat The house is 150 years old so we were going for "good enough" not "perfect" and we were happy with our results.
We've done a mix in our house, but I don't like mixing within rooms. I'm a bit of a plaster purist and really prefer it, but we did end up doing drywall in bedrooms partially due to cost and partially because they were going to be kids rooms and I wanted to be able to move around nail holes and artwork easily where as downstairs that stuff is likely to stay the same for a pretty long time.
For the ceiling, I would be mindful of the weight as pps have suggested. Our plasterer has used plasterboard (which is very similar to drywall, but designed for plaster work) and put that in and skimmed over. This also works well for areas that have a pretty large spot that needs to be patched in. For cracks, they need to be cut open to be filled. Using joint compound is not ideal for a long term repair on plaster because it has a totally different weight and adherence and won't last as long. But it all depends on what you're going for and how much you care.
Thanks all! I am worried about the weight. It's an odd room. It was originally two rooms but long before we owned the house a wall was removed to make a very large living room. My H and I had a plaster ceiling collapse on us in an old rental so we are probably a bit more fretful about the potential for another collapse. Luckily there's only one spot where ceiling height would impact trip work and that spot isn't too noticeable.