NEED HELP with plaster walls
Our home was built in 1902, and we are remodeling one of the bedrooms which seemed simple enough. But we tore down the wallpaper and found not one, but several layers of wallpaper, and a brittle plaster wall underneath. We tore off as many layers as we could, and sanded the walls to try and make them smooth, but to our dismay, the walls just keep peeling. We also found a huge hole in the ceiling, and giant cracks in the wall. The third picture shows after we tried sanding, we primed the wall, but as you can see, it just peels and peels.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to successfully prepare my walls for painting, how to plaster, or maybe has some experience re-doing a century home?
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to successfully prepare my walls for painting, how to plaster, or maybe has some experience re-doing a century home?
| Share: |
|
More Discussions
For the smaller imperfections hire a plasterer to refinish, if possible. Next option:
smooth, patch and skim coat the entire surface with drywall compound. You might need to apply the first coat using a 45 or 60 minute mix since this will hold up better than a pre-mixed compound. For the major work (such as the ceiling), attach a layer of new drywall, screw through into the studs, tape and finish.
Randy
Here we have a home built in the 1880's and the homeowner has had to do all those upgrades you mention (he had the old knob and tube electrical, plumbing, etc.) to bring his home up to code but his is a whole house remodel. We will be on the project for him but it has definitely changed the pace of the job, which we understand and are working with him as he has us coming in for a little of the work at a time now. But it is worth it to us to see the home being brought back to a better than original condition!
In my area, part of the problem with the older homes is that they are so much cheaper than the newer properties. Buyers with limited budgets buy an older home to get the space they want and then don't have the funds to fix them correctly - or even to patch them adequately.
If the plaster is still solid, just with a few cracks, you can use plaster washers to reattach it to the lathe. I've also seen a synthetic fabric mesh that is adhered to the surface with an epoxy. I've not used either of those products, but would love to hear from anyone who has actually used either. Removing plaster and lathe is an ugly, dirty job but once that plaster really starts to crumble, there's no other valid option. If you pull off the trim and remove the plaster, consider leaving the lathe. Most people remove the lathe, replace with half inch drywall and then are stuck trying to figure out how to put the trim back up when all the baseboards and crown are now too short for the longer walls.
In my area, if you don't remove the lathe from the walls, you aren't required to bring the electrical up to code. Not saying that's a good idea! but if you're just working on a single limited area you might be able to wait on the electrical work until you're doing a more major rehab. Even if you don't have the funds available to do the work, call in an electrician now to find out what needs to be done. Look carefully and ask lots of questions as finding a good old house electrician is more difficult than just checking for a license. I suggest checking with your local historic preservation group or other old house lovers for names as you'll need someone who loves old houses. From a work perspective, historic houses are a passionate subject - you either love them or you hate them!
We've not used the washers, we do try to leave as much of the original plaster in place as possible, repairing damaged lath as necessary but we prefer to remove plaster if it is damaged or sketchy rather than anchoring it. I've left out steps that we would take in our process but hopefully I've given Ms. Potter a better idea of things that she can do in her old home. SInce she is only talking about working in a bedroom, she does have the option of not addressing electrical & plumbing issues but sooner or later they will need to be addressed. I recommend sooner rather than later...
We had to go into a home built in the 1920's that had fire damage due to the knob & tube wiring. For us this was a wonderful project as the homeowner wanted it done the old way, the right way. They ended up having us re-plaster the entire home, removing all plaster back to the original wood lath; their personal preference. We replicated all the cove ceilings the home had, we're very proud of that project.
Aniluap2,
Wallpaper does hide a multitude of sins, doesn't it? yes, cracks can be opened and repaired, then depending upon the amount of them we would recommend a skim coat over those repairs but agree with you completely, the repairs must be made first. Sorry to hear about your friend's trouble with the pipes.
As I mentioned, the best option for Ms. Potter, if she doesn't want to tackle this alone is to find an old plasterer or generation plasterer to work with her (guys that work only with stucco often times don't have the necessary knowledge to work on older homes), especially if it is a smaller project; there is nothing plasterers like more than educating homeowners and showing off our talents. Just hoping to keep the plaster in her home.
I've really enjoyed speaking with each of you today, you've really made the time spent working on plans that much more enjoyable! Thank you.
Randy