The plaster tag has no wiki summary.
15
votes
2answers
403 views
1lb of cure is worth 10 tons of mold: DIY repair of a poorly sealed window? lots of photos herein
Preface
I live in China. Construction is largely handled by unskilled migrants, and one cannot just call up a specialist contractor to fix a major issue.
Problem
I've got a window that was not ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I fill holes around a light switch?
I have a light switch where the plaster board around the edges of the face plate have broken away.
I was thinking of using some kind of filler like Polycell to fill the holes but I'm not really ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
Can I drywall over plaster
I live in an old house with horsehair plaster walls. One of the walls in my living room has a large crack running the length of the wall. It appeared after someone sat on the sofa with a little too ...
6
votes
3answers
424 views
What tool and technique do I use to achieve this finish in plaster?
Our shed (in Switzerland) has an outdoor wall that is finished with plaster texture called crépi here which Google translates as roughcast. The plasterer here says it is impossible to replicate today. ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
How can I remove old paint from plaster walls?
I first stripped the wallpaper from my bedroom walls using a steam stripper and scraper.
This revealed a lurid pink paint on the walls and a peculiar purple ceiling paint which came off in sheets like ...
6
votes
3answers
458 views
What is the best way to patch 3" holes in plaster
I have a number of ~3" holes in my plaster from where my walls were filled with insulation. (Why did they drill a 3" hole? I have no idea).
Obviously I would like to fill these holes in, but they ...
6
votes
3answers
482 views
Is there an easy way to make a square hole in plaster/brick to put an electrical outlet box in?
I am about to fix a few new sockets, I can run the cables down the back of some built in cupboards, but would rather not use surface mounted sockets.
I do not have a SDS drill, just a standard ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I tell if I have rock or wood lath plaster, and is there a difference when repairing cracks and peeling/flaking?
My wife and I are repainting our attic and aren't sure how best to proceed with fixing the wall cracks. We have several different kinds of problems: long parallel cracks set a couple feet apart, and ...
6
votes
1answer
412 views
Can I install drywall on the ceiling, without removing crown molding?
I'm in the process of replacing a failing plaster ceiling in my finished basement with drywall. I originally had intended only to scrape down the popcorn finish and have it skim coated, so I did not ...
5
votes
3answers
183 views
How can I tell if the sagging in my plaster ceiling is getting worse?
We moved into an old house, and one room still has the original 1890 horsehair lathed plaster all over. On the walls it's the consistency of sawdust held in place by a layer of paint. On the ceiling ...
5
votes
2answers
392 views
Is it possible to hang something on the wall surrounding my chimney?
My chimney runs up the center of the house from the basement. Where it passes through the kitchen, there is an obvious bulge in the wall where the wall basically wraps around the chimney. Based on the ...
5
votes
1answer
162 views
Is it possible to earthquake-proof furniture when you have plaster walls?
Is it possible to earthquake-proof furniture (e.g. tall bookshelves) when you have plaster walls?
I was dissuaded from attaching to studs by an employee at a local hardware shop, while at the same ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I estimate the maximum load on shelves on a plasterboard wall? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How much weight can you mount to a wall?
(Apologies for asking here whilst not a serious DIYer, but as a Stack Overflow user it seemed like the obvious place!)
I would ...
5
votes
2answers
4k views
Painting over old plaster
We have just peeled off some old paintwork from our walls.
The wall is dry and the plaster looks in good shape for the most part but it is old and "dusty" - i.e. you can rub your hand over it and it ...
5
votes
1answer
335 views
How can I refinish an interior chimney pipe to make it appear rounded?
Right now my interior chimney pipe is hidden behind a wall and I want to remove that wall and expose the pipe, but the pipe itself is not so pretty.
My fireplace is a wood fireplace with a double ...
5
votes
2answers
231 views
Should I fix my swimming pool with plaster or a clorinated rubber?
I have below ground swimming pool. The plaster is cracking and pealing off. I need to apply new plaster or another type of coating. I am wondering whether it would be easier to apply a coating of ...
4
votes
2answers
357 views
How to re-anchor banister to plaster wall?
So the banister holders are in plaster, and it's pretty crumbly. We removed the wooden rail, but the anchors are in no way attached to the wall soundly. How can I make this secure again?
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Should I sand each layer of mud when joining drywall?
I'm plastering my first drywall and have been given advice from a friend who as done it a few times before. He believes I should not sand down the mud (a.k.a. jointing compound) between coats, but I ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
What's behind the hard plaster walls?
Most of the walls in the old part of my house are plaster. Hard, nasty, amazingly solid plaster. While this is nice in some areas, there's others that it's rather annoying -- such as on the stairs ...
4
votes
1answer
694 views
What is the main difference between stopping and skimming when plastering and when to use each
Back in Australia I worked with some plasterers. The process involved hanging plaster boards to the frame and then stopping. Stopping involved appling a compound (setting base coat and drying top ...
4
votes
1answer
808 views
How to seal and paint a rough plaster and brick wall?
This weekend I took down some old cabinets and the support boards that were nailed into the wall. This took down some of the plaster (old water damage took care of the rest). The surface on the photo ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Should I replace or patch a plaster ceiling?
My house is about 109 years old, excellent condition, other than cracking in the plaster ceilings. I've had one 3x3 section even fall out in my dining room. I want to replace the ceiling in the ...
3
votes
1answer
156 views
What considerations do I need to make when mounting heavy objects on plaster walls?
I have just moved into an old apartment in Brooklyn. The landlord has warned us that all the walls are plaster with wood framing. I have not dealt with this type of wall before. I would like to hang ...
3
votes
2answers
173 views
Can drywall with ripped paper be repaired?
I damaged some drywall when doing demo in a bathroom. Some of the paint peeled back and exposed the paper, which ripped off of the drywall. Can I do a thin coat and sand? please help, already ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Should I be concerned about the repair to a ceiling after water damage?
We're in the middle floors of an apartment building and have had some damage done to our bathroom ceiling around the manhole due to some leaking pipes (minor rupture so there was a bit of water).
The ...
3
votes
2answers
312 views
Can drywall harden or become brittle over time? Or, am I dealing with plaster?
I was in the process if hanging curtains and when I was putting the drywall mounts into the wall the drywall was extremely hard and just crumbled. Once the drywall mount hit a certain depth it just ...
3
votes
1answer
139 views
How could I fix up some old plaster
I'm in a house where the plaster was done in an old style. Not lath-and-plaster as one of the tags suggests but simply plaster mixed in with hay or something fibrous on top of brick.
With the ...
3
votes
2answers
321 views
How can I build a support onto a stud in order to support a handrail?
I need to repair a stair handrail that has come out of my plaster wall. One end of the rail was not connected to a stud, so has come lose. It is a nice railing, so I would prefer not to buy a new ...
3
votes
1answer
165 views
Do I really need to wait a month before applying primer to plaster?
I've recently removed wallpaper and now I've gone through and plastered over some bad spots on the wall. I've already sanded it down and it's ready for primer. However, when reading the instructions ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Why is there cracked paint on my new plaster?
I've just finished a renovation of my house. In the new half of the house, we have had problems with the paint on our cornices cracking. The cornices were brand new when installed, this was done ...
3
votes
1answer
42 views
Can I mix joint compounds with different setting times to get a custom setting time?
I'm currently skim coating some really bad looking walls and my 45 minute joint compound is setting too fast for me to get a nice finish.
Can I mix the remainder of my 45 minute Joint Compound with ...
3
votes
1answer
3k views
How do I repair cracks in a plaster ceiling?
I have a bungalow house built in the early 1930's. It is in remarkable condition and has been well maintained. In the last few weeks a few cracks have shown up in the ceiling. There is an upstairs ...
3
votes
2answers
707 views
When do plaster cracks get bad enough to have an expert look at them
Jumping off from Plaster cracks beneath window sills question, and the calm/collected answers therein.
When (if ever) should I be concerned about the absolute number of cracks around doors and ...
3
votes
1answer
372 views
What should I use to prime an old plaster wall before skim-coating with new plaster?
Should I use oil-based primer on an old plaster wall (as a bonding agent) before skim-coating new plaster over it?
3
votes
2answers
122 views
What should I do to make good on some lightly water damaged plaster?
When we moved in to our house (an early 1970s build in the UK) we noticed some damage to the plaster above a window; the surface was uneven and some was loose. It appeared dry so the surveyors and ...
3
votes
2answers
323 views
Settlement crack - is this one?
Presently disagreeing with a letting agent responsible for a property I recently moved out of over a large wall crack. This crack was there (albeit smaller) when we took residence, and it has become ...
2
votes
2answers
343 views
How do I cover up small holes in plaster ceiling?
I accidentally punched these on the ceiling while moving stuff around. They're around half a centimeter in diameter, and the ceiling seems to be plaster.
How can I mask/cover these up the most ...
2
votes
1answer
101 views
How to even a damp wall?
As a result of a gutter issue outside my house, the wall next to the main door is falling into pieces :
How to make it even before putting new wallpaper ?
2
votes
2answers
6k views
What's the best method and product to use for patching cracks in plaster walls?
I have a 100+ year old house and while it's quite structurally sound there's been some settling over the years, leading to small cracks in the old plaster around the house.
I hired a professional to ...
2
votes
1answer
642 views
Mudding over plaster walls with pre-mixed joint compound
I just read a blog stating that pre-mixed joint compound should not be put over pre-existing plaster walls. Why? What is the best product to use?
2
votes
1answer
69 views
How can I hang a heavy mirrored bathroom cabinet?
I purchased a bathroom cabinet today that is 1200 mm wide, by 750 mm tall, and 150 mm deep. When I brought it home, I discovered it weighed nearly 40 kg (88 pound) empty.
I was told that I could use ...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
How do I tape a joint between drywall and plaster?
I have old old plaster (on lath) bordering new drywall. Is it better to use mesh tape or just paper?
2
votes
1answer
324 views
Can we use both caulk and Durabond to fill in hairline cracks in old plaster walls?
Our end goal is to mud over the existing plaster walls/texture to create a smooth finish. Before this we want to repair several hairline cracks to prevent them from recurring. After scraping open the ...
2
votes
1answer
391 views
How can I damp proof this wall?
I have stripped plaster from our dining room walls to reveal the brickwork in preparation for plasterboard and skimming. The room features one main exterior wall and an adjoining wall. Prior to ...
2
votes
1answer
444 views
How do I repair crumbling wall plaster?
I found this in a closet behind something that a previous owner had nailed into a wall. It's inside a closet, so it doesn't have to look pretty, I just don't want it to keep crumbling. I was going ...
2
votes
2answers
326 views
What is an appropriate sealer for a Papercrete bench?
I've built a bench out of tires and papercrete two years ago. i've sealed it with lime plaster. in the past two years it held up against 500 m"m of rain in the winter and Mediterranean sun 7 month ...
2
votes
0answers
153 views
is there a sandable compound I can use for a final skim coat over StructoLite plaster?
I had to rip out a 4' x 6' section of ceiling and wall to make a plumbing repair on our house. The original walls were 1940s era gypsum board reinforced at changes-of-plane with metal lath.
Some ...
1
vote
3answers
194 views
Will plaster on basement walls and ceiling provide insulation?
My basement's insides are completely unfinished. It has bare brick walls and bare concrete beams-vaults as the ceiling. I though of coating the walls and the ceiling with 2 inch thick plaster with the ...
1
vote
2answers
586 views
How do I cut an access panel in an inside wall?
I have a home theatre and I need to run some cables from the floor through to the roof.
My original plan was to drill from the roof down through the beams and then cut a small hole at the bottom ...
1
vote
4answers
361 views
How do I hang a pot rack in a plaster ceiling?
I am trying to hang a pot rack, and my house is all plaster walls. I have an electronic stud finder but the places it is telling me that studs exist don't seem to be correct - test nails have gone ...
