Questions tagged [lath-and-plaster]
or "plaster and lath" is an old fashioned technique for finishing interior walls. It consists of horizontal strips of wood (the laths) nailed to the stud work and then that is plastered.
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What is the layer on my wall and peels off when wet and how do I fix/replace it?
I was about to re-paint the ceiling of my closet. I am not sure when this was done the last time but the structure itself is lath & plaster from 1929.
After putting on some paint, it seems one ...
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What style of home and type of construction is my home built in 1900 in Georgia, USA?
Just purchased this home this year, it was built in 1900 and is Northwest of Atlanta, GA. The real estate and hazard insurance companies considered it a "wood frame," but upon trying to ...
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Anyone know what this metal lath looking thing is?
Demoing a wall and discovered this behind the plaster walls. Looks like it was used instead of wood lath to hold the plaster. Behind it is ductwork for a vent upstairs. Anyone know what this is?
https:...
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No frills repair of a Lath & Plaster hole?
I cut a piece of the ceiling out in my (small) closet for electrical work. Since I was already at it, I installed a box for a closet light as well.
This shows the closet ceiling with the hole with 0.5%...
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Is this wall plaster or drywall, or some other material? [duplicate]
This is an interior wall in a bedroom closet in a house built in 1940 in the northeastern US. I suspect that the material is not typical drywall from other experience hanging things on other walls in ...
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Re-painting 1903 Lath and Plaster Walls: Advice on next steps [closed]
I'm working on repainting and decorating an old home I just bought, built in 1903. I've removed the most recent layer of paint and three layers of wallpaper that were put in 20, 50 and ? years ago to ...
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Are these old plaster walls repairable?
Previous home owner had installed a tile backsplash over countertop, along with installing tile along the entirety of the lower half of a wall that was made from plaster lath.
When removing the tile, ...
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Cut hole for light switch into lath & plaster. How to stabilize loose lath?
I have cut a hole into an old lath-and-plaster wall for an electrical switch.
I used a drill, followed by a drywall saw. Despite being very slow and careful, the lath is now loose from the plaster. ...
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Replacing an old damaged lath and plaster wall and found wood plank walls under it. What type of vapor barrier is needed and how should it be applied?
We purchased an old house (1900s) that has lath and plaster walls. One of the interior faces of an exterior wall was badly damaged and the lath and plaster had to be removed. Under the lath and ...
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Is it mold underneath my plaster wall?
I wanted to remove wallpaper from older home with horsehair plaster. I started feeling to see what’s underneath. It looks like specks but not sure what it is. Picture attached. Thanks!!
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Hanging bookshelves on plaster and lath with wall anchors
Yesterday, I hung two 4ft 1in x 8in red oak bookshelves on my plaster and lath walls and I want to make sure they’re anchored enough since I wasn’t able to hit studs. I tried using a magnet to find ...
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Reframing after taking down Lath and Plaster
hoping someone can help.Our lath and plaster walls have many cracks and some bulges.We need to rewire house and are thinking of taking down the lath.Our concerned is -will we need to reframe in ...
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Mounting a pull up bar that doesn't align with studs
I bought this pull-up bar ( https://trugrit-fitness.com/products/tru-grit-pull-up-bar-lite ) since it was on sale, but now I'm stumped on whether I am mounting it safely. Here is how I planned to ...
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Ears less adjustable for 3.5" deep metal boxes vs. 2.75" deep boxes
I have two single-gang metal boxes: one that's 3 1/2" deep, and another that's 2 3/4"-deep. The smaller box has the ability to adjust the depth of the ears more than half an inch. But the ...
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Alternatives to plaster veneer?
I need to close up a window hole (that was on a formerly exterior wall and after an addition, turned into shelving).
Apparently plaster veneer is unknown in my parts, but it'd be a perfect solution to ...
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Paint and primer cracks immediately when I apply it to antique plaster wall
I am having trouble painting plaster walls of an entryway/kitchen. The paint crackles like reptile skin as soon as it dries. See photo.
What I’ve done: I washed the walls prior to painting (they are ...
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Should I add vapor barrier between lath and drywall if only on half the wall? [closed]
I’m renovating a bathroom in my 125 year old home in Northern Michigan. The bathroom has lath and plaster walls with old wood panel wainscoting on the bottom 1/3rd of the walls. The plaster above the ...
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Would a metal lath wall support a piece of wall-hung furniture?
I live in a building built in the 1950s, and thanks to a kitchen renovation project (being done by professionals), I have a much clearer understanding of the interior wall construction. It's a mid-...
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Patching brick, lath and plaster - electrical box
How do patch this? The box is within brick covered by lath and plaster.
How do I attach the box to make sure it is set at the correct depth?
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Impact on wall integrity when installing outlets on baseboards vs. higher up on lath-and-plaster wall?
I'm getting new outlets installed in a second floor room and am trying to decide whether to install them in the baseboard or higher up on the wall. I have:
Lath-and-plaster walls
No crawlspace and at ...
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Asbestos in plaster walls [closed]
I bought my house 4 months ago and it was never disclosed to me that my house contains asbestos. It was built in 1901.
I had some of my plaster, drywall, vinyl flooring and adhesive tested from ...
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In what years was plaster over fiberboard used for walls in US Northeast?
Here is a piece of wall I broke open. Fiberboard backing was nailed to joists with plaster (grey) and a skim coat (white). New Jersey house built 1896 and renovated many times since. Original ...
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Finding Studs Behind Wood Paneling + Lath and Plaster
I have a house that was built in 1924 and the original wall finish is lath and plaster. At some point, the entire home was refinished with 1/4" faux wood paneling.
I'm having a difficult time ...
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Do 1920s homes with lath-and-plaster walls have lath-and-plaster ceilings?
I'm in an old home and learned extensively about lath-and-plaster. I'm dealing with a problem like in What methods for installing light fixture in middle of room, with lathe and plaster ceiling?.
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Can I plaster over metal lath without a backing material?
One alternative to traditional drywall is plaster over metal lath. Most of the videos I've watched use some kind of backing (e.g. brick, OSB, or plywood) with a layer of tar paper over the top behind ...
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Old diamond metal lath plaster ceiling strength for supporting heavy loads?
I am an avid DIYer and have been renovating a space in an old commercial space from the 1950s. It is a hodge-podge of various building materials over the years. In our space is, from what I gathered ...
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Is plaster repair a DIY job?
Existing plaster/lath walls in decent shape, 1920s farmhouse.
Lead/Asbestos? Unknown but possible.
I actually like Plaster's sound-proofing and would like to keep.
Plaster has no decorative elements.
...
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What's the best way to hang frames and shelves on plaster walls?
I live in an old house (about 90 years old) with plaster walls. I have all kinds of trouble hanging things up in the plaster, so I mostly just use 3-M Command strips whenever possible.
But there are a ...
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Proper way to mount TV on wall that might be lath-and-plaster?
I have a flat screen TV that I have always mounted on drywall using plastic drywall anchors—eight of those has always held it up just fine and I probably could have used just four.
New home is in a ...
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Tips for getting cables through old work box knockouts and into wall
I’m replacing a botched 3 gang switch box (formerly consisted of two incompatible boxes together, cover plate did not fit right).
I have clamps on all my cables and am ready to put them through the ...
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Do I need to use a bonding agent between scratch and base coat plaster on the ceiling?
I'm doing a traditional 3-coat plaster over wooden lath to repair a 4x4 hole on an interior ceiling.
I'm using StructoLite base coat plaster.
I applied Plaster Weld to the lath prior to putting up the ...
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How to get new wire into old box in plaster wall?
I'm rewiring my house, which was built in 1921. I need to bring new cable to a triple-wide switch box (see photos). I cannot push the old knob & tube wire out through the knockouts--it must be ...
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Is there space between plaster ceiling lath and joists?
Two story, midwestern suburban colonial built in 1947. Gable roof. Plaster walls and ceilings. House faces north, and ceiling joists run north-south direction. I am hearing rodents inside of interior ...
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What kind of paint should be used on old plaster and lathe walls?
Are the steps to painting a plaster and lathe walls, house is early 1900's, the same as any other type of wall? What type of primer should be used? What type of paint? On the internet I read about the ...
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How should I fill channels left in old plaster after dado rail removal?
I just purchased a condo in the Boston area. The house has been built early 1900s.
I'm removing dado (chair) rails in the dining room that don't look great and are just dust collector at this point.
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Based on the picture, what do you recommend using to patch this hole?
This is a 90 year old lath and plaster wall that was cut into to install a thermostat. The hole is 1.5" by 14".
Should we use:
drywall patch
mesh tape and joint compound
just plaster
...
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What is the best way to fix broken OLD plaster in a very old house? [closed]
I've recently bought a house which was built in the 1900s. The entire plaster walls are covered with wallpapers. First time home buyer mistake, our first project is to remove the wallpaper and paint ...
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What is the role of re-enforcing mesh in plastering, when is it required, and which mesh types are prefered?
What is the role of re-enforcing mesh in plastering?
Keep in mind, I'm not talking about the lathe, which is shown in this image.
I'm talking about the mesh, shown in this image.
When is a re-...
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How to keep Structolite from cracking as it dries
I have a house that was built in 1901 and needs a lot of plaster work. I've tried both Structolite and Gypsolite as a base coat over bare brick. Both of them crack as they dry, less than an hour after ...
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During what construction era was plaster installed over metal lath?
My home dates to the 1890s. It has clearly been through many renovations over the years before I owned it. The walls in my living room have defied all stud finders: normal ones find nothing, magnetic ...
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Exposed lath and keys on entire ceiling
We bought a house built in 1846. In one room, the ceiling has suffered immensely from a previous, serious roof leak. In said room, almost all the plaster skim coats over the lath and keys are missing, ...
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Securing French cleats to drywall over lath and plaster with structural screws
I'd like to build a French cleat storage system on an exterior wall in my basement shop, but am concerned about whether the cleats will have sufficient support given the construction of the wall. The ...
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Can I use hollow wall anchors in a lath and plaster wall?
I have a stable enough lath and plaster wall, which I would like to put a box framed picture on.
Usually with a box frame picture on to a plaster board or dry wall, or even a brick or stone wall, I'd ...
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Hanging heavy things on old walls. Running out of options. What would you do
Just moved in to an old victorian home and the wife wants shelves in the mud room. Now I know what you are thinking "Shelves?! Seriously?!", Just hear me out.
These are 6 foot shelves with 4 steel ...
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What do you think this odd layer under wall paper may be?
I'm taking down wall paper in my 1920s house. The walls are plaster/lath. At some point, the room seems to have been skim coated, primed, and then wallpapered. The wall paper has come down fairly ...
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What is my wall made of and how should I hang a 50lb mirror?
I plan to hang a mirror weighing 50lb on the wall. What type of anchors should I use?
I think my wall is plaster over drywall, but I'm not sure. The house was built in the US in 1952, and the surface ...
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How to patch a wood lath plaster rounded corner?
I am attempting to repair a rounded plaster corner. (Image below). The plaster was blown out during an electrical re-wire for the bathroom switch pictured.
I’m assuming the wire corner bead runs ...
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How to anchor coat hooks and shelving in a rock-lath & plaster wall?
I've purchased an older home from an era when they used rock lath and plaster for the walls. I had never heard of this kind of construction, though I've done plenty of electrical wiring in older homes ...
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What methods for installing light fixture in middle of room, with lathe and plaster ceiling?
What options are there for running electrical to the middle of a lathe and plaster ceiling?
My room is about 9' by 9' with a slab floor. The joists run east-west, and the lathe runs north-south.
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Repair Small Holes In Brown Coat & Plaster
Removing nails from a plaster wall results in much of the surrounding plaster cracking and falling away. The brown coat under the plaster is a sand aggregate that also starts to crumble easily since ...
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