Removing drywall from plaster without damaging plaster
slateberry
11 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (22)
worthy
11 years agolazy_gardens
11 years agoRelated Discussions
removing lathe and plaster, insulating, drywalling
Comments (45)"My general contractor offered me to hang a drywall on top of plaster but I dont see a value of this." Oh for the love of God - I wish if people didn't know how to do something or it was outside their range of expertise they would just say so and not propose these ridiculous things that do more harm than good. So he adds more thickness with a layer of drywall - what does he do with the trim then? Rip it out and install skinny cheap modern trim from Home Depot (some do exactly that - ugghhhh) Sorry OP I just had to vent there!! Ive been looking at old houses to buy and theres no end of goofy, futzy things that people have done to them. Im glad you saw the folly of that esp in such an old house. Like fine antiques, as time goes on people more appreciate the old things - esp if well maintained in original condition. You may want to go over to thehistoricdistrict.org, which has many old house lovers on the forum including professionals who can advise in great detail about how to do plaster repair. Especially with your age of house - you might want to confirm what type of plaster you have . There was an earlier type of lime plaster with different composition with materials you might have to hunt for (but certainly are obtainable at reasonable cost) The later type of gypsum based plaster used in early-mid 1900s - materials not available at big box - I think Ace had a type of patching plaster that can work but the plaster of paris that they (and home depot) sells is not good - sets up way too fast and hard. Otherwise any small-mid size city should have a building supply store where they carry the more specialized types of materials - while traditionally plater walls had a three coat system, for repairing cracks Ive just used plain patching or veneer plaster - if a bigger hole you can get a rough coat plaster for first layer and veneer plaster for the top layer. Use a bonding agent on the edges of the old plaster and the lath to help the new plaster adhere well to the old. There's various other techniques for bigger areas and different types of situations - and other people will have their favorite methods and materials (some use drywall compound but IMHO if you have extensive repairs its best (and considerably cheaper) to get the real stuff. Re very fine surface hairline cracks - ignoring those works the best! In a nutshell - plaster repair is exactly the kind of labor intensive but very doable thing that a typical home owner can learn to do, and do well....See MoreRemove wallpaper from plaster walls
Comments (15)I also would love to remove paper from plaster walls in several rooms - but I'm afraid to... Long-ago PO's previously paneled over 2 rooms, (suspicious, much?), the only one without that "bandaid" has very thick paper - applied with at least a 1" overlap. It'd been painted over - & sprayed with what I assume was ceiling texture gunk? I scraped/sanded the hard scratchy bumps off & repainted. Both walls & ceiling have this paper - was this something sold for this purpose - to hide/cover, (or egad, "retain"?) crumbling plaster? I know it's probably not that bad - only other projects are keeping me from it, not fear, lol. On a side note... That's one more reason why plaster is better than drywall! I HAD to get rid of ugly wallpaper in a downstairs bath - tried an area & it pulled right off.. Good, right? Wrong. The floppers had put in drywall & papered directly to it without priming at all. Pulled a layer of "sheet" off the "rock", leaving a rough exposed-paper layer. Why go to the trouble to drywall, then apply (textured vinyl) wallpaper directly to it, so that removing the paper would literally destroy the walls? That's the difference between flippers & floppers. (Sorry for getting off topic & ranting a bit, but if it'd been plaster...)....See MoreRemoving Tile from Plaster Walls
Comments (4)"How can I remove the tile without damaging the plaster?" There is no real way to remove them without causing at least some damage. If they are held on with mastic, a heat gun can soften it, but you are unlikely to get the rest of the mastic off the wall without some damage to the plaster. "Also, can I just tile over the plaster for the shower area, or should I do something else to waterproof it?" Tile walls still allow some moisture to penetrate, if only at the grout joints. You might have a wall that used Keene's cement instead of plaster, and it should be resistant enough to moisture to tolerate tight grout joints. Older houses usually have a 'mud bed' of mortar on the wet walls around a tub. It is a few inches thick and very water resistant. More mnodern work uses cement boards that are about 1/2 inch thick, and still can allow water movement so another membrane layer is added between the cement board and the studs for protection. Kerdi is a plastic type membrane, or even 15 pound tar paper....See MoreRepairing Plaster walls - damage from adhesive
Comments (1)" Should we fill in the damaged areas with spackling or some other patching material?" You could just patch the damaged areas. "Do we need to remove the adhesive residue, or can the plaster go on over top of that?" The repair will only be as strong as the weakest link. If the adhesive remains tight with the moisture from the repair it might be OK, but you are only going to find out after the fact (possibly weeks-months-years after the fact). Removing anything that could interfere with the repair's adhesion is preferred. Hot water and TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) usually removes just about anything from plaster. The 'TSP substitutes' do not work nearly as well....See Moreliriodendron
11 years agoChristopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agograywings123
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agoliriodendron
11 years agoChristopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agoChristopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
11 years agoantiquesilver
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agobrickeyee
11 years agocolumbusguy1
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agoworthy
11 years agocolumbusguy1
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agoslateberry
11 years agoHU-144531656
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
Related Stories
DISASTER PREP & RECOVERYRemodeling After Water Damage: Tips From a Homeowner Who Did It
Learn the crucial steps and coping mechanisms that can help when flooding strikes your home
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGNWater Damage Spawns a Space-Saving Bathroom Remodel
A game of inches saved this small New York City bathroom from becoming too cramped and limited
Full StoryMATERIALSRaw Materials Revealed: Drywall Basics
Learn about the different sizes and types of this construction material for walls, plus which kinds work best for which rooms
Full StoryHOUSEKEEPINGQuick Fix: How to Patch a Drywall Hole
Dents and dings disappear, leaving your walls looking brand new, with this fix that even a novice can do
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESQuick Fix: Find Wall Studs Without an Expensive Stud Finder
See how to find hidden wall studs with this ridiculously easy trick
Full StoryBATHROOM COLOR8 Ways to Spruce Up an Older Bathroom (Without Remodeling)
Mint tiles got you feeling blue? Don’t demolish — distract the eye by updating small details
Full Story4 Easy Ways to Renew Your Bathroom Without Remodeling
Take your bathroom from drab to fab without getting out the sledgehammer or racking up lots of charges
Full StoryLIFE6 Ways to Cool Off Without Air Conditioning
These methods can reduce temperatures in the home and save on energy bills
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGNWindows That Expose Your Bathroom to Light Without Exposing You
Enjoy the best of both worlds with window tricks that give you privacy along with the views and natural light
Full StoryMATERIALSUnexpected Style for Your Wall
Go Beyond Paint and Paper with 3D, Plaster, Copper, Tile, Marble and More
Full Story
slateberryOriginal Author