We actually used an all purpose floor cleaner and a shop broom. Our floor had a TON of joint compound on it and the shop broom really helped scrub it off. If your cement is flaking, you'll just want to sweep it all up as much as possible and then mop and let dry. We had some big holes in our floor and lots of little holes from the carpet tack strips as well. We used the Henry floor primer and put it on with a paint roller and it did the trick just fine. I think you'll be fine!! I wouldn't think your cement would go to powder unless you used too harsh of a chemical on it. Good luck to you! I love how our floor looks!! It was so worth the prep!

"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.

I remember reading that...but it's still just as funny.... I am completely surprised that I didn't find a post from me on there...My DH has done a few things during our 42 years that I tell on him every now and then. patti

Christopher Nelson, I did go to that page before but this time I realized you could ask questions there at the bottom of the page. They gave me a response pretty quickly, which I appreciated, and I will share it here in case others are wondering about this: At a companion article RESILIENT SHEET FLOORING ID GUIDEinspectapedia.com/hazmat/Sheet_Flooring_Identification.php we start our article series about asbestos in sheet flooring productrs. At ASBESTOS DUCTS, HVAC -inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Duct_Asbestos.php we discuss the use of paper both as a joint tape and as a total; covering on heating air ducts in older homes. Don't panic - but do avoid creating a dusty mess. Or if you have to face a dusty demolition then I'd have the material tested for asbestos Search InspectApedia for ASBESTOS TEST LABS if you need that service. Trivial cuts (an installation drill hole) ought never justify expensive asbestos testing and remediation, but even there you could minimize risk by either wetting or more-likely by using a HEPA-rated vacuum for dust control followed by damp wiping cleanup. ******************** klem1, thank you for your response as well. I would like to get it tested but at the same time, even if it tested positive (which I wouldn't be surprised by) it seemed unclear as to whether a small nail hole or drilling holes was okay. The inspecapedia response helped, and I did find another suggestion online that said (if drilling) to fill a small paper dixie cup with shaving cream, put the drill bit through that onto the hole, and then lower the cup and hold it flush to the surface as you drill.