Jan 02, 2012 5 worst mistakes of historic homeowners part 4 plaster january 2, 2012 january 16, 2018 the walls of any prewar house are most likely wood lath like in this picture covered with 3 coats of plaster. Plaster was used as a medium of artistic expression until the 19th century. Ive recently had a survey done on a family home i plan to fix up. Whats behind your plaster walls and ceilings angies list. Lath and plaster designing buildings wiki share your construction industry knowledge. Why should you keep it so in many older melbourne homes lath and plaster is still readily found in good condition. Removing plaster and lath is always an ugly ordeal, but my first try, 25 years ago, was the worst. If the laths are still intact, you can be relieved that no major repairs are needed. A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straightgrained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work. Thin pieces of cedar called lath were nailed onto the 2x4 framing, then wet plaster was applied onto the lath in one to three applications. Plastering freehand and creating a smooth surface on ceilings and walls is a very difficult skill and quite laborious. I would not use that type in any wall, much less a lath and plaster wall. Demolishing plaster and lath is a dusty, filthy job.
Get a book on sheetrocking and go to town, itll be a good warm up and a point from which you decide your own level of. Nov 15, 2011 one of the easiest mistakes to make when renovating a historic home is to tear down the old plaster walls and replace them with modern drywall and joint compound. Use a 6inch drywall knife to spread a thin layer of veneer plaster over the patch. Full 2x4 walls, 78 spruce sheathing, crumbling felt, clapboards or shingles outside, wood lath and plaster inside. Plaster is a very ancient way of creating a smooth wall and has been used in decorative molding, ceilings and walls for centuries. Lath and plaster walls are usually thicker than most drywall sheets. Feb 16, 2014 get tips on plaster walls in the house with help from a foreman for lighty contractors in this free video series. Lath has expanded to mean any type of backing material for plaster. It consists of narrow strips of wood laths which are nailed horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists and then coated in plaster. One of the easiest mistakes to make when renovating a historic home is to tear down the old plaster walls and replace them with modern drywall and joint compound. The best product for filling cracks is 2 coats of cornice adhesive and a final coat of top coat. Lath and plaster ceilings, old plaster walls mybuilder.
In this book, well use the word stucco more inclusively. Wear a dust mask, cover doorways with painters plastic, turn off the furnace or central air conditioning, and cover hvac grates. Patching a lathandplaster wall can be an interesting experience. This not only destroys the historic architecture and features that make a historic home great, but it also adds to the overall costs of the project exponentially. Keene of england, in 1841 metal lath in mesh form developed in england in 1841 plaster board or gypsum lath first produced in england in 1890 which, in the early 20 th century, developed into the modern rock lath and eventually spawned drywall 1. Lath and plaster walls grace many traditional homes. Plaster base lath and flashing mixing and application basics plaster finishes and how to achieve them decorative plaster work. Get tips on plaster walls in the house with help from a foreman for lighty contractors in this free video series. These keys harden to hold the plaster veneer to the rock lath. Keenes cement, a slowsetting buy extremely hard plaster by r. The technical services information bureau has a long rich history in wall and ceiling construction. The system uses gypsumcore panels that are the same size as drywall 4x8 feet, and specially made for veneer plaster. The title of this book is 12 ways to fix lath and plaster ceilings and it was written by ian anderson. We would also add that lath and plaster ceilings were formed in lime plaster.
Its the first coat where you key the plaster into the lath. With its anglican lineage plaster thus became an inherited contribution to an emerging american architectural and cultural patrimony. In many respects the united states has now taken the cultural lead in the western world. If a lath and plaster wall can be repaired, it can save a lot of money in renovation cost. Found 1 sentences matching phrase lath and plaster. Most homes prior to the second world war were built with lath and plaster walls, as opposed to the drywall method more commonly used in todays construction. Plaster, a pasty composition as of lime or gypsum, water, and sand that hardens on drying and is used for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions. If your home was built before 1950, you most likely have traditional lathandplaster walls.
This diagram, shows the filling and cutting out of a crack in lath and plaster walls or ceilings. Wooden lath strips are nailed across the framing and then plaster is applied to them. It provides information to architects, the construction community and the public on a variety of matters relating to the plaster trades. Structural, thermal, waterresistant and acoustic properties of cement plaster scaffolding and. Mary catherine kathawa, philip paul shepard, and roger carl christianson holds a drywall, insulation and acoustical, lathing and plastering, painting and decorating license and 1 other license according to the california license board their buildzoom score of 95 ranks in the top 22% of 336,931 california licensed contractors. For a lath and plaster wall consider installing picture molding high on the wall and hanging the picture with a hook and wires from the molding. The plaster that oozes between the lath strips is called the key, which locks the plaster and lath strips together. Dec 10, 2018 removing plaster from walls is not a difficult job but is time consuming and messy. Step 2 how to repair larger holes in lath and plaster walls. How to remove plaster from walls to convert to drywall home. How to remove plaster from walls to convert to drywall. Lath and plaster merged a wealth of experience and skill into a company that would earn a remarkable reputation as a leader in exterior finishes.
Translation memories are created by human, but computer aligned. The technique derives from an earlier, more primitive, process called wattle and daub. Aug 11, 2014 understand how to spot, and maintain, plaster and lath walls. With the current plaster and lath still left, we can not get new wiring put in.
The king at the time ordered that all buildings were to have. Later, lime and sand were combined as a mortar to cover both the reed lath and masonry walls and ceilings. The curls of plaster key on the other side of the wall help anchor the plaster. Lime gypsum portland cement while portland cement is a relatively modern material, forerunners of similar type materials were in use as far back as prehistoric times. No insulation just a 4 airspace and framing at 20% aggregated across the wall. Understanding and maintaining plaster in old homes is an important aspect of caring for a period property. Photo courtesy of white house farm get quotes from up to. Lath and plaster is a technique which was used to finish interior walls and ceilings from the early18th until the earlytomid20th century. Behind the plaster walls are narrow strips of wood called lath. Lath and plaster was a building process used mainly for interior walls until the late 1950s. The cost and time of removing this plaster can be costly. How to take down lath and plaster ceilings mess and all. Drywall has supplanted plaster and lath as the wall covering of choice.
Prior to filling the crack, using a wet brush, brush out the loose debris and wet the interior of the crack. When repairing lath and plaster walls, it is highly advisable to get into the habit of using similar materials. Starting with an overview and history of the natural building movement, the book handles a wide variety of topics including earthen plaster versus cement stucco, tools and techniques of the trade, plaster recipes, and pigmenting plaster or painting walls with natural paints. In this video, this old house host kevin oconnor discusses patching plaster with a pro. Its value as fire retardant was demonstrated in the many fires that ravaged london during the th century. In home construction, lath and plaster is technique for constructing interior walls that uses small planks of wood and plaster to form the wall.
Discover how to identify which type you have, how to go about repairing, and what it costs. If laths themselves are damaged, an entire section of the wall may need replacing. Removing plaster and lath is a messy, dusty heavy job. Since 1953, the minnesota lath and plaster bureau has been recognized as an education and technical spokesman for the lath and plaster industry. Apply adhesivebacked mesh tape around the perimeter of the patch. To repair a wall in this situation, it is similar to repairing a small hole in the wall as outlined in the previous step.
It was then generally superseded by drywall techniques and plasterboard. With gypsum board lath rock lath, plasterboard, it is the only base coat needed. Thin pieces of cedar called lath were nailed onto the 2x4 framing, then wet plaster was. The pros and cons of plaster and lath walls porch advice. These are narrow strips of wood nailed horizontally across the wall studs. Can i use hollow wall anchors in a lath and plaster wall.
They tend only to be repaired, not built from scratch. Lath and plaster walls and their pros and cons bob vila. Our next article in the series will explore a brief history of plaster in the united states and the current state of the art. Use a flat trowel to apply plaster base coat over the exposed wood lath. The plaster that filtered between the laths plays an important role in the plaster and laths ability to absorb sound. That said, taking down a lath and plaster ceiling is an perfectly possible diy project, even for relative beginners. Only one room seems to have a slight bow in it, there are no visible cracks that i have seen yet. How to identify types of plaster, lath, drywall, beaver board, upson board as a guide to building age. Known most commonly as blue board, the panels are covered with a special paper compatible with veneer plaster. Pure lime, mixed with about 35 percent gauging plaster to help it harden, is used for the very thin surface finish of the plaster wall. After the 1950s, plasterboard began to replace the lath and plaster process. Thick, substantial, and great at soundproofing, walls constructed out of lath and plaster are rarely built anew anymore. The biggest mistake i see being made, is people try to fill over cracks in lath and plaster, or just scrape the surface. The wood planks, typically cedar, are known as the lath, and are attached to a frame of 2x4s, with.
When lath is figured into the thickness, then lath and plaster walls are considered to be thicker than drywall. Before the 1950s, plaster and lath was the typical way to create walls and ceilings. Traditional lath and plaster ceilings article by an. Builders nailed thin, closely spaced strips of wood lath to wall studs and then smoothed multiple coatings of plaster over the lath to form flat wall surfaces. Use a 6inch drywall knife to spread a thin layer of. I made every mistake in the bookmistakes that cost me time, frustration and blood. May 10, 2006 patching a lath and plaster wall can be an interesting experience. A 100yearold lath and plaster wall is not something to put a hole in at eye level without considering alternatives. Plaster walls and ceilings consist of three coats of plaster. Plaster was recognized long ago as a protection against fire.
Lath and plaster is a building process used to finish mainly interior dividing walls and ceilings. Taking lath and plaster down should arguably be a last resort though, if you want to repair your lath and plaster ceiling, follow the link to the how to. They can be installed over furring channels to masonry walls or over old wood lath walls and ceilings. More modern insulation will also be installed at that time. From the 1700s all the way through the 1940s, lath and plaster was the interior wall construction method of choice.
An ageold and highly durable moroccan finish, tadelakt is composed of lime plaster and black soap made from olives. Removing plaster from walls is not a difficult job but is time consuming and messy. Restoring and painting plaster and lath walls sound home. Ive been told all of the ceilings need to be replaced as theyre lath and plaster. Until about 70 years ago, before plasterboard was widely used, ceilings and internal partition walls were lined with individual. Lath and plaster merged a wealth of experience and skill into a company that would earn. When the ingredients are combined, a chemical reaction between the two creates a waterproof membrane, making tadelakt walls the most suitable of all plasters for use in showers and baths and even as sinks and tubsits. Apr 15, 2020 in home construction, lath and plaster is technique for constructing interior walls that uses small planks of wood and plaster to form the wall. Wattle and daub was one of the earliest forms of building walls, dating from prehistoric times and it was still being used up until the twentieth century. If a lath and plaster wall is repaired properly, there is no reason the repairs wont last for years.
The history of plaster in architecture 20140303 walls. The term is used interchangeably with plaster and lath. Keene of england, in 1841 metal lath in mesh form developed in england in 1841 plaster board or gypsum lath first produced in england in 1890 which, in the early 20 th century, developed into the. Minnesota lath and plaster bureau minnesotas resource. Covers every aspect of design, construction and repair. Plastering freehand and creating a smooth surface on ceilings and.
Mar 03, 2014 with its anglican lineage plaster thus became an inherited contribution to an emerging american architectural and cultural patrimony. The most obvious difference between todays drywall and rock lath is that in rock lath a 58. It consists of narrow strips of wood which are nailed horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists and then coated in plaster. The brown coat is the second application of wet, basecoat plaster with wood lath or metal systems. Understand how to spot, and maintain, plaster and lath walls. Repairing holes in lath and plaster walls can range from being very difficult to quite quick and simple.
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