#Cover lath and plaster walls install#
#Cover lath and plaster walls free#

How? Simply click here to return to Rehabber Answers to Questions Questions. Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. If you'd like to add more pictures or start your own page, use the link below that. If you'd like to add to this page, use 'click here to add your own comments' below. That for me is much easier, faster, and less expensive than shimming, patching, and cleaning the cavities behind the moldings.Īnd it looks like a new house versus a re-worked project house. That last project I did only required 2 new 8-foot replacement boards to match the old molding. I add new boards in the less visible areas like the closets. Now, drag it down to tear the plaster in a downward motion. Gently, place the claw end of the crowbar on the hole that you made just now. Then you will finally see the lath behind this plaster. I use the original moldings in the visible areas. Grab a crowbar or any hammer and start tapping the area until you create a hole, do this repeatedly until you see the lath beneath. My choice of finish is linseed oil for a natural look unless I'm painting. In case you havent heard of it, lath and plaster is a way early 1900-1930 home builders finished their walls and ceilings. I've used paint stripper, belt sanders, but the easiest way for me was to run them through an inexpensive wood-planer.

#Cover lath and plaster walls install#

Those old style wood moldings from the 1920's are usually Douglas Fur-(pine) or Oak and can be purchased at the lumber yards and home remodeling centers.Īfter I install the new sheetrock, I strip the old molding of its paint or shellac finishes. My concern with that is, that creates more room for error when the sheetrock is installed and you may end up with a wavy wall. You'd have to rip 2 X 4 studs one inch to shim each existing wall stud.

Like you mentioned, 3/4' plaster and 1/4' lath,Įach stud would have to be shimmed 1-inch. The broken plaster during demolition will accumulate behind the moldings in between the studs.Įxtra clean out work, but lots of money saved from buying replacement wood moldings. The plaster was cut above the molding with a reciprocating saw and circular saw with settings not to cut into the studs.Īfter the new sheetrock was installed, a decorative style of molding was used to cover the exposed plaster and lath behind the molding and the new sheetrock.Īccess for new plumbing, electrical, and insulation are not a problem because the maximum heights of the old wood moldings were 7-1/2 inches. I have seen plaster and lath wall replacements without removing the old moldings. In that case, I've used wood glue and clamps for that repair. Pulling the boards from one end only, is often likely to break. The trick to careful removal of the old moldings are to delicately start at one end with a pry bar, lever or pry the board about 1/4', then move down the board in 12' increments to the end, then start over.

#Cover lath and plaster walls free#

Get rid of any stuck chunks of plaster by knocking them free of the lath with a hammer or scraping tool.There is no doubt, the wood moldings and casings are going to be brittle after 90 years. Be careful because this will likely result in a messier cleanup. If your wall contains horsehair plaster, it’s likely very old so the wall could crumble easily. From the early eighteenth until the mid twentieth century, internal, non-load-bearing walls were usually covered using lath and plaster techniques (see right). You’ll want to take apart the plaster and lath separately for easier cleanup. Make sure not to destroy the lath during this step. Some plaster might stick to the lath, but try to expose as much of the wood framework as possible. Use a shovel to scrape off chunks of plaster. If you’re having trouble listening for studs, you can buy a wall scanner to make your work easier. Then, use the hammer to poke holes in the parts of the plaster that aren’t supported by studs. If it sounds hollow, you are moving away from a stud. If the tapping sound is solid, then you're approaching a stud. Listen for the wall studs - the vertical wooden beams in the wall - by lightly knocking on the wall with a hammer.