On 3/23/2011 7:25 PM, HalesC wrote:
Hi there,

We moved into a 1930’s bungalow last year that has plaster and lath
throughout the house. We are looking to update our kitchen. Previous
owners installed weird vinyl sheets of tile looking material on the
bottom half of the wall and then added a textured spray paint over top
of this. It looks absolutely hideous! We have removed a small portion
of this in an unobtrusive spot to see what we’re dealing with. It
appears that the vinyl was glued directly to the plaster. When we
took it off, the plaster completely crumbled exposing the lath.
We are looking for some advice as to what to do with this. Currently
we are considering removing all the weird tile stuff, which will most
likely cause most of the plaster to come down. Two of the walls are
exterior walls so we would like to put some insulation up as well. The
cost of totally re-plastering the whole room is probably greater than
what we have planned and budgeted for.
Our current game plan is to
1) remove the vinyl stuff and the plaster down to the lath, sadly this
will be floor to ceiling because I can’t figure out a good way to do
only the bottom half of the wall where the vinyl is attached
2) Install 1x3 furring strips and insert 1” pink foamboard insulation
on the two exterior walls. The alternative is to remove the lath here
as well and frame a new wall with 2x2’s or 2x3’s and insulate.
3) Hang drywall over the lath or insulation (1/4” over the insulation
and something thinker over the lath)
4) Install beadboard wainscoting with a ply cap on the bottom half of
the walls.

What we are concerned about is how to deal with the existing moulding
around the doors and windows. It’s really nice and we fear it would
get damaged if we had to remove and reinstall it.

We have also had a suggestion to remove the lath on the interior walls
and just affix the drywall to the studs.

Any suggestions as to what to do with our mess? This is our first
major DIY project and we’re just a little on the nervous side!
Thanks
Hayley

Any reason you can't remove the lath on ALL the walls, and just insulate
the stud bays? Or did I miss where the exterior walls are other than
stud construction? Why do you need to fur them out? 1930s-era 2x4s are
deeper than modern, in most cases, and should give adequate insulation.
Just for giggles, get a quote on getting the walls shot with foam-
highest insulation value, and will tighten up your probably-air-leaky walls.

The molding is not a big issue, unless it is some exotic profile that
you cannot buy at local lumberyard. It likely has multiple coats of
lead-based paint anyway, so unless it is quarter-sawn oak or something,
is not worth the labor of stripping. If it IS hardwood with a clear
finish, you can pull it off and reuse it. A couple of Stanley flatbars
and stiff putty knives will handle it. Note that the wall you put back
needs to be same thickness as the old plaster and lath, or you will need
to add a thin layer of wood under where the molding sits, to make it all
line up.

You do know that you will need to remove the cabinets to do this rehab
correctly, right? And that in a 1930s house, if they are they original
cabinets, they were probably built in place? Unless you want to replace
with modern box cabinets, building new cabinets in place is not a DIY
job unless you have a table saw and experience.

Pictures speak louder than words- try library or bookstore and look at
books on period renovations. Any one task is easy- it is only when you
are standing at the foot of the mountain that it seems impossible. Start
knowing that it will take more time and money than you think it will. If
there is no way to set up a temporary kitchen elsewhere in house (like
in laundry area, with a microwave to cook), seriously consider hiring
out part of the work. Eating takeout constantly gets tiring, and is hard
on wallet and health.

--
aem sends...