I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..

"Chris" wrote in message
...
I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.


The areas that are bulging - how big are they?



I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.


For cracks which you feel are minor, especially around windows & doorways,
joint compound will work fine as long as there's no bulging, which indicates
that the plaster's separated from the backing. For anything bigger than a
dinner plate, plaster's the way to go.


The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..


Plaster can be a DIY project, but it depends on your patience level, and how
long you're willing to put a wall/room out of use. In places where the old
stuff's been removed all the way to the backing, the new plaster should be
applied in layers so each layer has a chance to dry completely. Depending on
climate and time of year, that could take a couple of weeks, especially on
chilly exterior walls.

Also, you can't mix large batches of plaster because it begins to set up in
the pan pretty quickly. It's much more involved than working with drywall
compound. If plasterers are more expensive, that would be one reason why.

Good luck finding a plasterer, too. About 15 years ago, I was acquainted
with an architect who was involved with constructing a new office building
here. The lobby required some sort of fancy plaster work. They had to import
plasterers from Austria. Nobody here knew how to do whatever it was they
needed done.

we resurfaced most of the walls and some cielings in our home over 10
years ago with drywall mud. it still looks perfect today.

some walls were water damaged, others like yours had been papered. the
water damage occured years earlier when a previous renter got evicted.
the last thing he did after not paying rent for 3 months was turn on
all water, close and clog all drains..... geez what a jerk.

clean walls of all paper, lloose anything, undercut cracks fill and
tape.

paint everything with BIN primer sealer for best adhesion, then a thin
coat of drywall mud, with brush finish to cover minor irregularties.

then paint as usual. one of the best home fix ups we did. the walls
were so bad we had considered gutting.

its a DIY project, pick a small wall and give it a try

On Feb 24, 4:27�pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"Chris" wrote in message

...

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

The areas that are bulging - how big are they?

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

For cracks which you feel are minor, especially around windows & doorways,
joint compound will work fine as long as there's no bulging, which indicates
that the plaster's separated from the backing. For anything bigger than a
dinner plate, plaster's the way to go.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..

Plaster can be a DIY project, but it depends on your patience level, and how
long you're willing to put a wall/room out of use. In places where the old
stuff's been removed all the way to the backing, the new plaster should be
applied in layers so each layer has a chance to dry completely. Depending on
climate and time of year, that could take a couple of weeks, especially on
chilly exterior walls.

Also, you can't mix large batches of plaster because it begins to set up in
the pan pretty quickly. It's much more involved than working with drywall
compound. If plasterers are more expensive, that would be one reason why.

Good luck finding a plasterer, too. About 15 years ago, I was acquainted
with an architect who was involved with constructing a new office building
here. The lobby required some sort of fancy plaster work. They had to import
plasterers from Austria. Nobody here knew how to do whatever it was they
needed done.

is your lathe and plaster? definetely resecure any bulges or lose
areas, great time for blown in insulation too

The bulges area few inches long, with a crack in the center, and the
plaster around the crack separating from the backing.. underneath the
crack is the base coat, still intact and flat.

but, along the stair way there is a HUGE bulge about two feet long..
and about 1/2 foot wide.. It looks like a patch someone attempted
previously, and it pulled away from the base coat.

If I was to attempt to patch the buldges, what would be the procedure?
Would I chisel out the loose top coat and the patch it? what kind of
plaster would this be to match the thin, smooth top coat?

The guy who looked at this said he would charge me $700 to tape and
patch, and do two coats of the joint compound. It sounds like an OK
price, but I want to make sure this is an acceptable way. It seems to
be an way, since I had another guy over whom I did not trust right
away because he said he was ready to start right away and that I
didn't have to finish removing the wall paper. he said he would just
go right over top of the wall paper in three coats and it would look
like a brand new wall.. yeah right..

On Feb 24, 4:27*pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"Chris" wrote in message

...

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

The areas that are bulging - how big are they?

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

For cracks which you feel are minor, especially around windows & doorways,
joint compound will work fine as long as there's no bulging, which indicates
that the plaster's separated from the backing. For anything bigger than a
dinner plate, plaster's the way to go.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..

Plaster can be a DIY project, but it depends on your patience level, and how
long you're willing to put a wall/room out of use. In places where the old
stuff's been removed all the way to the backing, the new plaster should be
applied in layers so each layer has a chance to dry completely. Depending on
climate and time of year, that could take a couple of weeks, especially on
chilly exterior walls.

Also, you can't mix large batches of plaster because it begins to set up in
the pan pretty quickly. It's much more involved than working with drywall
compound. If plasterers are more expensive, that would be one reason why.

Good luck finding a plasterer, too. About 15 years ago, I was acquainted
with an architect who was involved with constructing a new office building
here. The lobby required some sort of fancy plaster work. They had to import
plasterers from Austria. Nobody here knew how to do whatever it was they
needed done.

You were certainly told the truth, on all counts. There is a
large learning curve to DIY plaster. Setting type drywall
compound is a reasonable , though not best practice, repair
product for plaster walls. I would still treat all plaster
repairs with Larsen's.
http://www.larsenproducts.com/plasterweld.htm
Finding a plaster technician for small repair work is problematic.

Veneer plaster work is learnable, though finding the materials can
be difficult.
Have you yellow paged or asked around about a plasterer
(commercial paint store)?

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Chris" wrote in message
...
I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is
cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid
and
intact.

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he
will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls
with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on
line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real
way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person
is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY
project.
but, his procedure will still work..

On Feb 24, 4:52�pm, Chris wrote:
The bulges area few inches long, with a crack in the center, and the
plaster around the crack separating from the backing.. underneath the
crack is the base coat, still intact and flat.

but, along the stair way there is a HUGE bulge about two feet long..
and about 1/2 foot wide.. It looks like a patch someone attempted
previously, and it pulled away from the base coat.

If I was to attempt to patch the buldges, what would be the procedure?
Would I chisel out the loose top coat and the patch it? what kind of
plaster would this be to match the thin, smooth top coat?

The guy who looked at this said he would charge me $700 to tape and
patch, and do two coats of the joint compound. It sounds like an OK
price, but I want to make sure this is an acceptable way. It seems to
be an way, since I had another guy over whom I did not trust right
away because he said he was ready to start right away and that I
didn't have to finish removing the wall paper. he said he would just
go right over top of the wall paper in three coats and it would look
like a brand new wall.. yeah right..

On Feb 24, 4:27�pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:



"Chris" wrote in message

...

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

The areas that are bulging - how big are they?

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

For cracks which you feel are minor, especially around windows & doorways,
joint compound will work fine as long as there's no bulging, which indicates
that the plaster's separated from the backing. For anything bigger than a
dinner plate, plaster's the way to go.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..

Plaster can be a DIY project, but it depends on your patience level, and how
long you're willing to put a wall/room out of use. In places where the old
stuff's been removed all the way to the backing, the new plaster should be
applied in layers so each layer has a chance to dry completely. Depending on
climate and time of year, that could take a couple of weeks, especially on
chilly exterior walls.

Also, you can't mix large batches of plaster because it begins to set up in
the pan pretty quickly. It's much more involved than working with drywall
compound. If plasterers are more expensive, that would be one reason why..

Good luck finding a plasterer, too. About 15 years ago, I was acquainted
with an architect who was involved with constructing a new office building
here. The lobby required some sort of fancy plaster work. They had to import
plasterers from Austria. Nobody here knew how to do whatever it was they
needed done.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

i would break up any lose or bulging areas, make certain there isnt a
structural problem occuring underneath, then refiish.

have the guy do one wall or area to make sure it looks good before
tacxkling the entire thing.

before any of this add any new electric outlets etc. and blow in
insulation, since the walls will be getting redone anyway

"Chris" wrote in message
...
The bulges area few inches long, with a crack in the center, and the
plaster around the crack separating from the backing.. underneath the
crack is the base coat, still intact and flat.

but, along the stair way there is a HUGE bulge about two feet long..
and about 1/2 foot wide.. It looks like a patch someone attempted
previously, and it pulled away from the base coat.

If I was to attempt to patch the buldges, what would be the procedure?
Would I chisel out the loose top coat and the patch it? what kind of
plaster would this be to match the thin, smooth top coat?

The guy who looked at this said he would charge me $700 to tape and
patch, and do two coats of the joint compound. It sounds like an OK
price, but I want to make sure this is an acceptable way. It seems to
be an way, since I had another guy over whom I did not trust right
away because he said he was ready to start right away and that I
didn't have to finish removing the wall paper. he said he would just
go right over top of the wall paper in three coats and it would look
like a brand new wall.. yeah right..
=========================


Stay tune, Chris. I did plaster repairs in 4 rooms of an old house, and 20
years later, it still looks good. But, I'm busy and might not get a chance
to contribute more info tonight.

Chris wrote:

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

I don't like the sound of that "hammering" idea, and taping the cracks
could end up noticeable, under critical lighting, like drywall butt
joints.

I saw an interesting plaster crack fix on This Old House that didn't
require taping, so you'd get a much smoother job:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/arti...628100,00.html

"Chris" wrote in message
...
I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..


I worked on two jobs last year where each one had plaster walls with minor
cracks and bulges. The two separate painting contractors for each job did
the same repair. They each mixed plaster of paris with joint compound and
used that to fill in holes and cracks. Neither one did any taping. I
haven't been back to either of those jobs since I finished, but they looked
good when I was there.

On Feb 24, 7:32�pm, "Bob (but not THAT Bob)"
wrote:
Chris wrote:

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

I don't like the sound of that "hammering" idea, and taping the cracks
could end up noticeable, under critical lighting, like drywall butt
joints.

I saw an interesting plaster crack fix on This Old House that didn't
require taping, so you'd get a much smoother job:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/arti...628100,00.html

I like hammering small hammer gently please.....

it kinda depends, if your working on plaster on blue board, kinda like
plasterboard, but designed to be covered by plaster

The trick to plaster repair is to remove all of the damaged plaster. If you
just try and mud over cracks and soft spots then you are going to be in
trouble.

Once you have the damaged area cleared out, use a chisel to dig into the old
plaster to be sure that there is no loose sandy stuff, you want to have a
slight undercut.

Next be sure the lath is in good shape and trowel in a base coat. This gets
scraped while still soft to give the next layer something to hang on to.
The final can be done with joint compound. It is softer than plaster and
easier to blend the texture to match.

I have used Fixall to patch plaster and grinding the stuff smooth after it
dried was a real PITA.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.


"Chris" wrote in message
...
The bulges area few inches long, with a crack in the center, and the
plaster around the crack separating from the backing.. underneath the
crack is the base coat, still intact and flat.

but, along the stair way there is a HUGE bulge about two feet long..
and about 1/2 foot wide.. It looks like a patch someone attempted
previously, and it pulled away from the base coat.

If I was to attempt to patch the buldges, what would be the procedure?
Would I chisel out the loose top coat and the patch it? what kind of
plaster would this be to match the thin, smooth top coat?

The guy who looked at this said he would charge me $700 to tape and
patch, and do two coats of the joint compound. It sounds like an OK
price, but I want to make sure this is an acceptable way. It seems to
be an way, since I had another guy over whom I did not trust right
away because he said he was ready to start right away and that I
didn't have to finish removing the wall paper. he said he would just
go right over top of the wall paper in three coats and it would look
like a brand new wall.. yeah right..

On Feb 24, 4:27 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"Chris" wrote in message

...

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact.

The areas that are bulging - how big are they?

I had a guy over to see about restoring the walls. He said he will
hammer out the buldges, tape cracks and then go over the walls with
two coats of joint compound and sand.

Is this a standard procedure? I was just reading an article on line
saying that joint compound is meant for drywall, and the real way of
dealing with plaster repair is to use plaster products.

For cracks which you feel are minor, especially around windows & doorways,
joint compound will work fine as long as there's no bulging, which
indicates
that the plaster's separated from the backing. For anything bigger than a
dinner plate, plaster's the way to go.

The thing is, I asked him this, and he said that he doesn't have
experience with plaster, all he knows is that a plaster person is alot
more expensive than he is, and a plaster project is not a DIY project.
but, his procedure will still work..

Plaster can be a DIY project, but it depends on your patience level, and
how
long you're willing to put a wall/room out of use. In places where the old
stuff's been removed all the way to the backing, the new plaster should be
applied in layers so each layer has a chance to dry completely. Depending
on
climate and time of year, that could take a couple of weeks, especially on
chilly exterior walls.

Also, you can't mix large batches of plaster because it begins to set up
in
the pan pretty quickly. It's much more involved than working with drywall
compound. If plasterers are more expensive, that would be one reason why.

Good luck finding a plasterer, too. About 15 years ago, I was acquainted
with an architect who was involved with constructing a new office building
here. The lobby required some sort of fancy plaster work. They had to
import
plasterers from Austria. Nobody here knew how to do whatever it was they
needed done.

thanks again to all your responses---

I see that DAP makes plaster products-- a plaster/sand patch mix, and
straight plaster of paris. so, I take it that these will be better
then joiint compound, right?

Has anyone tried "Fast Patch"? It is a tape that can be painted over,
with it's edges being thin and irregular that blend in with the wall
better. So they say.. That sounds just to good to be true..

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:18:32 -0800 (PST), Chris
wrote:

I am removing wallpaper in an 80 year old house. Underneath the
wallpaper is plater walls. In many areas, the top coat is cracking, or
buldging away from the horsehair base. The base is still solid and
intact. ...

Some ppl who seem to know plaster, and love to talk:
http://www.i-boards.com/bnp/wc/default.asp

G