Hi,

I'm looking at replacing some plaster in the cupboard under the stairs
in my house. The house was built in the 1930's and from my initial
investigations by looking at some of the plaster that is already
falling off - i can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part
of the lathes 'cos i thought they ran horizontal?? also the plaster
has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this normal for 30s
plastering??

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Cheers

John

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John wrote:

Hi,

I'm looking at replacing some plaster in the cupboard under the stairs
in my house. The house was built in the 1930's and from my initial
investigations by looking at some of the plaster that is already
falling off - i can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part
of the lathes 'cos i thought they ran horizontal?? also the plaster
has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this normal for 30s
plastering??

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Cheers

John


I can't explain why the laths are vertical - I would expect them to be
horizontal. But it was apparantly usual to reinforce the plaster with horse
hair.
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is Black Hole!

In article ,
(John) writes:
Hi,

I'm looking at replacing some plaster in the cupboard under the stairs
in my house. The house was built in the 1930's and from my initial
investigations by looking at some of the plaster that is already
falling off - i can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part
of the lathes 'cos i thought they ran horizontal?? also the plaster

Lathes are machines used for doing wood and metal turning.
Laths are thin strips of wood to support plaster, and yes they
normally run horizontally.

has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this normal for 30s
plastering??

Yes. Makes it somewhat flexible without cracking.
It's usually fine horsehair, and some people find they are allergic
to it.

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Splendid chance to practice plastering then...

--
Andrew Gabriel

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Why remove the old stuff? Just stick a new sheet of plasterboard over the
top, unless the extra 1cm gained is important.

Christian.

What's the lathe for?

.... oh, you meant lath and plaster, ......

--
Chris Green

On 9 Mar 2004 01:10:15 -0800, John wrote:

i can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part of the
lathes 'cos i thought they ran horizontal??

They run at 90deg to the studs, if the studs are horizontal the laths
will be vertical...

also the plaster has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this
normal for 30s plastering??

Yes, probably horse hair. Used make the plaster a little stronger.

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all
hidden so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Remove the plaster and the old laths. The fix plasterboard to the now
exposed stud work. Hopefully the spacings of the studs will be OK
without having to fit anymore or any noggins.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
. net...
I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Why remove the old stuff? Just stick a new sheet of plasterboard over the
top, unless the extra 1cm gained is important.

BTDT found the laths were not flat enough.

BTDT found the laths were not flat enough.

AIUI, it's only an understairs cupboard, so appearance isn't important.
Plasterboard's quite flexible, you know!

Christian.

"John" wrote in message
m

I'm looking at replacing some plaster in the cupboard under the stairs
in my house. The house was built in the 1930's and from my initial
investigations by looking at some of the plaster that is already
falling off - I can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part
of the lathes 'cos I thought they ran horizontal? Also the plaster
has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this normal for '30s
plastering?

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Don't let the "Grammarians" put you off posting here. Lath and plaster
predated Johnson's dictionary thus was subject to a variety of spellings
for a long while.

http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame31.html

Cut one (or two -for ease) pieces of thin plasterboard (3/8th inch
stuff) and fix with a thick mix of finishing plaster (add some PVA to
stop it cracking off.) You can then use the rest of the bag for
plastering it.

You might want to mark where the upright strips or "studs" are and screw
or nail the boards to them. It's not necessary though. The whole point
of doing it yourself is to have some fun as much as getting the job done
cheaply.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

lathe / le/



•n. a machine for shaping wood or metal by means of a rotating drive
which turns the piece being worked on against changeable cutting tools.


- ORIGIN ME: prob. from Old Dan. lad 'structure, frame', perh. from ON
hlath 'pile, heap', rel. to lade.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message ill.com...
On 9 Mar 2004 01:10:15 -0800, John wrote:

i can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part of the
lathes 'cos i thought they ran horizontal??

They run at 90deg to the studs, if the studs are horizontal the laths
will be vertical...

also the plaster has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this
normal for 30s plastering??

Yes, probably horse hair. Used make the plaster a little stronger.

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all
hidden so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Remove the plaster and the old laths. The fix plasterboard to the now
exposed stud work. Hopefully the spacings of the studs will be OK
without having to fit anymore or any noggins.

Hi guys,

thanks for all the help. Wasn't sure about the spelling of Lath in
this respect and just looked at other posts, oh well!

The plaster is covered with lovely polystyrene tiles and it's bagging
a little. I could cover it as is but i would lose a few inches of
space in what is already quite a small area. I may not need to
re-plaster as i could just attach some board to what looks like
battens or supports on the adjacent walls. The areas only about 3m x
1m.

Cheers
J

(John) wrote in message om...
Hi,

I'm looking at replacing some plaster in the cupboard under the stairs
in my house. The house was built in the 1930's and from my initial
investigations by looking at some of the plaster that is already
falling off - i can see wooden strip running vertical - are these part
of the lathes 'cos i thought they ran horizontal?? also the plaster
has what looks like thin hairs in it - is this normal for 30s
plastering??

I'm hoping to remove all the plaster and attach a piece of
plasterboard or some MDF to replace it then paint it. It's all hidden
so it's not too much hassle just wanted a bid of advice.

Cheers

John

Use plasterboard not MDF. Wood burns, PB is a firebreak, with
something like 15 or 20 minutes fire resistance IIRC.

Regards, NT

On 9 Mar 2004 09:13:10 -0800, John wrote:

The plaster is covered with lovely polystyrene tiles and it's
bagging a little.

Poly tiles in an enclosed space, ugh, rip them out for sure, which
will probably bring most of the plaster with them...

The areas only about 3m x 1m.

Long by high? Ideally you need support at about 18" centers so that 1m
divided in two will do. I'd bung in a couple of verticals at 3'
intervals just for good measure.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail