Repair Plaster or Cover with Drywall?
We removed cheap wood paneling in basement to reveal original plaster and base moulding. Not in too bad shape. I want to skimcoat, patch plaster where needed, husband wants to put drywall up. Any advice/wisdom?
We removed cheap wood paneling in basement to reveal original plaster and base moulding. Not in too bad shape. I want to skimcoat, patch plaster where needed, husband wants to put drywall up. Any advice/wisdom?
Hi JMT —
Unfortunately, the guy who did our plaster is no longer available because he’s working full time for a construction company. I’m sorry.
BTW, you can patch the bare lathe with drywall. You WILL need someone skilled to do this so you don’t easily see the seams.
I’m sure you can also fill in with actual plaster, but I am less certain how that works or who would do it.
Also, ask yourself how perfect you need this to be. If you want it perfectly smooth, hire a professional plasterer. They are more expensive but may be worth it. If you’re ok with a somewhat rough appearance, then patching with drywall and skim coating with guys who are semi-skilled but cheaper is possible.
Ceilings were often wallpapered in the Victorian era. 🙂
I don’t know very much about removing wallpaper. We had tons but most of it came off very easily. The remainder I have not yet tackled. Doesn’t wallpaper glue come off with steam? Supposedly you can rent a wallpaper steamer.
Good luck.
helppls — my neighbors started taking down the wallpaper on their ceiling until they realized that was all that was holding the plaster up. They got about a 3 foot section off, and then the entire ceiling fell in. That’s who wallpapers a ceiling!!
Thanks Mopar, you also gave me the good advice on the kitchen floor tile/wood floor. Is it possible to send me the name of person who did your plaster? Jennifertrontz@yahoo.com
Mopar, do you mind emailing me (my email is in my profile) with the people you used to do your work? We are tearing wallpaper off in our hallway and hallway ceiling (WHO wallpapers a ceiling???) and there is some residue underneath that is leaving a texture on the wall that we can’t seem to get off. thanks in advance!
We are definitely DIYers, but we would definitely hire a GC to do this work. Too easy to mess up…Good luck!
We just did this. Honestly, it is easier, cheaper, and better to patch and skimcoat than to put drywall over the existing walls — unless you’re trying to cover lead or something. And don’t even consider removing all the plaster and putting up drywall. That would be a mess and a half.
The rooms will seem larger and the plaster and moldings remain more attractive if you skimcoat. Your walls look to be in relatively good condition. This is normal plaster maintenence. Also, you will never have a mold problem with plaster.
Basically, you need a couple of guys with some experience doing this. Normally they will give it three coats of plaster with one or more sandings. It’s not that hard, except for the ceilings, but it is time consuming and exhausting. The sanding part will get dust everywhere and drive you mad. Be sure to cover the floors with rosin paper and good quality blue painters tape.
Prices and quality can vary wildly. We did three rooms, two hallways, and three stairwells for only $1000 — an unbelievable bargain. You could also spend $2,000 on one parlor ceiling. I would imagine that $2 per sq foot is probably about the middle average.
My husband says I neglected to mention that there are sections of the walls (not pictured here) where there is no plaster left, just bare lathe, so more than skimcoating would be necessary if we were to try to stick with plaster.
Doesn’t look bad at all. Patch and skimcoat. Pick someone who comes recommended on here (There are a few) and it’ll be fairly painless and quick. My contractor is on vacation but the guys that are doing our building lobby reno so far did a really good job skimcoating. I don’t want to recommend them until I see the finished product after the priming so if you want to check with me in a couple of weeks, email me at BKJester3 AT aol.com
We would pay someone to patch/skim coat. We are DIYers but not with plaster!