Plaster & Lathe Walls - Plasterboard over or remove?

Beep Beep · #1 26th Oct 2004, 03:52 PM

Hi All. I hope you can give me some much needed advice.
We have just bought a 1920's weatherboard in great need of TLC. We have grand plans to make this our family home and really need some advice on how to make our renovation dreams come true.....

We have three very large rooms in the front of our house, all have the old mottled plaster over lathe up to a high picture rail (11ft ceilings). These walls & ceilings have suffered over time due to movement and a leaking roof. The house has been re-stumped and a new roof put on (approx 5 years ago) but the internal damage remains - The walls & ceilings are cracked and/or warped slightly. The skirting boards seem fine but need sanding/painting. The cornaces are plaster and are cracked. We are planning on sanding & polishing the existing timber floors (baltic we believe, currently hidden under carpet). We want to make this house look "new again".
My first question.
Should we remove the plaster and/or lathe then put up new plaster board?? (we hear this is a messy job) OR Should we just Plasterboard straight over the top??
also, if we do the later, what affect would this have on the skirtings and door frames?
We are first time renovators and are willing to learn - fast.

nt900 · #2 26th Oct 2004, 04:09 PM

Have a look at this thread for something related.<O

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http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=9929<O

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If the plaster is damaged, remove it. Think about insulating the external walls now the opportunity presents itself, I even insulate the internal walls for acoustic reasons. Once plaster and lathes are removed, you would need to trim the door and window frames to factor in the thinner walls, or as I did, I hung two layers of 10mm plasterboard on each side of the walls.
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If you can salvage the skirtings and arcs, I would. In my home, although the plasterboard is very crisp and new, the aged (read dented) architraves can give the impression of some age in the house, or maybe you don't want this.

Good luck, a lot of grief and joy coming your way.<O

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johnmc · #3 26th Oct 2004, 04:14 PM

How bad is the damage to the walls/ceilings ? I would look at the possibility of repairing the cracks first.

If you think that they cannot be adequately repaired I would remove the old walls and/or ceilings and replace with new plasterboard. You are right in saying that removing old lath and plaster is a messy job.

Maybe if you post some photos of the problem areas we could get a better idea of your problem.

I guess it would be possible to fix plasterboard directly onto the old walls. You'd obviously have to remove the old skirting, architraves and cornice. You also would want to make sure that you screw the plasterboard into studs/noggins so you would need long plasterboard screws (you could get away with screwing it into the lath). Your exisiting door jambs will be out by the width of the plasterboard (twice if you do rooms on both sides of an internal doorway.

barnsey · #4 26th Oct 2004, 05:48 PM

IMHO the mess you create now will be painless compared to the likely headaches you could have in the future.

I would get rid of the lath & plaster all together. plaster cornices and period features are all available today that enables you to recreate the period if you want to.

Order the skip and borrow the biggest barrow you can find and get into it

My 1929 house was one of those that was done in fibrous plaster. The effort to replace it was so much better in the finish.

echnidna · #5 26th Oct 2004, 06:26 PM

Well I would go against the poular trend on this BB and just fix plasterboard over the top of the old plaster. You would need to rip some 10mm timber strips to pack the door jambs and window frames so that the architraves and skirtings fit properly when replaced. This will give you far stronger walls than you would end up if you remove the laths. And be a lot quicker than stripping the walls back to studs.

seriph1 · #6 26th Oct 2004, 07:40 PM

Hi and a HUGE welcome to the forum - you will find a wealth of info here.....

I agree with all the comments offered and have (depending on the house, budget and circumstances) advised clients to do both or a combination.

In my own 1920 Calabunga in the lounge room I only took the plaster off the outer walls, then removed selected lathes and placed insulation in the walls..... the internal walls I covered with timber lining boards (NOT pine lining!), but plaster would be a similar process. I feel the amount of unnecessary crap you create, not to mention black lung, is huge and while Anthony's method would've produced killer results(especially if there’s a home theatre involved), is at least double the cost and double the work.

I'd be happy to receive a call from you to chat about it further, (email me to get the number; steve_is@graphic-designer.com)and if you’re within Cooee of me (we live in Kilmore but travel extensively throughout Melbourne) I could call out and have a look - not commercially - but as someone happy to share some experiences and offer some ideas. Also, if you'd like to see some pics of the Callabunga I did, they can be seen somewhere on my oh-so-clunky-website

www.geocities.com/seriph1

Just one more thing – Do yourselves a HUGE favour and take your time working through what it is you want to achieve and expect as an outcome from the projects - get clear on what's important to you and decide whether you wish to restore or renovate and how much you care about how original the place will look (mainly from the street, but inside too) after the work is done. I actually bought my Calabunga when I was only 22 but was clear about the things I wanted to do to it……yeah, right! Man how wrong I was! But eventually I got blessed clarity!

It was a wonderful steep learning curve, that added a lot of grey hairs, but I was extremely happy with the final outcome.

Buy HEAPS of books on Californian Bungalows and magazines for Period Home Renovators – devour them over and over – they are worth their weight in gold I reckon. Don’t forget too that they aren’t called Californian for nothing, so explore the American magazines too….. the wonderful Yanks have a range of magazines dedicated to homes of this period and style.

Apologies for the sermon

have fun!

namtrak · #7 26th Oct 2004, 09:00 PM

I would be inclined to do 1 room first - see how you go. Budget about $3000 all up for the room (floor, built-ins, plaster, paint).

I would also rip out the plaster and take the opportunity to not only insulate the walls but also rewiring the house. The new plasterboard will look a treat, you can also get nearly any type of profile cornice from plasterers nowadays as well. Spend some time practising your cornice cuts though!

edit: PS I'm doing exactly this tomorrow and Thursday! Also cutting out internal brick wall etc!!

glenn k · #8 26th Oct 2004, 10:14 PM

I pulled all down but one. Wish I had pulled that one down too, wasted too much time patching it up. With the plaster off you can insulate and straighten the walls. Pack the studs with wood or strips of plaster if you have windows or doors in the wall.

seriph1 I was born in Kilmore so was my great grandfather and the others.

seriph1 · #9 26th Oct 2004, 10:21 PM

well get back up here! I need a LOT of help around here and I am running out of excuses with the wife!

vsquizz · #10 26th Oct 2004, 10:35 PM

The tip about re-wiring, or at least repairing wiring is a good one, don't waste it. Find out the condition, get it checked and plan for it.

Whichever way you go with the learned advice above get the best dust protection you can manage.

Oh.. and have fun, and try not to get divorced

Cheers

jackiew · #11 27th Oct 2004, 09:10 AM

one wall of my front bedroom was boarded over by the previous occupants and the totally rotten plaster behind eventually came off of the laths ( probably loosened every time someone slammed a door ) and caused the board to bulge out.

I'd go for the rip of off the plaster.

I'd also endorse the "think about what you want to do long term" point raised earlier - no point in getting a room perfect and then realising that what you really wanted to do was knock through into the next room. This is of course my excuse for not doing heaps of things that I'd like to do for the last 18 months because I'm still thinking about what I want the end result to be

. If there is any possibility of you extending the house - up or out - then you probably don't want to commit yourself to big expense in rooms whose purpose may change totally.

jaws · #12 27th Oct 2004, 12:19 PM

If you remove the lath and plaster you will come across several problems. 1. Back then they didn't put studs at all of the intersecting wall junctions, so to reline your walls new studs will have to go in at these points. 2. the old walls will not be straight to take new plaster, solution is to plane and pack, to plane you will come across hundreds of lathe nails some will come out some will break off. 3. the door jambs will now be too wide when the 10mm plaster goes on,new door jambs, architraves and skirting.4. sometimes the flooring will be just covered by the old skirting, to strip the walls and replce with 10mm plaster you may find the new skirting won't cover the old flooring.5. the dust, the rubble, oh god the dust its more than you imagine.
These are some of the problems.
I would if the walls and ceilings can take it, sheet over, new cornice, sit the plaster on the old skirting and find/make a rebated bead to flush up the plaster/skirt junction, and fit a square bead or one to match the arch profile over the new plaster. Once painted you cant tell if the plaster was put on after.(I've done it before)
Good luck
Cheers Jaws

flat_tyre · #13 27th Oct 2004, 03:00 PM

Do it once, do it properly, remove all the old stuff straighten the walls, replace any old wiring and insulate any exterior walls.....

You will be much happier with the finished job in the longterm, especially if you are planning to live there for some time...

seriph1 · #14 27th Oct 2004, 03:30 PM

Welcome to Jaws and Flat_Tyre! All good advice and great to see new folks coming aboard in rapid succession!

JAWS

Interesting idea about placing the small insertion moulding over the skirting board - had never thought of that ..... I note your pic is on a classic Victorian/Edwardian "cusp period" skirting board - would enjoy seeing more pics of that home.

Flat_Tyre is right about doing it once and doing it right, though if it is what you decide, don't live in the home when you do it - the amount of dust and dirt is incredible, especially from the 80 or so years of ceiling dirt......

I would still say that depending on the situation, over-cladding may be a good solution - sure it means packing jambs etc. but done right, once painted they will be invisible. Wiring is another issue, though in homes of this age it is likely to have only one light switch per room and at most, 2 power outlets (often on the skirting board) so it isn’t a huge job to replace provided it is done at the same time...... Of course, additional wiring so the rooms are more liveable, will likely be required, so consideration must be given to that – if you are replastering though, it makes the electrical trades work easier as they can just gouge out where they want to run the wires.

This discussion really takes me back I have to say ...... my mid 20’s and all those weekends of utter filth – some even to do with renovating - just kidding

It is all hard work and all worthwhile, but as mentioned by Flat_Tyre, if youre going to live there a long time (ended up 20yrs in my case) do the thing that you feel is the best solution for your long term needs/satisfaction.

By the way - have you received a quote for repairing the solid plaster? One thing that folks don't often consider is that a good solid plasterer can repair walls to a high standard..... sure you may still see that it’s a solid plaster wall, but for me at least, that’s part of the appeal of old homes - too fresh and the warmth may be lost.

Let folks here know what 'burb you’re in and someone may know of a person who can quote

Above all, have fun – you’re building something!

namtrak · #15 27th Oct 2004, 05:02 PM

Jaws, I reckon there are a couple of workarounds for those probs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaws

1. Back then they didn't put studs at all of the intersecting wall junctions, so to reline your walls new studs will have to go in at these points.

Not a big drama, a cut-off saw and a nailgun can work magic!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaws

2. the old walls will not be straight to take new plaster, solution is to plane and pack, to plane you will come across hundreds of lathe nails some will come out some will break off.

Or to Batten out the walls, and to fix the plasterboard on those battens - guaranteeing straight walls. You could recess in the battens to compensate for the width of the battens (I had to do this in the ceiling because of crooked rafters)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaws

3. the door jambs will now be too wide when the 10mm plaster goes on,new door jambs, architraves and skirting.

Doesn't effect the architraves and skirting as the size only effects the width of the jams. All I have done is liquid nail a sheet of masonite to the inside of the door jams to cover the end of the plasterboard. This is all neatened up with the architraves and a thick coat of paint!! You could also replace the door jams with wider material - easy enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaws

4. sometimes the flooring will be just covered by the old skirting, to strip the walls and replce with 10mm plaster you may find the new skirting won't cover the old flooring.

Which can be accounted by battens of needed.

I like your addition to the skirting boards, I havent seen that before - looks snazzy. On the other hand though I'm not a big fan of the quad that some people add to the bottom of their skirting boards when resanding or relaying floors, I reckon the little extra work replacing the skirting boards is worth the trouble..

Cheers