Lath And Plaster Ceiling Repair

In older homes.

Lath and plaster ceiling repair.

Traditional lath and plaster ceilings and walls or lathe and plaster depending on your spelling really add to the charm and feel of living in a period house unfortunately lath plaster is prone to cracking sagging or even partially falling down. This creates a horizontal working surface that allows the plaster to bind to it to give your walls a lasting surface. When originally installed wood lathe was nailed to the ceiling joists. What old house owner doesn t have a cracking or sagging plaster ceiling in need of repair somewhere.

To avoid cracking the plaster and creating an even bigger repair job don t pull the plaster tight to the lath in a single motion. Prior to the widespread use of drywall after world war ii most walls and ceilings were constructed using a lath and plaster system. Step by step guide to making dust sorry i mean fixing up your lath and plaster ceiling. One option is to cut out the damaged area and install a 3 8 thick sheet of blue board and plaster.

Before doing any plaster ceiling repair make sure to setup drop clothes and wear eye protection. Lath is the name for the narrow boards of varying widths that are fixed to the timbers inside your walls. Steps for patching a plaster and lathe ceiling. Here s a quick list of the tools and supplies you ll need.

Using plaster magic prevents having to skim the entire ceiling because it uses a very effective adhesive to reattach the plaster to the lathe meaning no permanent plaster washers. To reattach the sagging plaster to the lath drive the washer with a power screwdriver or drill so that it penetrates the wood lath wall studs or ceiling joists. A lath and plaster ceiling can be left in place and over boarded with plasterboard using long drywall screws through the existing lath and plaster into the joists not ideal but quite commonly done. Plaster mixed with horsehair or goat hair was then forced onto the lathe forming a key that holds it to the lathe.

You will hear this option discussed a lot and for many it is considered the only option mostly to avoid the horrible mess created.