Plastered

[Ace-Garageguy]

1/4" sheetrock over badly deteriorating plaster sounds a lot like slapping fiberglass and bondo over heavy rust on a car. Sure, I've seen it done hundreds of times (on cars), but it's just not a quality or permanent repair...though lotsa folks seem to think it is.

1/4" sheetrock, though "stiff", isn't structural, and depending on how well you're able to get it attached (the rock needs to be secured to stud-centers...and if the plaster is crumbling, lumpy, etc. this can be frustrating, and you can end up with ugly, wavy walls), you might be fine. Then again, as the plaster continues to deteriorate, it could conceivably move around enough to cause lumps and bulges and waves in the rock. Do you want to risk that?

My 3rd-to-last house was in a historical part of town, built in the mid-1800s. I removed and replaced the crumbling plaster, reluctantly, with 1/2" sheetrock, one room at a time. The framing was remarkably square and straight. Hauled everything to the dump in my own pickup, so the disposal expense was minimal. Tearout isn't particularly difficult if you're not above working up a sweat. I had pros put up and tape the rock. Almost all the wiring was surface-mounted, as it was added well after the house was built. What was visible was replaced with modern equipment that looked like the original stuff, and everything hidden was brought up to code.

I certainly don't claim to be a "pro" (and I'm not arguing with Steve, as he's obviously done a whole lot more wall work than I have), but I've done enough renovation to have a reasonably valid opinion. In general, I tend to favor removing any compromised material, whether rotted wood, crumbling plaster, bad roofing, or rusted steel, and replacing it with sound new stuff. The house I'm in now is a victim of every previous repair and "upgrade" done on the cheap. It's a disaster, everything I open up is worse than the last mess I fixed, and I've decided to terminate the renovation and move on.

EDIT: Just FYI, not too long ago, there were some issues with bad offshore-made sheetrock. Odd, chemical smells, outgassing causing corrosion in wiring and connectors, etc. You might want to look into that before you make a material purchase.

 

Edited September 13, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[Tom Geiger]

The last renovation I did... It's always best to go down to the studs and replace everything.  This one was originally 1950s sheet rock with old poor insulation and fabric covered old wiring.  I decided to replace everything.  So it has new efficient insulation, and all new code wiring. It's pretty much a new house.

I will agree with Bill to outsource the sheet rock.  I've done it myself and it was a lot of back breaking work and I could still see my tape lines no matter how hard I tried.  On this house I hired a crew and they knocked it out in a matter of days.  I would've been a month or more of my available time. And their finishing was perfect!  Worth every cent!  In fact in my case, this was a vacant property so the time differential vs mortgage payments, I probably was even cost wise.

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by Tom Geiger

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 9/13/2019 at 11:16 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

1/4" sheetrock over badly deteriorating plaster sounds a lot like slapping fiberglass and bondo over heavy rust on a car. Sure, I've seen it done hundreds of times (on cars), but it's just not a quality or permanent repair...though lotsa folks seem to think it is.

1/4" sheetrock, though "stiff", isn't structural, and depending on how well you're able to get it attached (the rock needs to be secured to stud-centers...and if the plaster is crumbling, lumpy, etc. this can be frustrating, and you can end up with ugly, wavy walls), you might be fine. Then again, as the plaster continues to deteriorate, it could conceivably move around enough to cause lumps and bulges and waves in the rock. Do you want to risk that?

My 3rd-to-last house was in a historical part of town, built in the mid-1800s. I removed and replaced the crumbling plaster, reluctantly, with 1/2" sheetrock, one room at a time. The framing was remarkably square and straight. Hauled everything to the dump in my own pickup, so the disposal expense was minimal. Tearout isn't particularly difficult if you're not above working up a sweat. I had pros put up and tape the rock. Almost all the wiring was surface-mounted, as it was added well after the house was built. What was visible was replaced with modern equipment that looked like the original stuff, and everything hidden was brought up to code.

I certainly don't claim to be a "pro" (and I'm not arguing with Steve, as he's obviously done a whole lot more wall work than I have), but I've done enough renovation to have a reasonably valid opinion. In general, I tend to favor removing any compromised material, whether rotted wood, crumbling plaster, bad roofing, or rusted steel, and replacing it with sound new stuff. The house I'm in now is a victim of every previous repair and "upgrade" done on the cheap. It's a disaster, everything I open up is worse than the last mess I fixed, and I've decided to terminate the renovation and move on.

EDIT: Just FYI, not too long ago, there were some issues with bad offshore-made sheetrock. Odd, chemical smells, outgassing causing corrosion in wiring and connectors, etc. You might want to look into that before you make a material purchase.

 

3/8 inch sheet rock would be a better option than 1/4 for strength, but wall thickness is also a consideration for when doors and the like need to be re-installed.

I can understand how rocking over plasterer might sound like a bad idea, but believe someone who fed his family on drywall for over 25 years, it works.

It might not be the ultimate solution, but when one considers the mess and expense of removing old lathe and plaster, it might be well worth it to consider rocking over it instead.

It will probably not be as permanent as ripping all of the old out and replacing it, but it will hold up for many years, most likely longer than any of us here have left on this planet.

 

Basically think of it as adding another layer of ‘plaster over the old.

With the added strength of the paper, it will hold the old plaster in place for a very long time.

 

 

Steve

[Tom Geiger]

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

It will probably not be as permanent as ripping all of the old out and replacing it, but it will hold up for many years, most likely longer than any of us here have left on this planet

And someone in the distant future will be cursing you out, same as we feel about those kids in the early 1960s who glued skirts on models we’re trying to restore 

[StevenGuthmiller]

4 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

And someone in the distant future will be cursing you out, same as we feel about those kids in the early 1960s who glued skirts on models we’re trying to restore 

Probably, but we can't always worry about someone in the future.

Some times we need to worry about the here and now, and what is best for ones self.

 

If this is a house that you plan on selling somewhere down the road in the not too distant future, considerations need to be made about expenses as well.

You will very likely never recoup the cost of tearing out old walls and replacing them with new.

It might be a selling point to be able to advertise that the work has been done, but it's kind of like renovating a kitchen.

You might spend thousands of dollars re-modeling a kitchen, but you are going to have a very difficult time getting that money back when you sell.

Everyone expects a kitchen and walls when they buy a house, and while they might appreciate the fact that you have completely renovated portions of the home, they are not gong to open their check book a whole lot wider for the work put in when it comes down to brass tacks.

If it looks good, that's all that the average home buyer cares about.

 

We also need to take into consideration that depending upon the age of the construction, there is the possibility that the plaster may contain asbestos.

Not likely, but it is possible.

 

 

Steve