re-plaster or drywall? quick poll

[rubes2112]

I'm hoping I can get some advice from other older home owners out there who've faced a similar decision. My 1890 victorian still has a few rooms with horsehair plaster. Those rooms have layers of old wallpaper over the plaster which we've taken down. The plaster is noticeably cracked in places with some depressions, holes and other abnormalities. Which one of these solutions do you think I should choose and why?

1. Repair cracks/holes/keys and skim coat over it.
2. Demo all the walls and put drywall or blueboard up.
3. Put 1/4 inch drywall over the plaster walls (although this will make the window/door trims flush with the walls :-(

We've heard varying opinions from contractors and we're just so confused. What would you do and why?

Thanks!

[JC]

I owned a house with plaster and did the same as you regarding stripping off lots and lots of wallpaper. I also worked on a friends home where we demo'd the plaster and lathe and replaced with drywall. It is my opinion to fix the plaster as it is the least messy and time consuming.

A few things to consider. Covering it with 3/8" drywall seems easy, but having to create "packouts" for the door/window casings to re-establish the proper look is a real pain. Demoloshing the plaster is a real mess. That being said, it is really up to the look you want in the end.

If you are going to repair, just make sure you widen the cracks enough that the new plaster will mate well with the established wall. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

[mrcaptainbob]

Taking down all that plaster and lath would certainly be messy and time taking! However....could that be an opportunity to update/revise electrical? Insulation in any outside walls? Sound insulation in room walls? Heat a/c duct rework? Any plumbing needs? You could cover a lot of issues all at once...maybe even revise the windows for better heat loss control?

[Troy]

Repairing the plaster would certainly be easiest, but I agree with Captain Bob. Take the opportunity to make other upgrades and put in drywall. What is the ceiling? Do you have molding?

[rubes2112]

Plumbing is all set. We're not updating the heat (steam radiaters) and we just had the knob & tube wiring upgraded a few weeks ago in that room. All the windows in the house were replaced a year before we moved in. Not sure about the insulation in the walls yet. Although one of the outside walls has beaverboard over the plaster (window trim is flush with that). We're definitely taking that down regardless of what we choose to do.


Troy, the ceiling is plaster (with big cracks). I think we've already decided to put drywall right over that. We have window/door trim that we don't want to lose. No crown molding as of yet (although definitely in our short-term plans. And we'd like to put a chair rail up as well.

One more thing that I didn't mention before: The plaster is very rough with almost a sandpaper quality. Is that normal for old plaster or is it a sign that it should come down?

Thanks for all of your opinions! I think we're leaning towards skimcoating over everything (except the ceiling) but we want to make sure we're making the right decision.

(by the way, we're not going to be doing any of the work ourselves. Maybe the next project room but not this one)

[mrcaptainbob]

Those large cracks in the ceiling concern me. If it's wet plaster/lath up there, I wonder how it was secured to the ceiling joists. I doubt they used ringshank or drive screws back then! So...Is it possible that part of that ceiling is pulling away from the 2x's? Check with a tight string all along the wall/ceiling corner from one room side to the other to see if there's any sagging. Plus, the added weight of what ever you plan on putting up. Even the thinnest sheet rock, with a couple coats of paint, and a few pounds of screw will add a lot! ($.02)