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patching plaster voids along oak post…

| Posted in General Discussion on August 9, 2000 05:01am

*
I have an oak-framed braced frame house. The real plaster walls covering have shrunk over 20 years, and I would like to fill these voids before I repaint the plaster.

I need a nifty tool for filling voids between the aok members and the graycoat plaster on the wall surfaces between the oak members.
Ideally, I see a caulking gun like cartridge that I can stuff with patching plaster (stiff enough to stay in the void – up to about 3/8″ wide and similarily deep).

Do anybody know where I can find such an animal? ….. Or know of a suitable substitute?

Tanks for your time!

abh

Reply

Replies

  1. Guest_ | Aug 04, 2000 04:03am | #1

    *
    Ask a baker about one of those frosting decorating bags that they use. Maybe get them to show you how it'll work on those cracks. Read a post a while back that mentioned plasterers using a bag just like that. And you bring the donuts. Best of luck.

    1. Guest_ | Aug 04, 2000 07:25pm | #2

      *Just a standard refillable caulking gun will do the job. Most good contractor supply stores carry them. You can order different tips as well, so you reach into corners and hard to reach places.They look like a grease gun, but with a standard tip instead. You open the front end and pull back the plunger and fill her up.Gabe

      1. Guest_ | Aug 04, 2000 11:00pm | #3

        *Check with your local masory supplier; I believe there is a "mortar" bag available which works along the lines of what calvin suggested.Presumably, the gap is from shrinkage of the posts and beams over the years. Question: how much expansion/contraction is there now from winter to summer? (E.g., you might see some additional gaps as humidity levels go down during winter.)Bob

        1. Guest_ | Aug 05, 2000 07:20pm | #4

          *Try "Grout Bags" at a brickyard. These are the bakers decorating bags but much, much larger and made for mortar.I've also seen a pointing tool that's looks like an electric drill with a hopper on top. Instead of a drill bit, there's a tube where the mortar comes out. Some sort of auger. Don't know who makes it.

          1. Guest_ | Aug 08, 2000 12:18am | #5

            *b TVMDCDunn Edwards is now producing an elastomeric patch in both smooth and textured and they are put-up both in plastic tubs and standard cartridges for gun application. I would be inclided to use and elastomeric rather than any type of plaster since, as stated above, humidity/temperature changes will cause continual expansion/contraction: plaster would simply shrink or break.

          2. Guest_ | Aug 08, 2000 03:34am | #6

            *Bill- Do you have any more info on this product? I have a 15 y/o timber frame, and the drywall/structural member joint look like shit now. At time of construction, someone slathered extra mud at these intersections to deal with the issue. NOw, after much drying, and movement, there at little mounts of extra drywall mud AND gaps. I was thinking about using painters caulk, but this sounds better.

          3. Guest_ | Aug 08, 2000 05:16am | #7

            *b TVMDCMessi, Your joints are probably butt joints, i.e., plaster against the wood. I would 1st cut a groove in the wood so that when you patch, the patching compound will pack into the groove. The best tool for this is a groove gutter used for kerfing doors for snap-in weather stripping . . . probably available for rent from your local door specialty supplier. This technique is like using a plaster ground around a door or window to receive stucco.2nd, Dunn Edwards is a Los Angeles-based paint manufacturer and while they extensive west coast distribution, they may not be in your area. Call 213-771-3330 for info on distribution and brochures. If you can't get it, let me know and I'll send you a tube (smooth or textured?).

          4. Guest_ | Aug 09, 2000 12:56am | #8

            *we had a lot of success using expanding foam.. then after it cures, cutting it flush, covering with mesh tape ( or paper if you prefer)..and spackling or patching with durabond.....

          5. Guest_ | Aug 09, 2000 05:01am | #10

            *b TVMDCA really simple solution would be to tack some molding onto the beams to cover the gap. It would p[robably be cheaper, too.

  2. Arnold_Hawk | Aug 09, 2000 05:01am | #9

    *
    I have an oak-framed braced frame house. The real plaster walls covering have shrunk over 20 years, and I would like to fill these voids before I repaint the plaster.

    I need a nifty tool for filling voids between the aok members and the graycoat plaster on the wall surfaces between the oak members.
    Ideally, I see a caulking gun like cartridge that I can stuff with patching plaster (stiff enough to stay in the void - up to about 3/8" wide and similarily deep).

    Do anybody know where I can find such an animal? ..... Or know of a suitable substitute?

    Tanks for your time!

    abh

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