Saw a Bob Vila episode this weekend, and they were plastering the inside of a new house. The first hung blueboard (?) which looks just like sheetrock, then applied a skim coat of plaster over the entire wall. The craftsman said they try for about a 1/4″ thick. So here’s the question…why do they use that technique when the sheetrock with taped seams is so much faster? What’s the advantage? Or is it just the old style and some people like it that way?
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Plaster and sheet rock do not take paint the same way. There is a difference in the end result. The plaster wall will give a "smoother" finish. They are usually tagged with higher end houses. Not only for the finish but for the installation price.
It is a matter of taste vs budget. For my humble abode, sheet rock works well enough. However one house I worked in as a youngin', I would not consider anything else but plaster walls. Skim coat removes the possibility of ever seeing the joint. (If the skim coat is done right)
Plus, the plaster is a harder finish. Won't ding and dent like SR.
I saw that and Bob said that custom homes don't use drywall anymore. Around here plaster is scarce. Bob must have been talking about the east coast.
A few years ago some folks chined in here about plaster in parts of the east coast that the skim-coat plaster had become so popular that the cost was almost equal to drywall.
Big advantages of skim coat plaster:
- harder surface
- some find that the house is quieter due to the density of the wall
- no dust (a HUGE advantage when working in occupied space)
- faster! no, really. A pro can do an application in one day, where a drywall job (done correctly) takes several return visits to mud and sand, and sand.
But, in parts of the country where blue board + skim have not caught on (yet?) the cost increase is big.
In my 1926 house, I have both plaster over wood lath, and plaster over two kinds of gypsum board. One has black paper and holes thru it to let the plaster key. The other has light brown paper and no holes. This stuff was put up in strips about 12 - 16" wide, with about 1/4" gaps to allow for plaster keys. When I demo it, I find no other nail holes than the ones that held the gyp board, so this stuff is original. The gyp board was used in the stairwell and behind the water heaters, the rest is wood lath. It looks like this builder was experimenting with what was then a new idea.
The plaster over old gyp board has held up extremely well, better than over wood lath. The wood lath shrinks, the keys break off. But the plaster adheres well to the old paper, even severely water damaged parts don't de-laminate. There are no cracks in the gyp board areas, unlike the wood lath.
Down through the years, unfortunately, the stairwell had a very bad wallpaper job (overlapping) followed by a few coats of paint. The result looks like a really bad drywall job. I plan to use USG RockLath and plaster for my new surfaces.
-- J.S.
Here in southwest Virginia, a lot of builders still use plaster. Along with the other advantages already mentioned, you don't have to paint it, if you like white, and it gives it's own unique effect when textured. I'm planning to use it for the new ceiling in my living room.
Dave
I stumbled across this discussion and found it very interesting. In the Atlanta area, I am not aware of anyone who plasters an entire house. Do any of you know of any books that describe the process in detail?
ChrisA
> Do any of you know of any books that describe the process in detail?
"Plastering Skills" by F. Van Den Branden and Thomas L. Hartsell, 543 pages. ISBN 0-8269-0657-5
Published by American Technical Publishers, Inc, Homewood, IL, 60430.
First published in 1953, and revised in '71 and '84, it still includes wood lath, and lots of the photos seem to be from the first version. I'm not sure if I got it from Taunton or Builder's Bookstore. I haven't given it a thorough read yet, since I'm still doing rough framing. But it does look like a good one.
-- J.S.
John, thanks. I actually saw that book mentioned on Amazon.com, and it had good reviews. ChrisA
Bob must have been talking about the east coast.
Has Bob ever left the East Coast?
when i started in '75... everything in RI was drywall.. skim-coat came in early '80's from CT. now the only drywall is commercial work..
skim-coat is faster and not much more than drywall.. the mess is easier to contain... the finish is superior.. and the cost currently is about $1.25 labor & materialsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
And as you and I have traded notes on once before, here in Western NC, it's $4 or $5/sf labor only if you can find someone who'll schedule you.
Has Bob ever left the East Coast?
The question should be- "Has Bob ever left Pluto?"
'Cause he's way the ______ out there!
I think Bob has taken a big trip a time or two.
Aint plasterin` here either Mark!J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Personally, I find renovating dry wall a lot simpler than plaster. But I must admit, I prefer the look of plaster - it has ambience. enjoy the day, h.