went to look at the Quaker Meeting house with one of the Friends.. needs a new plaster ceiling.. but since it’s on the Historic Register, he says we have to use the old plaster techniques , wood lath, brown coat , and finish coat..
my plasterer tells me that modern plaster will not work with wood lath.. shrinks too much to tooth into the lath.. says that stripping the plaster, nailing wire lath to the wood lath and then two coating is the only solution ..
any experience with historic restoration and wood lath ?
Replies
You might post your ? at the W&C bb.
http://www.i-boards.com/bnp/wc/default.asp
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Hey Mike......email me your post.......and I'll forward it to my buddy that is/was state certified in historic carpentry.(Still is...doesn't do the state jobs anymore)
I could probably copy and save this somehow....but that seems like work.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Call another plasterer. That is just a story. I know that there are places in California where they still do plaster over lath. There is a wider array of plaster products available than ever before and many are of higher quality than anything they had in the old days. It is true that the local availability is often much more restricted than it used to be. I like to use gypsolite over lath as a scratch coat, especially on ceilings. The lighter weight helps to keep it in place. Personally I think it is harder to cover metal lath on ceilings than wood lath ... the suction caused by the woods ability to absorb moisture helps to hold the base coat up. In any case the old time scratch coats were mostly lime sand and cement. They didn't really use plaster until the brown and finish coats ... they still do it that way. So what would the "new plasters" have to do with anything? Furthermore plasters (both modern and old) do not shrink as they set ... they swell. The expansion is small and usually can be ignored but in some places (such as where a doorjamb meets a long wall surface) you have to remember to leave a bit of room for that expansion. On ceilings I think it best to use a three coat system, scratch coat, brown coat, and finish coat. The gypsolite works well for the scratch coat. I like to add some finish plaster and lime along with the gypsolite or to use structo lite (which is finer grained) for the brown coat. My advice is to discuss your plan with your customer and get his approval in advance. Perhaps he will want to stick with traditional recipes. If so the job will be more difficult and less durable ... but if he knows that it's his right to choose. I might add that I don't normally use a scratch knife (though I have one) I usually put up the gypsolite with a wood or sponge float and it has a sufficiently coarse surface for good bonding without scratching. If you are in doubt about adherence to any area of your substrate use a rewettable glue before coating (this works for repairs and second or finish coats too).
Edited 3/19/2003 9:17:16 PM ET by Clay
You're being snowed. Get a second and a third opinion, check references if you have to, go see their work if you feel compelled. I just met a guy today through a friend who's been doing plaster for 20 years. He's so old school he couldn't even tell me what he thought of blueboard. "Never used it". Is he any good? Dunno. He got hired to do our state capitol building last year.
" An example from the monkey: The higher it climbs, the more you see of its behind." Saint Bonaventure
Mike
I use "Structolite" as my first coat and it works like a charm. Its light (hence the name) and its a gypsum product..not to mention easy to work with and cheap.
I then go over that the next day with Durobond and then plaster mixed with milk and water or vinegar and water to retard the drying time.
Be retarded
Namaste
andy
"As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can't see how it is."
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Mike
I'm starting a job on a 300 yr old house in MA.
I'm putting up furring strips around the windows so
the sheetrockers can come in! It is allowed by the towns
Historical commity!
Good Luck!
GOD BLESS ALL
Does anyone have a good source for horsehair for the horsehair plaster mix?
:o)
Horses!!! <g> Seriously though it wasn't stictly horse hair most often it was animal hair from cattle etc
prun
Got me a 323 year ol' house I just bought on LI in NY....if ya ever wanna swap infor lemmie know
BE old and in need of restoration
Namaste
Old Andy
"As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can't see how it is." http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Mike,
No reason at all why wood lathe wouldn't work. I did one in 1997, went and looked at it about 3 months ago and it still looks great.
The secret is USG Red-Top brand wood fiber plaster. The wood fiber does everything the old "horsehair" plaster could do and more.
I think we used about 18 shovels of sand per bag for the scratch, a little less for the brown. You'll have to experiment.
This stuff is very sensitive to the quality of the sand. It has to be clean plaster sand or it will bloom (efflorescence).
Go with a scratch coat, a brown coat, and any finish plaster you like.
I don't agree with using the lightweight aggregate plasters for this application. There's nothing wrong with them, they just aren't the strongest and easiest way to go.
DRC