Best way to plaster this partition wall?

Tom. · 11 Jan 2008

Should I pull the lats off and plasterboard it, or can I use plasterboard over the lats, or should I just do as the original builder did and plaster the entire wall using the lats?

The lats are fairly uneven in places although generally the wall is quite straight.

roughcaster · 11 Jan 2008

Do you know what Tom, I would love to plaster that wall back onto the original lath. More often than not it's just a patch that comes along, but a while ago,I did a ceiling onto the original lath (the whole ceiling) because the man didn't want a sheet of plasterboard near it. There's a bit of work involved, but you end up with as near to the original as you can get. Modern plasters maybe (bonding coat/multi finish), but still lath and plaster. It doesn't matter if the laths are uneven because the thickness of plaster will take care of that. As long as the laths are in good condition, no woodworm, rot, and the nails are sound,(you can put more in anyway, galvanised). Ensure the gaps between the laths are free from debris, just poke any bits through with a screwdriver etc, or give the laths a tap gently with a hammer just to clear them, and it is always a good idea to take off the bottom 5 or 6 laths or more,depends, along the length of the wall and clean away anything that has dropped down.YOU TOM seem to have a BIG build up of muck in your wall which can cause you future damp problems, so you can clean it out this way and fix the laths back on. Another thing that I always do to old lath is give it a good wet down with a brush,over and over again from top to bottom, just brushing on water to let the laths absorb the water after years of being bone dry. Old dry wooden lath will swell up and can crack the plaster. When i'm all prepared, i'll put my levels on the wall, pva the laths,and cover the whole wall with a coat of bonding plaster and then build up my working screed, and after that, plaster the wall as you would normally. I also use a lot of jute scrim, especially on old lath, and will ALWAYS bed it into the plaster from floor to ceiling,about every 6 inches apart,right the way across the wall, breaking up the straight lines between the lath, another paranoid precaution against cracking by swelling lath, it's just my way. When the wall is finished and painted,it's as good and strong as it was all those years ago, and will last for generations.

Roughcaster.

joe-90 · 11 Jan 2008

Has the poster any experience in plastering? If not - call a pro. If yes - why do you need to ask?

noseall · 11 Jan 2008

well done joe.

joe-90 · 11 Jan 2008

Why thank you noseall.

Tom. · 11 Jan 2008

No experience of plastering myself other than patching here and there.

I was asking because if it was plasterboard I could save a bob or two and do half the work myself before getting someone to skim it.

If its better to not use plasterboard then I'll probably employ a pro.

iaith · 12 Jan 2008

Roughcasters post is excellent, but if you want to save a few quid, rip the laths off, nail or screw plasterboard onto the wooden studs, and then call someone in to skim it, or have a go yourself, and call someone in to skim on top of your effort if your not happy with the finish. good luck.

Micilin · 12 Jan 2008

roughcaster said:
Do you know what Tom, I would love to plaster that wall back onto the original lath. More often than not it's just a patch that comes along, but a while ago,I did a ceiling onto the original lath (the whole ceiling) because the man didn't want a sheet of plasterboard near it. There's a bit of work involved, but you end up with as near to the original as you can get. Modern plasters maybe (bonding coat/multi finish), but still lath and plaster. It doesn't matter if the laths are uneven because the thickness of plaster will take care of that. As long as the laths are in good condition, no woodworm, rot, and the nails are sound,(you can put more in anyway, galvanised). Ensure the gaps between the laths are free from debris, just poke any bits through with a screwdriver etc, or give the laths a tap gently with a hammer just to clear them, and it is always a good idea to take off the bottom 5 or 6 laths or more,depends, along the length of the wall and clean away anything that has dropped down.YOU TOM seem to have a BIG build up of muck in your wall which can cause you future damp problems, so you can clean it out this way and fix the laths back on. Another thing that I always do to old lath is give it a good wet down with a brush,over and over again from top to bottom, just brushing on water to let the laths absorb the water after years of being bone dry. Old dry wooden lath will swell up and can crack the plaster. When i'm all prepared, i'll put my levels on the wall, pva the laths,and cover the whole wall with a coat of bonding plaster and then build up my working screed, and after that, plaster the wall as you would normally. I also use a lot of jute scrim, especially on old lath, and will ALWAYS bed it into the plaster from floor to ceiling,about every 6 inches apart,right the way across the wall, breaking up the straight lines between the lath, another paranoid precaution against cracking by swelling lath, it's just my way. When the wall is finished and painted,it's as good and strong as it was all those years ago, and will last for generations.

Roughcaster.

I was wondering if the fibres you add to screed , like TDP ,could be used as an alternative to horsehair for a wall like this - any thoughts ?

Also a great way of sorting out cracking (or the fear of it

) is the mesh used for renders , 1000mm or 1200 wide, like those made by Weber or Sto.

Tom. · 18 Jan 2008

I think I'll give it a go myself. Its not a massively important wall and plastering is a skill I'd like to develop. I've had a go around the house a few times with mixed results.

So I start off with bonding plaster up to the depth of the levels/guides, then I remove those guides and fill the slots in right? What layers are used after that?

diyisfree · 21 Jan 2008

I also like traditional plastering BUT sometimes if it has gone as far as that then I would board.

If that is a stud wall (think it is) then maybe this is the time to add a little rockwool for both sound and thermal insulation whilest you are at it.

diynot

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Best way to plaster this partition wall?

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