I am familiar with more traditional methods of lath & plaster repair, although I have never worked with horsehair as an additive to basecoat plaster. ![]() I have no doubt that these methods and materials work, and can produce good results. ![]() It should not be surprising, then, that folks who are out in the field doing remodeling, repair work, or new house construction, would be more familiar with sheetrock, and also be highly skilled with joint compound, used to finish off a sheet rock repair. In case no one has noticed, the world of homebuilding has moved away from lath & plaster, to sheetrock. I do smaller repairs using 20 minute compound so the entire job can be finished in a few hours. A few drywall screws will hold it in position tightly until the compound sets. Rough cut it to fit flat on the lath, coat the back with Durabond, moisten the lath with a spray bottle, and slap the piece in place. It is more of a material saver, and avoids the need for fibered base coat. No attempt is made to make the drywall patch conform to an odd shaped opening tightly. You could actually fiber the Durabond and add sand for use as a base coat (I still occasionally do this in an emergency by using fiberglass insulation and builders sand). Like plaster it hardens by chemical reaction, not loss of moisture. If excessive water is added to try and delay setting (a common beginner mistake) all plasters can exhibit excessive shrinkage (and some will crack during drying).ĭurabond is a more modern version of gypsum plaster with longer working times (over 120 minutes or as short as 20 minutes if you have a small job or can work very quickly). Base coat is available in 50 and 100 pound bags, and is a PITA to mix and use without power mixing (even with retarder added). Faster setting produces a stronger plaster. Red Top Wood Fiber Plaster is a common product. It may be applied as thick as is necessary, and it will not crack or shrink." "Basecoat plaster is ordinarily purchased premixed, with retarder included, so you only add water and stir. Adding fiber strengthens the base coat and allows the keys to form correctly. What is missing from the above instructions are the use of retarder to get more than about 10-15 minutes of working time, fiber for re-enforcement, the fact that you need 3 layers over wood lath for an effective repair (a fibered base coat, a rough scratch coat, and then a final finish coat) and that many of the items are only available in larger cities and in 50 pound bags. A correctly done repair will be invisible after painted. I can install plaster from scratch, but generally perform repairs using drywall for fill and Durabond for top coating. You can also top coat the repair usbg regular pre-mixed drywall mud, and then wet sand to avoid filling the room with drywall dust if you cannot strike a smooth enough finish with a drywall knife. Neither material shrinks appreciably if mixed about as thick as peanut butter. Easysand is not quite as strong (but still more than adequate) and can be sanded if you overfill. If you have some experience Durabond is stronger, but cannot be sanded (it is about as hard as old plaster). You can also repair a limited area by removing all the loose plaster, fastening a sheet of inch drywall to the lath (assuming it is wood), and filing the rest of the area to flush with Easysand or Durabond. There should be no place where the base-Ĭoat plaster stands proud of the existing wall.Ħ: After the basecoat plaster cures, in four hours or so, Or scraper, dish the repair, so that it looks like a Into the spaces between the lath, where it will hardenĥ: Carefully scrape the boundary of the repair, to removeĮxcess plaster from the existing wall. Use a hand held spray bottle forģ: Mix about four cups of dry basecoat plaster withĮnough water to reach a stiff paste consistency.Ĥ: Apply plaster to the lath, with a plaster trowel orĪ three inch scraper. ![]() The procedure for base coat application is quite simple, so I will start with this process.ġ: remove old plaster, and remove residual plaster fromĢ: Spray the exposed wood lath with plain tap water, until They will likely not be willing to sell you one pound bags, so you will end up with more than you need. You will have to locate a supplier for basecoat plaster, finish lime, gauging plaster, and retarder. It's not too hard to repair a one square foot area of missing plaster.
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