Plaster & Lathe Walls - Plasterboard over or remove?

Namtrak,

I second your thoughts. You are not suggesting a workaround at all. ;)

Putting plasterboard over a warped frame wall with damaged plaster and laths is asking for a less than good result. :o

The dirty bit is done in a weekend at the most and then as you sugesst just do what you need to do. Packing studs and noggins is easy with string lines set to where you want the finished surface to be. Much better than having a wavy wall and workarounds that are not the real thing. As a matter of interest modern lighting has a remarkable ability to show things like wavy walls up. :eek:

FWIW

Thanks for the welcome Steve, I agree with FT re stripping and redoing up to a point,I don't think it is the only 'proper' way to tackle the problem (with all due respect FT). every job has its own unique features. This one we were fortunate to have wide (as in thick)architraves so when the bead went on, the extra 10mm on the walls didn't take away from the look of the arch.The jambs, archs and skirts were original and in good condition, so it would have been a waste of good material to remove them and probably have to use mdf to replace.we also rewired by punching holes thru the old plaster where needed.It would have been nice to insulate the walls but thats a trade off I guess,beside its got double plaster now.:)
This photo shows the finished arch bead and skirt insertion mould all painted up.
cheers
John

nice job - baltic floors have come up a treat too! In the USA "trim carpenters" are responsible for all the final bits - the wonderful Yanks do a huge amount of trim carpentry in their homes and it is actually similar to what you did ..... they take square cut board and dress it up with all the fiddly bits to make the final thing - you have all probably seen their treatment on windows and doors. Personally, I like the idea but am glad each time I grab a piece of "complete" skirt or ark and simply fix it

:)

John, where is your place and how old is it?

Steve, I'm a pro builder, this house was built about 1914 a pretty solid house which we renovated completely, I guess thats why I said every situation is different, its not a one off for us, so we alter each job to suit the circumstances, condition of house,what we are trying to acheive, clients budget and our own desire to do a good job.
Being a builder on this forum for me is being in contact with people with ideas, I am learning every day even after 30 years as a builder. I wont disrespect anyone because of their experience or lack of, I'll just put my views and enjoy the comments.
Cheers to all
John
by the way we did strip some lathes, make sure you cover up and use a hose to keep the dust down.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaws

I don't think it is the only 'proper' way to tackle the problem (with all due respect FT). every job has its own unique features.

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None taken, I have always found it easier to start from scratch with plastering, as with most things prep is the key, spend a bit of time with that and the rest follows easily and "usually" gives a better result.

But as you say all jobs are different....

" Hi all ", have been a lurker for awhile now, there is some very interesting reading on this forum !!! :-D

Great attitude john! Would be keen to see more pics of your home - being that age it will have Vic. features as well as Edwardian.... I just can't get enough of periiod architecture - not all of it of course, but a lot! Australian colonial through to Callabunga's - oh and while I think of it, if you happen to have any sexy shots of 1960's cream brick veneers ........ keep em! :)

Do you have time to watch This Old House and New Yankee Workshop etc. on paytv? Those types of shows often have brilliant ideas, especially when compared to our relatively low-end shows here.

Also folks, feel free to PM me if youre looking for period (or reproduction) bits - over the years I have developed some good contacts that I am happy to share.

After my episode of revoving plaster and larthes, i would say, remove the plaser and use the lathes for gluing the plaster board sheets too. On average the old plaster was around 10mm so there should not be any problems attaching anf finishing the architrave.
If you want a sucker to remove the stuff, i would be glad to do it for $1000 including the removal of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beep Beep

We want to make this house look "new again".

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When you say new do you mean new like an apartment or new as in restored?
Plasterboard has a very mechanically straight look to it that might look a bit incongruous if youre planning to leave the other stuff original. Ive got a Melbourne house built in 1905 with lath plaster walls and I prefer the "hand finished" look that the wood floated walls have. Theres plenty of old books available about plastering - you could run your own simple cornices too but thats probably going a bit crazy. Then again some of those bungalows were originally lined with fibrous plaster sheets so it would no doubt look good anyway. Just a thought.

Steve, I have seen 'this old house' but that new guy annoys the hell out me with his "whats that all about" line every 2 minutes.The old show was better, but they seem to get side tracked a lot and show less building work now, I've pretty much given up on it.
One show I did enjoy on pay was 'Real Renos' wiil Jim Carek the cameras followed him thru various jobs and got both views, client and builder, on how things were going, I could relate to that one.
Cheers
John

take guy's offer! take guy's offer

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Guy, I reckon at a grand it's bloody cheap!

Jaws - Hear you loud and clear ..... the TOH team got a pasting for the Bermuda project - full of crap about Bermuda's history, which is all good for getaway, but last time I checked I watch TOH to GET BUILDING INSPIRATION!!!!!!!! Not to decide where I want to go for my next holiday (which happens to be, my shed)

So what they have done for their next show will be interesting - they have actually bought the building theyre renovating. Also, in the States they have off-shoot shows called Ask This Old House, where readers and viewers get their queries about the fineries of building, answered. I don't mind the visits to places like Crown City Hardware and the like as they show how repairs and restorations of period fittings are done - http://www.restoration.com/index.html

In addition, the show has gone to one hour, enabling greater detail to be given.

I know the Jim Carick show well .... the HUGE difference between this and TOH is that it's Canadian and therefore more true to life I feel. I love 'em all and can't get enough of them. Before and After is another - Renovations, still U.S., but with an Aussie host is another (neither of which I have seen this year though) The House That John Built was a British one on Discovery Channel, Sunday arvo's - the guy was renovating a 17th century home - very real and very interesting.

Funny, but in my first posts to this forum I asked for feedback regarding an opportunity I have to create an Aussie show all about making quality timber furniture - the response was not what I had hoped, and I fear that may be an indication of the Australian market for such a show. May pursue it further next year after my colleague has sorted out some things he needs to do.

cheers

Capedcrusader (IF that's your real name) :) makes an excellent point again about what level of freshness you wish to achieve. Too often someone will buy a stunning old table from a country farm sale and then set about "restoring" it. only to bring it so far back to new that once done, the item has lost its appeal. I must take some pics of my mates home where we repaired the solid plaster..... I believe the (only slightly) visible repairs and "imperfections" in the plastering gave it added character, or at least didnt destroy the character that was there - nearly destroyed the two characters who did the job though! But it was a great learning experience.

Friends have resurfaced their plaster & lathe walls (hairline cracks, otherwise reasonable condition) with gyprock glued directly on to plaster. It's been up about 3-4 years now and no problems have developed (as yet).

Yes, Jaws is right: Do what is right for the job. I apply this principle when developing websites. I hear people say a lot about I only ever use Product X because Product Y is useless etc, but I just talk to the client about their brief (as opposed to briefs), their budget and ongoing management - and then use whatever is the most appropriate 'tool' for the job. Same goes for home renos, do what is right for the job.

And Seriph, it all comes down to taste. My taste is reflected in my bias for starting from scratch, but as you say - my preference can be at the expense of 'character'.

Apologies for the OT all but ......

namtrak - I would love to see some of your webwork! In November I am doing a Dreamweaver course - very excited about it all .... after that will look into flash, though not as a way of annoying people with animated intro's they all end up turning off!