how old is lath and plaster

What is lath and plaster?

Lath and plaster is a building process used to finish mainly interior dividing walls and ceilings. It consists of narrow strips of wood ( laths) which are nailed horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists and then coated in plaster.

When did they stop using lath and plaster walls?

In Canada and the United States, wood lath and plaster remained in use until the process was replaced by transitional methods followed by drywall in the mid-twentieth century. Partially-exposed wallpapered lath and plaster illustrating the technique. Example from the Winchester Mystery House, constructed between 1884 and 1922

How long does it take to plaster and lath a house?

Plaster and lath is a process that takes several days. Lath Built: A substrate in the form of a grid of lath is nailed perpendicular to the open house studs roughly a finger-width apart from each other. Lath is rough, unfinished wood about 1" to 2" wide and about 3' to 8' long.

Who can repair lath and plaster walls?

Homeowners can repair lath and plaster walls by themselves using drywall materials and tools. A few companies that specialize in finishing drywall may be able to repair plaster walls, as well. Large metro areas that have a large stock of older homes tend to have tradespeople who specialize in plaster application and repairs.

When did they stop using lath and plaster?

Lath and plaster largely fell out of favour in the U.K. after the introduction of plasterboard in the 1930s. In Canada and the United States, wood lath and plaster remained in use until the process was replaced by transitional methods followed by drywall in the mid-twentieth century.

When did they start using drywall instead of plaster?

Drywall had a long history of struggle until its popularity began during and after World War 2. It was invented in 1916 as a dry alternative to plaster though it would be 25 years before it was widely accepted as a proper building material.

Should you remove lath and plaster?

So should I replace Lath and Plaster with plasterboard? When you compare the two, it is quite clear why modern drywall techniques and plasterboard have superseded lath and plaster construction. It's simply much faster, more efficient and cheaper to replace lath and plaster with pre-manufactured plasterboard.

How do I know if I have lath or plaster walls?

If you see thin strips of wood with hardened white material in the gaps between the wood strips, it's a plaster wall. Check your attic to see the backside of any interior walls or ceilings. Drywall will be evident by its brown paper backing. Plaster can be identified by wooden laths with plaster visible between them.

What were walls made of in the 1950?

What Were Walls Made of in the 1950s? Beginning in the 1950s, home builders shifted from lath and plaster to drywall as the wall material of choice. Drywall is less expensive, easier to install, and more fire-resistant than traditional lath and plaster.

What kind of walls do old houses have?

The inside surface of walls is usually covered with drywall, commonly called Sheetrock, which is in fact a proprietary brand name. Older homes and high-end new homes will have plaster instead of drywall. Harder and more durable, plaster is also more expensive to install.

Are old plaster walls toxic?

If it is not damaged or disturbed, plaster does not shed any detectable level of harmful dust. However if the plaster is loose, falling, or damaged by renovations or other work on the building, its dust can be a harmful respiratory irritant, whether or not it also contains asbestos.

Should I replace my lath and plaster with drywall?

Plaster should not be removed and replaced by drywall, nor covered up by drywall. Covering makes spaces smaller and ruins the look of adjacent details such as moldings and door and window casings.

Can you mount a TV on lath and plaster?

You most certainly can mount this on lath and plaster walls. The key is finding the studs - and honestly finding the center of the studs. The mount itself is really heavy, and then you're putting a heavy television on the end of a long lever.

Can you skim over lath and plaster?

You can board over it, but you should be aware that there is a lot of weight in these ceilings and the plaster can be up to an inch thick. You really don't want to be underneath it if a chunk of that comes down.

Can you put drywall over lath?

You can install drywall panels over your lath and plaster wall if it looks worn out or if there are unsightly cracks on the plaster due to settling. Drywall is a cheaper option for repairing and covering wear marks and cracks that occur when plaster settles, or even when lath cracks or is poorly installed.

Do all plaster walls have lath?

Like their earlier counterparts, modern plaster walls are created by smoothing plaster over lath (usually metal lath designed to hold plaster). A minimum of three coatings is still necessary to achieve a smooth, flat surface. You won't find horsehair in today's plaster (unless you're doing historical restoration).

When did drywall start to be used?

Drywall was invented in 1916. The United States Gypsum Corporation, a company that vertically integrated 30 different gypsum and plaster manufacturing companies 14 years prior, created it to protect homes from urban fires, and marketed it as the poor man's answer to plaster walls.

When was drywall widely used?

In the middle of the 20th century, drywall construction became prevalent in North America as a time- and labor-saving alternative to lath and plaster.

When did builders start using Sheetrock?

The U.S. Gypsum (USG®) company purchased the Sacket Plaster Board company in 1909. Just a few years later in 1916 USG invented a product they called Sheetrock®. Most builders however were slow to use the new material. Plaster had been around for millenniums.

What did builders use before drywall?

Before drywall became widely used, building interiors were made of plaster. For hundreds of years, walls and ceilings have been constructed by placing layers of wet plaster over thousands of wooden strips called laths.

What is lath and plaster?

Lath and plaster. Lath and plaster is a building process used to finish mainly interior dividing walls and ceilings. It consists of narrow strips of wood ( laths) which are nailed horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists and then coated in plaster.

When was metal lath first used?

In addition to wood lath, various types of metal lath began to be used toward the end of the 19th century. Metal lath is categorized according to weight, type of ribbing, and whether the lath is galvanized or not. Metal lathing was spaced across a 13.5-inch (340 mm) center, attached by tie wires using lathers' nippers. Sometimes, the mesh was dimpled to be self- furring .

What was the primary method used in plastering?

By the late 1930s, rock lath was the primary method used in residential plastering. Lath and plaster methods have mostly been replaced with modern drywall or plasterboard, which is faster and less expensive to install, and much less susceptible to settlement and vibration.

Why are lath ceilings important?

In many historic buildings lath and plaster ceilings play a major role for the prevention of fire spread. They are critical to the protection of horizontal elements such as timber joisted floors, including the flooring on top, which in terms of fire performance is often in a poor condition due to the presence of gaps.

What is the advantage of using lath?

For instance, building a rounded wall would be difficult if drywall were used exclusively, as drywall is not flexible enough to allow tight radii. Wire mesh, often used for exterior stucco, is also found in combination or replacement of lath and plaster which serves similar purpose.

What is rock lath?

In use as early as 1900, rock lath (also known as "button board," "plaster board" or "gypsum-board lath"), is a type of gypsum wall board (essentially an early form of drywall) with holes spaced regularly to provide a 'key' for wet plaster. Rock lath was typically produced in sheets sized 2 feet (24 in) by 4 feet (48 in) (60 cm by 120 cm).

How big is a metal lath?

Metal lath is available in 27 inch by 8 foot sheets. In Canada and the United States the laths were generally sawn, but in the United Kingdom and its colonies, riven or split hardwood laths of random lengths and sizes, were often used.

What Is a Lath and Plaster Wall?

Lath and plaster refer to an interior wall construction technique that typically predates the 1940s. Four-foot-long strips of wood lath, typically 1-inch wide, are nailed directly to the open wall studs. The lath is then embedded with three layers of wet plaster. The plaster dries to form a hard, smooth surface suitable for finishing, first with primer, then with interior paint or wallpaper. Plaster and lath wall systems are rarely used now, except to repair existing walls or to refurbish historic buildings.

How long does it take to build a lath wall?

How Lath and Plaster Walls Are Built. Building lath and plaster walls requires several days due to the length of time it takes for thick plaster to cure. Though lath-building can nominally be thought of as carpentry, most plasterers are adept at nailing up lath. So only one team of workers is needed for the project.

What is a plaster key?

Plaster keys are simply the plaster that has oozed through the lath in irregular shapes. They help to hold the plaster in place on the lath, as well as act as sound-absorbing elements in the wall.

What is the difference between drywall and plaster?

Essentially, drywall acts the same way as lath and plaster walls: a mineral-based substance that creates privacy, deadens sound, and insulates. The chief difference is that the plasterwork, or the wet work, has already been done in a factory, not on site. Thus, the term dry wall.

What is the key in plaster?

Globs of plaster called keys are pushed out of the backside of the lath. These wet portions dry and form myriad secure grips for the rest of the plaster. The keys make demolition of plaster down the road much harder because they grip to the lath.

Which is better, drywall or lath?

Lath and plaster walls provide a room with better soundproofing, as opposed to dry wall walls of an ordinary thickness (1/2-inch). Soundproof drywall, though, rivals lath and plaster walls in terms of soundproofing. Lath and plaster walls have a slightly better insulating R-value than do drywall wall systems.

Is plaster wall a good soundproofing system?

Lath and plaster walls grace many traditional homes. Thick, substantial, and great at soundproofing, walls constructed out of lath and plaster are rarely built anew anymore. They tend only to be repaired, not built from scratch. Drywall has supplanted plaster and lath as the wall covering of choice. But if your home does have this older interior wall-building system, you may be curious about how it is constructed and how it compares to drywall.

What is lath and plaster?

Lath and plaster is a traditional building process that was once used as the standard to finish ceilings and interior dividing walls. The structure uses narrow strips of wood, called laths, which were nailed horizontally across the joists or wall studs. Then, the entire structure was coated in plaster, which provided the structure with its integrity. There are countless builders that leaned on lath and plaster for many years because it was strong, soundproof, and able to resist fires. Eventually, lath and plaster fell out of favor as drywall became more popular.

When was rock lath used in plastering?

While lath and plaster was popular into the 20th century, newer methods were developed during the 1930s. During that time, rock lath, also called gypsum board, was developed. This was the early precursor to drywall. This board had holes regularly spaced, providing room for wet plaster to keep the insulation intact. By the late 1930s, this type of rock plaster with gypsum board was the primary method in residential plastering.

How thick is a lath and plaster?

When a typical lath and plaster construction project has been finished, this is going to result in a thick layer of plaster that is about 1.25 inches thick, as there is a minimum of three coats of plaster. A few of the top benefits of this process include:

When did drywall become drywall?

In the United Kingdom, gypsum board transitioned to complete drywall by the end of the 1930s. The lath and plaster model was popular in the United States and Canada through the 1950s; however, this was replaced with drywall and plasterboard by the 1950s. This modern material worked better with wiring practices, as electricity became standard in most homes and offices. Furthermore, engineers discovered that lath and plaster was more susceptible to settling than drywall, leading to the transition. It is important to keep these dates in mind if you are trying to figure out which material was used to make the building that you own.

When was lath made?

The process of lath and plaster was developed during the 17th century; however, it did not reach widespread use until the 18th century. It was popular in the United Kingdom before it spread to the United States and Canada as the colonies continued to grow. Wooden lath was popular during the 1700s and early 1800s; however, as the industrial revolution took off, metal lath was more popular at the end of the 19th century. Metal lath was usually separated according to weight, length, and ribbing; however, by the end of the 19th century, metal lath was also galvanized from time to time, creating a new category.

Can plaster be even?

Uneven Insulation: Even though plaster itself does provide plenty of insulation, this insulation can be on even. In buildings that have been fixed using blown-in insulation, this does not distribute evenly in homes that have been made using lath and plaster. Wood blocks and plaster obstructions that are present within stud spaces do not allow the insulation to distribute evenly. Therefore, the insulation might not be even, making it difficult to keep the entire building at the same temperature.

Is plaster drywall durable?

If you do not add plaster to your drywall, it is not going to be that durable. Because drywall is not resistant to heavy impact, you could have issues with holes if the room is not treated with care.

What is lath rock and plaster?

This was a plaster board of varying sizes that was nailed onto the framing and coated with a traditional three-coat plaster in the beginning years. You'll know if you have this because your walls ...

When was rock lath used?

Rock lath was used to build many plaster walls between 1900 and 1960. Unlike wood lath, which is applied in strips, rock lath is a sheet of rock with holes that’s been chemically treated to allow for wet plaster application. The plaster flows through the holes in the same way it does with wood lath strips, forming a key that locks everything into place. And each sheet is four feet in length in order to avoid blocking the wall studs.

What is the key in plaster?

The plaster that oozes between the lath strips is called the key, which locks the plaster and lath strips together. Plaster walls and ceilings consist of three coats of plaster: • the scratch coat. It's the first coat where you key the plaster into the lath and then scratch it to create a mechanical hold for the next coat. • the brown coat.

Why is plaster cracking?

You’ll know your walls have calcimine in them if they’re prone to peeling or flaking. This material is also highly sensitive to water damage , and that might be the reason why your plaster walls are cracking or your wallpaper is bubbling.

What is the second coat of plaster?

It's the second coat that's used to even out the scratch coat. The first two coats are both base coat plaster. • the veneer coat. The final coat is generally a plaster with fine sand to create a smooth finish.

Why do houses have plaster walls?

Many houses built before the 1950s relied on plastering because of how versatile and long-lasting it could be . But the method and materials used to apply plaster have changed a lot over the past few decades, which is why it’s not always clear what’s behind your walls. This guide helps you figure out what kind of plaster walls you’re working with, depending on when your house was built, and how to keep your walls in good condition for the next several decades.

Can you paint over cracked plaster?

Painting over cracked plaster might appear to fix the problem, but it will make things worse in the long run. And be sure to find out what’s causing the issue in the first place so you can ensure that it doesn’t happen all over again.

What Is Lath and Plaster?

This is an older building technique that was mainly used to finish ceilings and interior dividing walls. Usually, there are narrow strips of wood, called the laths, which are nailed horizontally along the ceiling joists and wall studs. Then, they are coated in plaster.

What Are the Top Reasons To Replace Lath and Plaster with Drywall?

There are several reasons why you might want to replace the lath and plaster model with drywall. A few of the top reasons include:

How much does a 4x8 panel cost?

In general, you should expect a 4 x 8 panel to start at $10 while a 4 x 16 panel will probably start at $15 to $20. From there, you will have to do the math to determine how many panels you need. The larger the building, the more expensive this is going to be.

How long does it take to build a house?

It depends on how quickly you work (or how quickly the contractors work), but the entire process usually takes several weeks. It depends on how big the building is and how quickly you can get the materials.

How much does it cost to build a wooden house?

It depends on how big the building is, whether you are keeping the wooden framework, and whether you want to do this yourself. It can cost several thousand dollars to complete the process.

Can you replace lath with drywall?

Clearly, it is doable to replace your lath and plaster walls with drywall; however, you may still be wondering if the price tag is worth it. Ultimately, you should keep your original plaster walls in certain circumstances:

Is drywall more stable than plaster?

The biggest benefit is that drywall is more stable than plaster. Even though settling cracks are going to take place from time to time, drywall usually has an easier time withstanding these cracks than plaster.

What tool to use to cut plaster walls?

After cutting the perimeter of the plaster walls, cut the wood lath to prevent cracking the adjoining walls and ceilings. An oscillating tool with a round blade is perfect for this.

How do I remove plaster from a wall?

If you’re removing plaster and lath from both sides of a wall, do this: Completely strip one side of the wall, then attack the other side from behind. I like to stab at the lath with a square shovel, right next to studs. As the lath loosens, the plaster breaks away and falls off. After that, the lath is already loosened and pops off with a few more shovel whacks. Karate kicks work too!

How many rows of lath nails can you pull off?

Lath nails come out easily, so you can often pull off two or three rows at a time. I like to use the hook of a wrecking bar. Try to remove full lengths of lath; they’re easier to pick up and haul out than a million splintered sticks. 11 / 13.

What blade to use to cut metal lath?

A diamond blade can also cut through metal lath, which was sometimes added over wood lath at corners and archways. Cutting with a grinder whips up tons of dust. You can also use an oscillating tool equipped with a diamond or carbide- grit blade, which will cut slower but with less mess. 5 / 13. Family Handyman.

Can you use plaster nails on wood floors?

Lath nails and plaster chunks really tear up flooring. The best protection is 1/8-in. hardboard taped together at seams. With wood floors, I use hardboard even if I plan to refinish the floor later. Lath nails can leave deep gouges that are hard to sand out.

Can you mix plaster and lath?

Don’t Mix Plaster and Lath. You could tear off plaster and lath at the same time— that’s actually a little faster than attacking them separately. But cleaning up a mountain of mixed debris is painfully slow. You can’t shovel up the plaster until you fish out all the buried lath, one stick at a time.

Does Plaster Contain Asbestos?

The wall shown here contained horsehair. But at least one major plaster manufacturer used asbestos instead, and did so from the 1920s until the ’70s. So you can’t be sure unless you test. Just search online to find a testing service and send in a sample. You’ll get the results in about a week and pay about $60. If the plaster does contain asbestos, check with your local inspector for demolition regulations. Check out these 100 super scary home inspector horror stories.

How Do You Repair a Hole in Lath and Plaster Walls?

It’s better to use a softer, slower-setting lime-based plaster, like the one developed for Big Wally’s line of plaster-re pair products, takes about an hour to set, isn’t prone to cracking or delaminating, and needs no sanding, which keeps dust to a minimum. Don’t use so-called patching plaster sold at home centers, it’s much harder than the wall’s original plaster, and it sets in the blink of an eye.

How to fix cracks in plaster?

Tape the joints. Go over the joint between the new base coat and the old plaster with nylon mesh tape. This step will reduce the chances of any cracking that happens in the base layers from telegraphing through to the finished surface. Coat the tape.

How to patch plaster with peanut butter?

In a clean bucket with cool tap water, mix Plaster Magic patching plaster to the consistency of natural peanut butter. Using a margin trowel, smear the mix against the old plaster edge, as shown, and over the lath. Keep this layer recessed by half the thickness of the original plaster. Rough up the patch by scratching it with a scarifier, then scrape any blobs off the wall.

How long to wait to plaster a scratch coat?

Wait until the scratch coat is firm to the touch—about an hour —then mix up a new batch of plaster to a slightly thinner consistency—closer to that of buttercream frosting. Use a plastering trowel to smooth the mix flush with the wall surface; scrape any excess off the wall. Wait another hour for that coat to set.

How to smooth out a patch on a wall?

Sand smooth. After the second coat of joint compound has dried, blend to the old plaster using 220 grit sandpaper. Focus on blending the edges to the existing wall first, then smooth out the center of the patch.

How to use setting type veneer plaster?

Using a setting-type veneer plaster, use a taping knife to trowel a thin layer over the mesh tape and surrounding wall. Setting plaster hardens quickly, allowing for the next steps to happen in short order. Finish with joint compound.

How long does it take to repair a hole in plaster?

Estimated Time. 1 to 2 hours, not including drying time. If you’re dealing with damaged lath and plaster walls—for example gaping holes in the wall because of electrical work—here are techniques you can use to repair them. First, you’ll repair the lath and then patch the hole.

Overview

Description

Historical transition

Advantages

See also

External links

An Overview of Lath and Plaster

See more on cohesivehomes.com

The Pros and Cons of Lath and Plaster

The Pros and Cons of Drywall

Is There A Time When You Want to Use Lath and Plaster in The Modern Era?