I’m betting if you are reading this post, you may be searching for information on how to sheetrock or drywall plaster walls. So, I thought I’d post some pictures to give you all a visual how-to on sheetrocking walls and talk about the pros and cons of this kind of wall repair. Here are some photos of a drywall – sheetrock job we recently did on plaster walls that were in really bad shape.
I get hired to sheetrock plaster walls when the client doesn’t want to repair and skim coat the existing plaster walls. To skim coat plaster walls is labor intensive, and to install drywall is faster and cleaner.
Plaster walls in bad shape, the client had removed the trim.
As you can see, the plaster walls were in poor shape, and some of the moldings were missing. We were fortunate in that the room was just slightly higher than 8 feet, so we could blend the edge of the drywall into the crown moulding. One of the issues with applying drywall over a plaster wall is how the drywall butts up to the existing mouldings, it doesn’t always work out very well.
We build out with scrap wood and drywall any holes in the walls
The drawback to sheetrocking plaster walls is that when the job is done, the walls look very rectilinear, they are very square and straight. To me, this doesn’t look right in a 100+ year old brooklyn brownstone or row house. But we do what the client wants, they are writing the check.
The sheetrock - drywall attached to the plaster wall
Plaster walls have an organic feel to them, they have imperfections, they are not straight and square, they undulate. When you skim coat a wall, you preserve that organic feel. When we’re done skim coating, it looks like a plaster wall in an old house; when you sheetrock a wall, it looks like a new condo.
Lucky for us, the walls of this room were a bit more than 8'
NOTE: the client had removed the wood trim and loose plaster, thinking they would do this job themselves. Its very likely they encountered lead paint when doing this. Check with your local codes on dealing with lead paint. Lead Paint is very unhealthy to breathe or eat.
Drywall affixed to the plaster wall, joint compound being applied to seams
sheetrock over damaged plaster walls
What do you all think? Do you have plaster walls in your home? have you ever repaired plaster walls? Let us know below.
Jody
Can “skim coat” be done over sheetrock? I would love that “imperfect” look!
Eric Gunnar Rochow
yes, you can skim over sheetrock, though it will not look like plaster, as it reflects the surface underneath, and sheetrock is pretty flat. thx, eri c
Jake
When adding new sheetrock over old plastered walls, for securing purposes, does the end of the sheetrock have to line up with a stud. If there is no stud how to you handle this? Liquid nails? Trim 4X8 sheetrock to lineup with a stud? I have an old house and the studs sometimes are not 16″ to center.
Tonia Moxley
Looks like sheetrocking over plaster is about as much work as fixing the old plaster. Don’t you worry about moisture trapped between the old and new materials?
Eric Gunnar Rochow
@tonia, no we don’t have moisture issues. these walls are old and leak so much, moisture doesn’t build up.
@jake plaster walls have wood lath behind them, so when we sheetrock plaster wall, trying to find wood to drive the screws into isn’t an issue.
Gustavo.
Can I hire u guys work on my bedroom wall in queens ny
brian h
I got quite good at editing in pieces of drywall into failed bits of lathe and plaster walls in my old 1920’s vintage house. Even I was pleased with the results. Don’t miss doing that though now that I live in a more modern home.