Plaster And Lath Removal With Lots Of Trim Work
What is the recommendation for removing plaster and lath when a house has extensive trim.?
(doors/windows/baseboards/etc.) Built in 1898 Old and lots of it. Remove all trim or remove just plaster or remove lathe and plaster from behind trim? Anybody out there done this kind of thing before? Want to re-wire and insulate and drywall total re-do. Thanks. :-?
I can't directly answer your question, but:
Is the plaster that bad that it needs to be replaced?
Good plaster is nicer than drywall, IMO.
You can fish wires. It isn't fast, but it sure is a lot faster than demo and reboard.
You can blow wool through small holes and get great results.
I have done both, and sure think it was preferable. I worked on a 75 year old house with 1" sheathing on the interior of the outside walls, and stripping to the studs was not an option.
Rewired, replumbed, and insulated.
Had to take up an upstairs bathroom floor anyway, and it gave me access to a good wire chase.
[addsig]
I agree with Mike............all to often rehabbers (often newbies) want to go in and start tearing things down versus fixing them or working with existing materials.
I use blown celluose insulation.......better product, higher R- value and easy to install........the only problem is that in older homes it is common to have fire blocking in the walls.....this may require blowing the insulation from both top and bottom of the walls.
As Mike said......often your electrican can fish the wires through. Unless you just want to spend money then look at less intrusive methods.
NC_Yank
Remove and save all the trim if possible, then remove the plaster and lath.
If you ultimately choose to remove all of the lath and plaster I too would recommend removing the trim first and save as much as possible. My experience has been that all can't be saved. Your contractor will have to make up some trim with different moldings or have it custom made at the local millwork shop. Also upon removing the trim, it may be so brittle, that it breaks as it is being removed. You then may have to go with new trim. Just be prepared for a change if it occurs.
Keep in mind that lath and plaster was used to create a smooth, straight wall finish on the interior of the structure as the wall studs of that time were not as straight as what is used today.
With this in mind, removing all of the plaster (and / or trim) may result in the original studs not being straight enough to accept drywall and have it look acceptable ? If this is the case there may be extensive shimming needed by skilled carpenters prior to installing the drywall. It will add to the cost. Sometimes it is just as cost effective to frame new walls where practical.
My experience with this type of rehab is the chances are 50/50 you can apply the drywall over the existing studs. You will have to determine this when you open up the wall.
A practical way to determine this is to remove the plaster on one outside wall in a back room somewhere, not the foyer or living room. Then determine what needs to be done to obtain an acceptable interior wall finish. This way if you choose to keep the plaster or any other combination of wall finishes it will be away from the important parts of the house until you ultimately decide what to do. This is also a wise way to proceed in a project like this so an architect, contractor and owner can be properly evaluate the job and reduce expensive suprises later. Pay your contractor a few hundred dollars or so to do this.
Some alternitives are just to channel enough plaster out of the wall to run the upgraded elec, plumbing, etc. and patch the walls again with plaster. Leave them plaster, or cover all the plaster with 1/4" or 3/8" drywall. That is if you think the existing plaster walls are straight enough and the house will not further settle causing cracks in the plaster or new drywall attached to it. You can blow insulation into the wall cavities and insulation and siding can be installed on the exterior of the building.
Good luck with your project.
I've done projects like this. We covered the plaster walls with the 36" wide fiberglass tape for repairing walls, then skim coated the walls with plaster. The electrician just punched holes wherever to fish his wires and we repaired after his routine. Personally, I like plaster and would save at all costs, due to its sound deadening characteristics. Remove and replace trim after electric, plumbing and skimcoating. After my electrician got done tho, he said he wouldn't do a job like that again for a while. Don't blame him, but I think its cheaper that way than time and materials on a gut job.
I am just completing an 1890 Victorian. I agree with saving as much as possible. We expanded a bath into a pantry and had no choice because the demo was pretty bad, but it's not bad in a small room. You may also want to check on standard molding. I got lucky that the local Home Deport carries a line of molding that matches exactly to the 1890 type. Another headache is removing all the lat and heavy plaster! I know someone who bought a Victorian and did a complete gut. He was very sorry he did. Its twice the work. Its worth using a good plasterer. Good luck.