Living Room Wall Repair

[Gretchen Ann]

We live in an old (100+ years) farm house. Everyone who lived here formerly wall papered the living room.

Since I've lived here (37 years) I've painted it. Every time I want to put on a new coat, I just peeled off the old layer because the layer of wallpaper under it became loose.

I always knew that someday I would hit the original plaster. Well that was today. The plaster is in pretty good shape however there are a couple of spots that will need to be fixed.

I've done some patching in other rooms using drywall "mud". However this is a LOT bigger patch than the mud spot was.

My actual question -

Is the dry wall mud ok to use or do I need to use some kind of actual plaster?

I appreciate any help or suggestions. Wall repair is not my area of expertise.

[Grumpy old man]

You can use the drywall mud you just have to apply a few layers and not just 1 thick one , use coarse sandpaper in between layers and allow to dry each time befora adding another ,it will take a few days but it will work

[Gretchen Ann]

Thanks, that how I did the other patch, a little at a time.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[MichaelZ]

Drywall mud will stick to this but be aware of the fact that if you have cracks, they will develop again within a few months if you patch over with drywall mud alone. You can, however, patch up cracks with plaster patching material made for this.

[blooba]

Originally Posted by MichaelZ

Drywall mud will stick to this but be aware of the fact that if you have cracks, they will develop again within a few months if you patch over with drywall mud alone. You can, however, patch up cracks with plaster patching material made for this.

If you have cracks in plaster you have to find out what is causing it. Usually it is the plaster seperating from the lathe behind it, what you do then is "gently" screw it back on to the lathe with drywall screws so that there is no more movement then patch it all up with drywall mud.

I am workin on a 240 yr old house right now doing this same thing, Its taking alot of carefully placed screws but its working out quite nicely. They also make a glue you can use to glue it back onto the lathe and that would be better for hanging pictures and whatnot but screws are working just fine for me.

[dirtman]

Setting type joint compound is the way to go. Doesn't shrink like latex joint compound and you can put it on as thick as you need to. Sheetrock brand Easy Sand 45 is what I usually get. the 45 is 45 minutes working time. You can get 20 or 90. If it is a big crack fill it and then go over it with mesh tape. You will have to skim coat an area around the repair to make it look right. For that it is usually easier to just regular joint compound.

[TrexTrev]

You can use setting type compound, but i can tell you that there are differences between lime based plasters and modern drywall compounds. Your patch will last a long time, long enough for a contractor to be long gone and this is why no one sees the problem with patching plaster with drywall. A patch could last 15yrs, but eventually the differences in expansion and contraction rates and permeability will cause your patch to pop free of the plaster. This can be expedited on exterior walls of a brick home because water is naturally drawn through the structure. The worse is when a "expert" mason tells you it is ok to repoint your home using Portland based mortars which will trap excess moister in your wall leaving it no choice but to travel to the inside to escape. Because joint compound doesn't breath the way lime plaster does it causes moister to build behind the patch and loosen the bond and eventually it will pop.
if this is the house you will retire in and are planing on doing most of the patch work i would suggest learning to mix your own lime plaster. It isn't hard but does require more time. The base plaster is just sand maybe horse hair and lime, the finish coat a 100% lime and finishes more like concrete then drywall but once you get the hang of it you can be assured that it is a patch that will last as long as the house.

[Gretchen Ann]

The room is done; looks great, not perfect, but good enough for us.

No we won't retire here. This is the only house we've ever lived in for our married life, but once my husband can't handle the milking and climbing on the tractors we will probably sell the farm.

It would be hard to leave, this is home, but it is definitely not set up for elderly people. My husband is NOT a carpenter; major renovations are not an option.

Thanks for the advice.

[John_Canada]

You need to use SheetRock Durabond 90 next time or it will break off over time...it is a power that has a chemical reaction when mixed with water. If not, there is some chemical reaction that happens with the premixed stuff and plaster that a chemist told me about once that just does not work (usually u see bubbling when that happens).