Tips for Working on Plaster Walls
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Article by: Dean Novosat If you live in an older house, , Real Energy Savers Revisited say 50 or 60 years or older, there is a good likelihood that you have plaster on your walls. , A Little Known Secret to Successful Outdoor Gardening Plaster walls , 3 Things to Consider when Building a Greenhouse were very common, especially in the late 18th century and 19th century. Plaster was fairly readily available, was workable, and was capable of producing very smooth walls , Are You Irresistibly Attractive? and ornate embellishments. It was and is however, very difficult to worth with. It took a fine plasterer many years to learn his trade under the careful instruction of a master plasterer. Plaster is still widely available, though rarely used. Just check the painting , Watching Your Children's Garden Grow aisles of your local home , Decorative Know How - Faux Marble In Six Easy Steps improvement center and you'll see it mixed in with spackle and patching compound. The reason for its demise was the invention of joint compound. Unlike plaster, joint compound (or drywall compound) is easy to work with. It is slow to set up and harden, is very easy to sand, , Holiday Gift-Giving and Entertaining Tips with a Personal To mixes easily, can be purchased already-mixed, and is easy to clean up. Joint compound works by simply letting the water , Are You Irresistibly Attractive? evaporate out, leaving the hard, white , Native Trees and Plants For Adams County Pa stuff on the wall. , Allow Me to Introduce You to the Fungus Family Plaster, on the other hand, sets up quickly, hardens like cement, is very difficult to work with once it starts to set up, is hard to clean up, and must be mixed up as needed and in quantities that can be worked with quickly. Plaster as it sets up, is actually a chemical reaction between the solid plaster and the water. , Real Energy Savers Revisited For this reason, joint compound is the natural , Environmentally Safe Ways to Remove Weeds choice for most new homes , Wired. It's More than the Name of a Magazine and patching jobs. However, plaster is by far the superior product. , The Sundial - Garden Ornament or Exotic Timepiece? A plaster wall , Energy Saving Swimming Pool & Spa Tips is rock hard, has a solid sound, and feel, is not easy damaged or scratched, and can withstand some abuse. These properties , Quick And Easy Bathroom Decor Changes make for some interesting remodeling and repairs. , Environmentally Safe Ways to Remove Weeds A simple task such as hanging a hook for a picture frame can cause large chunks of plaster to break free from the wall , Well water problems and what to do about them and come crashing down. Try to drive a drywall screw , Home Remodeling: Getting Started into plaster can be an exercise in frustration as chunks break out of the wall , First Aid for a Dried Out Hanging Basket and the screw , Well water problems and what to do about them getting dulled by the plaster, Drill bits and saw blades dull instantly on contact. Because of these challenges with plaster, I have compiled a few tips , Quick And Easy Bathroom Decor Changes for working with it. Be aware, that these work for me in most situations, but plaster can be different and behave differently in different locations, , What Is An Outdoor Bonsai? so work very carefully. 1. When hanging a picture frame from a hook with a nail , Removing your old wood double hung windows in it, first tape a large piece of masking tape over the area where you will drive the nail. , 3 Things to Consider when Building a Greenhouse This will help prevent chip-out. Once the nail , How to Control Deer in Your Garden is in place, , Germinating Seeds Hydroponically remove the tape. 2. Another way to insert a wall , Well water problems and what to do about them hanger for a picture frame is to drill a small pilot hole for the nail. , New To Organic Gardening The pilot hole need not be deep. Just deep enough to penetrate the topcoat of plaster. If you see brown dust coming from the drill bit, you are through the topcoat and into the brown coat. 3. To drive a screw , Looking For a High Quality Mixer? Try KitchenAid Mixer! through plaster, always drill a pilot hole! 4. Never use a drywall screw , Energy Saving Swimming Pool & Spa Tips in plaster to hold anything! Even though it may seem that the plaster is holding it in place, , Urban Farming, Even In Solebury, PA you risk tearing out a large chunk of plaster should you find a weak spot. Always screw , The Sundial - Garden Ornament or Exotic Timepiece? through the plaster and into the studs. 5. When screwing through plaster and into the wall , First Aid for a Dried Out Hanging Basket studs, make sure you are into the wall , Home Remodeling: Getting Started studs and not the wood , The Truth About Tulips lath that holds the plaster on the wall! , 3 Things to Consider when Building a Greenhouse Pulling down lath is one of the worst things you can do, as it will pull down large chunks of plaster with it! 6. Standard stud finders don't work on plaster walls. , Allow Me to Introduce You to the Fungus Family You need stud sensors that feature , Home Remodeling: Getting Started some sort of deep penetrating technology. Common stud finders are designed for half-inch drywall walls , Security in Todays World and can distinguish plaster thickness very well. 7. Use the tapping technique to find studs. Plaster has good harmonics and by tapping or rapping it with your knuckles, you can usually hear the hollows between the studs fairly easily. 8. Like anything else in an old house, , Flood Insurance be extra careful! There weren't building , What Does A Spider and a Brassia Orchid Plant Have In Common codes when many of these houses , Seeking the best sourced assistance relating to bedroom deco were built so there is no guarantee that you wall , Avoiding leaks when installing vinyl retrofit windows studs are evenly spaced, that there aren't old pipes in the walls, , Well water problems and what to do about them or that abandoned and antiquated plumbing , A Little Known Secret to Successful Outdoor Gardening and electrical lines exist in the walls. , Environmentally Safe Ways to Remove Weeds Remember, work slowly and smartly! Never rush an old house , Seeking the best sourced assistance relating to bedroom deco project. Take a few minutes to think things out several times. You will still run into surprises, but if you work slowly and deliberately, hopefully, they won't ruin your day! About the Author Dean Novosat is an avid do-it-yourselfer and remodeler. He has transformed every home , The Truth About Tulips he has lived in. He has several websites including http://www.build-decks-patios.com" target="_blank"> http://www.build-decks-patios.com/, http://www.the-bathroom-designer.com" target="_blank"> http://www.the-bathroom-designer.com, and http://www.the-kitchen-designer.com" |
  
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