Old Plaster, Saved or Replaced Right

Plaster repair in Silver Spring: for the houses built before drywall

Plaster repair is not the same as drywall. The oldest homes near downtown and Takoma Park went up before drywall. Their walls are plaster on wood strips.

Save it or replace it

The first question: is this plaster worth saving? Save it when it is solid and well-bonded. Cracks repair cleanly. Skim coating makes it look new. Replace it when it crumbles off the lath. Or sags in sheets. Then you are paying to preserve a failure.

We make the call with you on the free visit. We show you what we see. See drywall vs plaster.

How plaster repair goes

Stabilize. Loose plaster gets re-secured to the lath. No point filling cracks in plaster that still moves.

Fill and rebuild. Cracks get filled right. Missing sections get rebuilt to match.

Skim coat. Sound-but-rough plaster gets a thin coat over all of it. Sanded smooth. Old walls, new life.

Or replace. Dead plaster comes out. We hang drywall. Straighter walls, modern board.

Lead paint and old houses

Plaster old enough to repair is often old enough for lead paint. Federal rules require lead-safe work on pre-1978 homes. We follow them as standard practice. Not an upcharge.

How it works: plaster repair

Plaster work is slower than drywall. It rewards patience. Here is what to expect.

We test the plaster. Solid or crumbling? We tap and push. Sound plaster stays. Dead plaster goes. This call shapes the whole job.

We stabilize first. Loose plaster gets re-secured to the lath. Filling cracks in plaster that still moves is wasted work.

We fill and rebuild. Cracks get filled properly. Missing sections get rebuilt to match the old profile.

We skim-coat. Sound-but-rough plaster gets a thin coat over all of it. Sanded smooth. The wall looks new without demolition.

We clean like it matters. Plaster dust is fine and travels. We seal the room. We clean daily.

What to expect on timing

Plaster repair runs slower than drywall repair. A room of crack repair takes two to three visits. Skim coating adds days.

Full-room plaster restoration can run a week or more. The work is hand work. There is no fast version that looks right.

We give you the real timeline at the estimate. Old houses punish optimism. We plan for what we find.

Save it or replace it: how we decide

Three tests. Is it bonded to the lath? Is it cracked or crumbling? How much of the wall is bad?

Solid plaster with cracks gets saved. We stabilize, fill, and skim. The character of the old walls stays.

Crumbling plaster gets replaced. When it falls off the lath in sheets, no repair holds. New drywall goes in. Straighter walls, modern board.

We show you what we see on the free visit. You make the call with real information.

Lead paint and old plaster

Homes old enough for plaster are often old enough for lead paint. Federal rules require lead-safe work on pre-1978 homes.

We follow those rules as standard practice. Containment. Careful cleanup. Verified at the end. Not an upcharge.

This matters most with kids in the house. We take it seriously. Ask us anything about the process on the visit.

Silver Spring plaster notes

Plaster lives in the oldest Silver Spring homes. Near downtown. Takoma Park edges. The houses that predate the post-war boom.

These homes have lath behind the plaster. Wood strips, a century old. We know how to work with it.

Skim coating is the best value in plaster work. Sound walls, rough surface. One skim coat makes them look new.

What to ask on your free visit

Plaster jobs start with one question: save it or replace it. Get the answer in person.

• Is my plaster solid enough to save?
• Where would you repair, and where would you replace?
• What does skim coating cost versus full replacement here?
• How do you handle lead-safe practices in my home?
• How long will the room be out of use?

Cost

Plaster repair costs more than drywall repair. The labor is slower and more skilled.

A note on prices: costs go up and down. No two jobs are the same. Treat numbers here as starting points, not quotes. Your written estimate is the real number for your project.

Call (301) 679-9193. We come look free.