Repair A Damaged Plaster
Repairing a damaged plaster is rather a challenging job to do especially when you are trying hard to patch up a messy crack and it will appear again within a year. Here are the steps on how you can repair your damaged plasters so that the repair would last longer.
You will need:
- 6-inch spackle knife
- plaster washers with screws
- spackling compound
- primer
- drywall
- bucket
- fine sandpaper
- 1/8 inch masonry bit
- coarse-threaded drywall screws
- dust mask
- pole sander or pad sander
- potato masher or paddle mixer or paint mixing drill
- paper drywall reinforcing tape
- setting type joint compound
- mud pan
- touch up paint and paintbrush
- bucket
- utility knife and tape measure
- putty knife
- 150 grit sandpaper
- drill and driver
- fine sandpaper
Steps:
- First, apply the spackling compound with a putty knife to the tiny holes and let them dry. Apply the second coat if the first coat shrinks and leaves a slight indention. Sand the indention lightly with a fine sandpaper and apply the primer and paint for touch ups.
- Then, remove any small and loose chunks of plaster and patch the holes before repairing the loose plaster.
- Use the screws and plaster washers to reattach larger sections of the plaster, spaced it a few inches apart by using a drill and driver.
- Install the washers in concentric rings starting where the plaster is firmly attached and working inward for larger loose areas. Cover the area with joint compound.
- Next, install the screws every 6 inches on both side of the crack and about 1 inch away from it to reinforce plaster along cracks. Use a 1/8 inch masonry drill bit to drill pilot holes. Again, cover the area with a joint compound. Mix the setting compound in a bucket with water, according to the manufacturer\’s directions. Mix all together with a potato masher, paddle mixer or paint-mixing drill. Transfer the mixes needed into a mud pan.
- Use the spackle knife to fill a hole with compound to within 1/8 inch of the surface. Scratch the wet compound in a crisscross pattern with the edge of your knife. Apply a leveling coat when the scratched coat dries.
- For larger areas, measure a piece of drywall to fit the hole. Cut the piece out with a utility knife then screw it to the lath. Apply the compound in two stages and extend it about 2 inches onto the surrounding surface. Embed paper drywall-reinforcing tape in the compound and use the spackle knife or wide trowel to smooth the surface.
- Then, apply an additional of two or three coats of compound, allowing drying process between coats and feathering each coat over a wider area than the preceding one. Smooth the compound after it has dried with a pole sander or with 150-grit sandpaper.
- To repair hairline cracks, apply a thin coat of compound on the wall along the crack. Immediately, embed paper drywall-reinforcing tape in the compound and smooth with a spackle knife. Continue the same steps on filling the holes and areas where the plaster is missing.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_115326_repair-damaged-plaster.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sburt/460017344/
