Plaster walls and ceilings
Old plaster is usually better than it looks
Many houses in Marquette, Tenney-Lapham and Schenk-Atwood still have plaster on wood lath. Most of it does not need to come out.
Plaster that peels, blisters or keeps shedding paint is usually sound plaster under a film that stopped holding. We take the film off, repair what is cracked, and coat the wall with a finish that bonds to it. Lime plaster takes limewash directly. Gypsum plaster usually needs a mineral primer first, and the patch shows which you have.
When it fits
Plaster painted with latex for decades
Paint that peels again after every repaint
A wall you want to look like plaster, not drywall
Repairs that have to blend into old work
Prep, by surface
What we do to the wall before any coating
Preparation is most of the work. This is the order.
- 01
Find what is on the wall
Scrape test for old latex
A drop of water, to see whether it soaks in
The year built, before anything is disturbed
- 02
Repair first
Hairline cracks filled
Loose plaster re-secured or cut out
Patches matched to the texture around them
- 03
Take off what will not bond
Latex removed by the gentlest method that works
Wet methods and a HEPA vacuum on older paint
Wall left clean and dry
- 04
Prime and coat
Mineral primer where the plaster calls for it
Lime plaster dampened before limewash
Thin coats, with drying between
How long it takes
A room, in days
Ranges for one room. Yours is on the estimate, and what comes off the wall moves it.
- 01
Step 1: Day 1
Mask the room, cover the floor, repair cracks and loose plaster.
- 02
Step 2: Days 2 and 3
Take off old paint that will not bond, then prime.
- 03
Step 3: Days 3 to 5
Coats go on thin, with drying between. Limewash takes more coats than mineral paint.
- 04
Step 4: Last day
Walk the room with you, touch up, clean with a HEPA vacuum and remove the masking.
Questions
About plaster walls
Do you fix cracks first?
Yes. Hairline cracks are filled and loose sections are re-secured or cut out and patched before any coating. A crack that keeps moving is a structure question, and we say so rather than cover it.
Do you coat drywall?
Mineral paint and limewash are for mineral surfaces. On drywall they need a special primer and the result is different from plaster, so we say so before taking the job.
Can I wash it?
Limewash is not washable like latex. Dust it, or wipe it with a dry cloth. Mineral paint is tougher, but neither takes a scrubbing, and we tell you before you choose.
Do I have to move out?
No. We mask the room, cover floors and close doors, and work one room at a time. Preparing old plaster makes dust, so we clean with a HEPA vacuum, not a broom, at the end of every day.
The test patch
See it on your own wall first
We paint a square of mineral paint or limewash in a spot you pick, in the coats the wall would get. Look at it for a week, in morning light and under lamps, then decide.