Home Improvement Remodeling Repair,
Plaster Walls to Drywall

I learned about home improvement remodeling repair at 4 years old.

With my Ma's permission, my neighbor Richard invited me over to his home next door, put a hammer in my hand, and let me demolish his kitchen walls.

That was my first introduction to home remodeling that planted the thought in my mind, and was an encouraging lifetime experience.

If a 4 year old can learn how to do home improvement remodeling repair, you can too.

With practice, I became an Artiste, how about you?... (continued below).

This page is about plaster and lath damage, insulation, and new drywall.

See 16 more home repair and remodel projects to save money and energy.

Before you start removing plaster walls found in older homes...

See the lead based paint warning. There are new EPA-RRP Rules to follow with home improvement remodeling repair to protect you and your families health.

You can see in the photo removing interior wall finishes will be a very messy and labor intensive home remodeling project.

The rewards are well deserving and for real estate investing, a good return on your investment, and your time.

The Process

• Set up Dust Containment,
• Demolition,
• Building material waste removal,
• Clean up,
• Stud repairs or re-design,
• New electrical circuits, cable, and phone lines,
• New insulation,
• New drywall and paint,
• New or refinished molding and trim.

If you've completed a home remodeling project like this, we would love to see your photos and hear about how you remodeled your home in our real estate success forum. Go ahead and brag, it's motivating and inspiring for us.

Old House Remodeling with plaster walls eventually crack and crumble.

Plaster and lath damage happens often at the windows and doors from leaks, or the home settling after several years.

No matter how many times I patch cracked plaster and lath, the crack always comes back.

The lath wooden planks that the plaster is adhered to, over time, can fail.

The lath boards are fastened with small 1 inch nails that rust, and the bond to the wall studs can weaken.

Surface repairs on plaster do not re-fasten the lath boards nailed to the studs.

The wooden lath strips average 48-inches, with 4 small nails holding it in place across 4 wall studs.

Although it is possible, re-setting all the lath strips in a damaged area is challenging.

Using screws to reset the lath will split the wooden strip. Removing plaster will loosen the lath boards.

I have had some luck using my finish nailer through the plaster to reset the lath surrounding a repair area.

As I attempted my home improvement remodeling repair techniques on the plaster walls, the plaster cracks, and many times break into large chunks...

...A small plaster repair turns into a large repair.

After years of experience with home improvement remodeling repair, when I have cracked plaster and lath walls,
I just plan on replacing or sometimes covering with new drywall.

Demolition Tools

• Short handled sledge hammer,
• Pry-bar
• Side cutter hand pliers to remove nails from studs,
• Clean up containers.

3 Step Process

1. For me, with do-it-myself remodeling, its easier to handle one demolition material at a time. I break up and remove the plaster first and leave the lath strips in place.
   
   Breaking all the plaster off the walls first, I can easily shovel up the broken plaster pieces for proper disposal.
2. After the dust clears,
   I remove all the lath plank boards easily with a pry-bar.
   The lath is nailed in place to every stud with very thin 1 inch nails that make for easy removal.
3. I use the side cutters and a claw hammer to remove all the nails from the studs that didn't come off while removing the wooden lath strips. Now the studs are ready for the new drywall.

Burn the Lath

Because I have an outside fire pit, I save some of the lath for a nice evening fire with my family.

If it's a real estate investing project... Everything goes into the dumpster.

Open wall Studs

With the plaster and lath removed, additional home improvement remodeling repair can be considered.

• Add or remove wall sections for a new design,
• Install new electrical circuits,
• Replace warped or cracked 2 x 4 studs,
• Add TV and Computer Cable outlets,
• New Insulation.
  
  

New Insulation

I did some research on insulation and didn't use the old pink insulation as I have in the past.

I found out that Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading manufacturer of premium-quality building insulation for residential applications.

JM's insulation has a Formaldehyde-free™ roll insulation that is also rated as a sound barrier.

It was easier to work with and appeared to have less fiberglass dust than the pink insulation.

New Drywall

For me, the most common home improvement remodeling repair projects I do are:

• Wall repairs,
• New interior wall layouts for an open concept,
• Baseboard and trim moldings,
• Hard wood floors,
• And a few interior painting ideas.
  
  

Let's Call Ourselves an Artiste.

People of "The Arts" get a lot of love...

How about a little love for the home improvements you and I do?

Being good at what we do with home remodeling, I think its a fascinating kind of art!

Most everyone has a home, but not everyone can remodel a home like you and I can.

We may not get a standing ovation or receive a gold statuette like the TV stars, that doesn't mean our work is undeserving of recognition as a masterful Artiste.

When we're done replacing old plaster walls with new insulation, drywall, and a fresh colorful coat of paint.

We can refer to our work as a sculpture and a painting.

That's something we can stand back and admire, our work lasts for decades! Project like this are certainly something to be proud of!

Do you want to be a Hero? Sometimes I feel like one.

After a job like this, my family and friends look at me in awe, as some kind of a Hero, because I did this home improvement remodeling repair project all by myself...

... And its certainly too large of a project for many construction workers to take on themselves. When you enjoy home remodeling like I do, no project is too big. I love a good challenge.

back to top

Do it yourself home remodeling and real estate investing "Combined",

• Has tripled my profits,
• Or tripled my savings,
• And I love going to work everyday on properties I own.

Check the left column NavBar under Projects for more artistic home remodeling plans...

Where would you like to go from here...

Top of this page: Home Improvement Remodeling Repair

See what's new on Ask The Rehabber

Back to the Home Page Ask-The-Rehabber.com

Today's News in the Home Remodeling News and Your Commentary

Today's News in the Real Estate Investing News and Your Commentary

Your questions are important to me on Ask The Rehabber.com.
Ask Your question here (Plus, you can add your answer and expertise to our Visitor's questions) Rehabber Answers to Questions.

Favorite Projects

Remodeling Kitchens | Remodeling Bathrooms | Hard Wood Floors

Interior Painting Ideas | House Staging