I could have put this question in GQ, however, I didn’t feel it was significant enough. Beside, I have two threads over there already.
**Question:**How can one remove countless years/layers of old paint from real plaster?
I have been perplexed with the above question for years. Why do I want to remove the paint and get to the bare plaster, you may ask?
[li]My house is 70 years old. It has real plaster, not that crap-ola drywall/gypsum garbage. I want to preserve the original material.[/li][li]I am positive that there is lead paint on the walls. With the house being as old it is, it would seem to be certain.[/li][li]I would like to reveal any hidden cracks so that they may be repaired.[/li][li]I want to restore the original texture.[/li]
The plaster is textured similar to the appearance and feel of #60 grit coarse sandpaper.
Chemical removal would be too messy, dangerous, and cause other problems.
Compressed air sandblasting seems to be the obvious solution. However, if there is indeed lead paint, the dust generated would be potentially hazardous, would it not?
If you have lead paint (and you’re right - it’s nearly certain that you do, considering the age of the house), you should be prepared to shell out BIG bucks to do what you propose. Lead is a hazardous material, and removing it will require hiring a contractor qualified to handle and dispose of hazardous waste.
If you want to have the original texture, hire a good plasterer to recreate it OVER the existing paint.
Oh, how wonderful… so I would have to hire one of those lead/asbestos abatement contractors… beautiful, NOT. Even so, how would they remove the paint? And how much money are we talking anyway?(BTW we also have asbestos insulation material covering our heating ducts. Joy of joy. The furnace and ductwork are all 70 years old as well. Wheee!)
And how in the heck can anyone plaster over paint? It wouldn’t/couldn’t adhere properly, and eventually would just crumble off.
If I can ask, why are you trying to do what you’re trying to do? If you want a new color of paint, paint over the old paint. If you really want new walls, tear down your plaster, and put upp some gypsum wallboard. AFAIK, and someone can correct me if I’m wrong, there’s nothing inherently bad about wallboard, and no advantages that plaster has. Then, if you want a real texture, as opposed to a spray on one, use your joint compund on the walls to make a texture. Then paint over that.
Either way, ricepad is right. Sanding down lead-paint covered walls is right up there with eating asbestos on the “Dumb Things You Can Do” list. So, pay big buncks to get it removed, pay big bucks to replace all your walls with wallboard, or pay little bucks to slap on a fresh coat of paint.
Then you probably have little to no experience with a home with real plaster walls.
The plaster itself is pretty thick, about 3/4 in, and affixed on wooden lath. The lath gives added thickness, support, and reinforcement. It also buffers sound transfer quite well. It’s quite strong. Make a fist, try to punch a hole in these walls, and you’ll up needing x-rays and a cast. You can mount things on the walls that are heavy, but not wide enough to mount from the studs, and not have to worry about staying mounted.
Wall board sucks! There’s nothing to reinforce it from behind. “Oops, the handle of the vacuum cleaner fell over and just punched a big hole in the wallboard!” Lovely! All this crap is, is “chalk” laminated between paperboard. GARBAGE! I would never pay to have this trash built into my home.
Magic, I can agree with you on the benefits of plaster. However, wallboard does have its advantages also, namely its cheap and easier to repair than plaster It is almost prohibitively expensive to install plaster anymore because of the labor intensive process it is.
First you put up lathe (lots and lots of it);
Then you put up your first coat of plaster (used to be mixed with horsehair - don’t know what they use now-a-days);
Repeat ad nauseum until your plaster coat is thick enough. (it may be only one coat but with a 3/4 inch thickness the average of all the old houses I’ve lived in, I gotta think there’s more than one coat involved.
Let dry for many, many hours/days.
There is also fair amount of skill involved in the process and not that many people around still doing it (all this per my dad, the contractor)
Also, ever try painting clean plaster? Sucks up the paint almost as much as wallboard.
Is the paint chipping? If you are truly worried about lead, (i.e. little ones in the house), then remove the plaster and put up wallboard. A very messy project.
If it’s not chipping, I’d suggest a good coat of paint (I like Sherwin Williams) with a good paint, not a cheapy from SuperDuperMegaMart. I think paint is actually one of those things where you “get what you pay for”. The folks at the paint store might be able to recommend a pre-coat type treatment that would help seal the plaster more, maybe?
First get a lead test kit. They are fairly cheap, and it is best to make sure you have a problem before you go solving it. Not all paints were lead based. Second, if you aren’t going to do anything like drilling, sanding, etc. that would cause you to touch, ingest, breathe, or otherwise get the lead into your system then covering it up is OK. A good primer/sealer (not normally used for interior painting) would probably make it safe for a family. If it does turn out to be lead, keep it in mind in emergencies that would expose people to the paint dust or flakes.
Lathe and plaster v. Drywall? Drywall is consistent and easy to work with. If I was building the house, it would be drywall for sure, just cause it is easy to work with and the wife likes to remodel. Lathe and Plaster is only as good as the installer, and can have all the disadvantages of drywall if it is done poorly or cheaply, but I will say it is awesome if done right. If the plasterer mismeasured or put it on stale, then it sucks oh so bad. If you want to put a door in, remove a wall, or add wire/cables in the wall, or work with it in any way then it is a bitch and a half. Lathe and Plaster ceilings seem to crack more too.
I find interesting and somewhat unsettling that the majority is leaning toward drywall, as opposed to plaster. If I have lead paint, do I have to destroy and remove all of the plaster, for best protection? Seems like everyone here is thinking, “Get rid of that plaster, now!”
This is very true, and the ONLY, downside IMO, of plaster.
Maybe I need a better understanding of types of drywall, and quality thereof. Surely, there must be very high-standard grades of drywall available. My concerns are mainly durabilty, thickness, and buffering of sound. I used to work in a home improvement store, and IIRC, the thickest drywall was either 3/4 or 7/8 in thick. I wouldn’t want some crap that is going to get a hole punched in it if a person pokes it with their pinky finger. I know there are some that poorly made.
Hey, Engineer Don, primer/sealer isn’t normally used for interior applications? Now you tell me. We just stripped all our wallpaper, textured with topping joint compound, primed (with Behr primer/sealer) and then painted. Are you telling me we could have left out a whole step? Dang!
MSK, thanks for letting me know about the advantages of plaster. We definitely don’t have plaster in our house, as it’s only about 30 years old. But what kid of wallboard are you used to? I definitely couldn’t punch a whole in ours with my pinky finger. But it is definitely easy to patch, or section out and replace.
Again, though, tearing down all your plaster and replacing with wallboard is going to suck beyond belief. If at all possible, painting over it seems like the good choice.
MSK, my sympathies on the probable expense and trouble of trying to keep your house’s original historic fabric intact. I personally think it’s well worth looking into, although the bottom line may be how much $$ you’re willing to spend. It’s a shame to use modern, un-craftsmanlike materials in a period home. Have you looked around for a real plasterer? Try the local Italian, Greek or Portugese community (if there is one where you live). There may be some semiretired artisan who knows the old ways.
Here’s a link about stripping paint from plaster surfaces. The chemicals involved sound pretty frightening, and I have heard that if left on too long, they can soften the plaster!
But as regard the lead paint: if your house was built circa 1930, then there is a very high chance that it contains lead-based paint. Maybe start by getting an expert in to do some small sample cores and have them tested, or use an X-Ray fluorescence system. Using sanders or sandblasting to remove lead paint can be dangerous: HUD lead paint guidelines. Here’s what the Canadian Government says about removal of lead paint in older homes.
The silica sand used for sandblasting is also a potential danger–to the point where it has actually been banned in Canada. Walnut shells or plastic or metal beads might be safer.
i live in a 100+ year old house. there are many plaster walls here and they are going to stay right where they are, thank you.
to remove the paint from plaster is VERY difficult. that is why there are frescos about that look like they were painted yestaurday not 500+ years ago. is there any chance, any at all, that there maybe wallpaper under that paint? could you scrape a bit in a really hidden spot? there was here at my house and then there was paint on top of the paper. esp. on the ceilings. if there is paper you are in luck, you get your friendly neighbourhood wall scraper over to remove it. because it is a wet process lead dust is not an issue. the wallscraper i used took care of disposal. if it is only paint then you basically have a one colour fresco and you can have a good plasterer come in and put on a new finish coat of plaster; or use a deglosser and put on a new colour.
you may want to try looking at this old house’s web site. about 2 years ago the magazine had a plaster issue. i remember the 6 step plaster wall feature. what a feature that was. no wonder plasterers cost so much.
Joy of joy. The furnace and ductwork are all 70 years old as well. Wheee!)