Repairing a damaged plaster


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:

  1. 6-inch spackle knife
  2. plaster washers with screws
  3. spackling compound
  4. primer
  5. drywall
  6. bucket
  7. fine sandpaper
  8. 1/8 inch masonry bit
  9. coarse-threaded drywall screws
  10. dust mask
  11. pole sander or pad sander
  12. potato masher or paddle mixer or paint mixing drill
  13. paper drywall reinforcing tape
  14. setting type joint compound
  15. mud pan
  16. touch up paint and paintbrush
  17. bucket
  18. utility knife and tape measure
  19. putty knife
  20. 150 grit sandpaper
  21. drill and driver
  22. fine sandpaper

Steps:

  1. 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.
  2. Then, remove any small and loose chunks of plaster and patch the holes before repairing the loose plaster.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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/