Hanging Drywall Over Plaster Walls

This piece doesn t have to be a perfect fit.

Hanging drywall over plaster walls.

This message has been edited by lawrence edited. Scrape any crumbled plaster off the lath and fill the resulting hollow with a patch of drywall. Attach your drywall over the plaster. Plaster hooks or hanging picture hooks are a common solution for hanging pictures on plaster wall.

Screws and screws with masonry anchors for heavy items are your best choice for hanging things on plaster walls without picture rail. Use drywall screws to attach the drywall to the joists or lath. It is not always possible to repair plastered walls especially in old homes. Cut a small hole in the ceiling to locate a joist if there isn t one already.

The drywall should be the same thickness as the plaster. Cut a piece of drywall to fill any holes. Hanging drywall over cracked or damaged plaster can give your rooms a face lift. Using 1 4 inch sheets you can cover old imperfections without adding too much additional finish work.

A practical and economical solution to make old walls look as good as new is to hang drywall over plastered walls. When attaching sheets of drywall always make sure you start at the top of the wall and always install your drywall sheets horizontally. This is the most effective way to attach drywall over plaster. Using a caulk gun apply a generous amount of liquid nails to the surface onto the wall.

Repairs take much work and can destabilize the walls even further. As mentioned earlier avoid using nails on plaster wall because they will likely cause the drywall to crack. One of the fastest ways to cover old damaged or cracked plaster walls is to hang drywall over them. They can generally support pictures of up to 20 pounds.

It usually comes in 4 8 or 12 foot lengths. Plaster screws have a washer type fitting that helps prevent the plaster from cracking. Instead use a screw because they won t break the plaster wall. Covering plaster with 1 4 inch drywall will achieve the same if not greater thickness as 5 8 inch drywall on the studs which is quite good.

You need to check the fit before you press the drywall to the wall. For lighter items simply screwing into the plaster with a 1 1 4 drywall screw is usually enough to get the job done. It s made from gypsum calcium sulfate which is ground up made into plaster and pressed between paper in the factory.