Plaster Repairs

Has anyone done their own plaster wall and ceiling repairs?
We recently purchased an investment property that is 102 years old with original plaster walls and ceilings that are in pretty good shape. I just need to do some minor repairs. Has anyone worked with Plaster Magic??

Joint compound and fiberglass tape for small repairs. I owned a few apartment houses that I totally did over. Found that this was the best approach. For full scale renovation, I went 3/8 drywall over everything. Pulled my trim, install the drywall, tape, paint, reinstall the trim. Way more efficient and cleaner than bashing it out.

Synthetic stuff normally lasts longer than non. Post you problem picts with details and I will be glad to assist if I can.

Plaster Magic …lol
Trained under a Master Plasterer when younger and there is nothing better than a old fashioned 3 coat.
Gotta slack it overnight and use rough coat,lime coat,followed by a smooth coat.
The longer it takes to dry the better so it does not shrink.

He used to love ceilings as he said people could not see them close up as walls.

How’s about some hard coat “diamond” dry plaster. If you add a little powder laundry detergent it will air entrain the mix and make it more manageable. I have applied Sheetrock directly over plaster ceilings in an effort to hold back any further cracks which are inevitable in older homes…

for original plaster & lath walls and ceilings, there are a couple of things to consider. The typical hairline cracks you might find along a wall or above a door or window are usually from minor settlement over the years. If you cover these cracks with joint compound, they will re-crack if there is any movement at all. Though diamond plaster is a better option, durabond 90 works best and offers some elasticity and can be applied in thick coats with no cracking once it dries. The trick to repair these cracks is to cut open the crack in a V shape about 1/4 inch deep with the edge of a flat head screw driver, then fill with durabond, sand smooth once dried, then touch up with diamond plaster, sand, prime and paint.

Yes, I have used my own version of Wally’s plaster magic and I have repaired missing plaster using a 2or3-1 mason sand and plaster of Paris mix with drywall compound for the finish coat.

Plaster magic is expensive but it does work to re-adhere the loose plaster around the cracks. I couldn’t stomach the price so I looked up the Material Safety Data Sheets(MSDS) online and found comparable products with similar chemical makeups. I have repaired three areas with cracks, the longest being 4-6 foot crack and all have held up well for a couple years. No hairline cracks have reappeared.

Here’s the most recent fix I did using my Wally’s ripoff system to a compound crack back in December of last year in a room I’m working on. The lines show generally where the cracks were.

Just do like the flop houses and use deck screws to cover it up with a drywall patch…:slight_smile:

Here’s the products I’ve used for my own version of Plaster Magic. The cost is about 1/5 of the Plaster Magic and I get all of it from Menards, Lowe’s or Home Depot.

  1. Package of 1.5-2" nylon washers - for against the crack
  2. Package of large 1-1.5" fender washers - to back up the nylon washers
  3. Acrylic masonry bonding additive, diluted with water if needed. This stuff is nearly identical to the “conditioner” Wally’s sells for $32 a bottle.
  4. Loctite Polyseamseal White All Purpose Adhesive Caulk - I dilute this with water to a little thicker than white glue and inject it with an old caulk tube or a turkey injector

I’ve tried several other adhesives and caulks, but this one performs flawlessly. It’s not identical to Wally’s but it works really well. Best to wipe any oozing adhesive up when you first make the repair rather than scraping it off later.

LOL too much work Cameron.

Mesh and Durabond 90 all the way to be honest.
Longer the cure the less shrinkage as stated.

I saw the Durabond 90 recommendation somewhere.
Minimal shrinkage cracks.

I use Durabond 90 on many repairs, drywall and plaster. No mesh tape needed most of the time. I even got good at a lace troweled texture with Durabond.

Not on the plaster I have. 143 year old house. It’s not just cracked, it’s loose nearly a foot out on either side of the cracks. One average 9x 14 wall has 3-4 cracks all 6-8 feet long. Durabond doesn’t reattach, so it won’t cut it.

The end result with plaster magic or my version is: plaster is reattached fully without permanent fasteners leaving bumps on the wall and there are **no cracks **whatsoever.

Never tried the fancy stuff.
Just sounds infomercial in name I guess.

Getting ready to work on some art stuff with plaster or silicone molds so maybe will give it try.

You’re gonna love 4.03 by the way Cameron.

I get to play with it tonight, Dom just sent the license. :smiley:

I suggest getting a qualified contractor lol just kidding

If the plaster is loose, I just cut it out and then patch in a piece of drywall. Regarding the cracks, I haven’t used plaster magic, perhaps it does work ok. The point I made earlier, is that if there is any movement in the wall, skim coating over the crack won’t last. I have patched several hundred lineal feet in several homes, some with active movement, and never have had a re-crack doing what I had suggested previously.

polyseamseal works well for small cracks and is paintable. When done right outside you would have to have a real good eye to see it. Worse thing someone can do outside to a stucco home is try to patch it with a cementacious “I know spelling is wrong but I have no idea of what it should be :)”
oating. Once a patch always a patch :frowning:

Yes, polyseamseal wiped with a damp sponge makes for outstanding results.

Found this … cementitious.:slight_smile: I must have been pronouncing it wrong all these years because it doesn’t spell the way I say it:D

As far as repairing unsightly hairline cracks in stucco or interior plaster, Urethane (water base) caulks work the best - sponged in. Repairing actual voids in plaster, Durabond works best for small to med repairs. If the plaster has lost its bond or broken keys in wood lath, I remove the loose plaster and fill with drywall and veneer plaster. I have never tried to use adhesive or washer screws to fix larger sections of loose plaster. Seems like a lot of work for something that may or may not hold.