How do you take down a plaster wall (lath/plaster) and replace with drywall?

Question

We live in a post-war home with lath and plaster walls. My daugters bedroom wall has holes in it and the plaster is so loose you can push it in and out. I want to knock the plaster off the wall down to the laths and put up drywall. Best way to do it??? Also we have the thick 6 inch high baseboards that dont come off so keep this in mind. I have to make the drywall go to the baseboard smoothly with no hangover. Hopefully this makes sense.

Answer 1

Having done more than my share of work on old homes and dealing with plaster, lath and large old moldings here is what I have decided some time ago now just come to expect, accept and do.
First the molding comes off. It takes some work but believe me it does. See back in the day these homes were built with the idea that work would need to be done inside the walls some day. So the finish plaster only goes down so far. On the outside walls it's a less than pretty plaster behind the molding and on the inside walls nothing behind the molding. There is a large strip of wood behind the molding at the very top. This was placed there for two reasons. One to have a place to set the thickness of the plaster and to hold it plumb. The second was to have a solid surface to nail the molding to. At the bottom edge of the molding is nothing more than spacers placed on the studs. So yes it is tight but believe me it comes off and you want to take it off. In most cases it's a real 1" thick piece. In others it has been planed down to 3/4".
Now to remove the plaster and lath. First go dumpster diving at the local fast food chain. Get as many french fry boxes as you can. Tape them back together and you have the perfect size container to hold and carry plaster in. The plaster is very heavy and the fry box seems to be the perfect size so you won't strain yourself. Also don't forget your dust mask, not the cheap little mask that look like a Dr mask. No spend the $35 and get a respirator type mask with the filters. If you've never done tear out before you can't begin to imagine the amount of dust involved. Plastic off all door ways and keep the debris flowing out of your work space. It’s amazing the amount of plaster there is on a wall.
To remove the plaster take a hammer and start hitting your walls. Don't break through the lath just start the plaster cracking. Then break one lath near the top and use a wonder bar to start pulling off the lath. This will pull the plaster off in larger chunk and keep the lath in one piece. Both will be much easier to handle when done this way. Remember to take pictures off the opposite walls so they don't vibrate off. Don't hit so hard you start breaking all the lath. Very difficult to clean everything up at that point.
Now it appears like in your Q you only want to remove the plaster and not the lath. Bad idea. You won't get an even fit for the sheet rock without a lot of trouble, shims and wasted rock. Take the lath off. Then you can insulate the walls, because if there is anything in there it's news paper or a pressed form of pine needles. They didn't see much of a need for insulation back then. As long as the walls are open go ahead and spend the extra $100 at most for the insulation. If you feel confident upgrade the wires in the wall at this point also. The old knob and tube stuff is only going to become more of a fire risk as time goes on. Run some cable for internet, phone and cable tv at this time also. No time like now when you have full access. The insulation will only save you money down the road and make the room more comfortable over all. Also don't forget to wrap the walls with minimum 4mil plastic wrap preferably 6mil. This is for a vapor barrier and again helps seal the outside out and the inside in.
Get cardboard shims from the home supply store. Take a 4' level and place it on 3 to 4 of the studs. Find the ones that don't reach the level and add shims as needed. See with lath and plaster they could make the walls thicker or thinner in spots as needed. Sheet rock comes in a set thickness and that's it. As you screw it to the studs if the stud doesn't reach the drywall either the screw will break the paper or the drywall will bow. Spend the $10 and get the shims and take the time to do it.
When it comes time to tape use the gauze not the paper tape. Then very thin layers until you know what you are doing. Sanding is a bigger mess and pain in the tail than any tear out. Thin layers of mud will reduce or almost eliminate sanding.
I'm sure I could get much more detailed here but I'll spare you. I'm also sure there are many other opinions on the matter. I don't claim to be an expert but again I've done more of these than I care to remember and it seems I start another new one almost every week. I'm not sure where you live and what home supply stores are in the area but here is what is in mine and what I will bet and won't get at each.
Drywall, Home Depot. It's kept inside, drywall loves to soak in the moisture and Menards will save you around a buck a sheet but it's kept outside and is already a lesser quality.
Screws, 1 5/8" is my preferred size and I choose Menards for all fasteners. Home Depot and Lowes are too pricy.
Plaster, tape and corners, again Menards for cost.
Lumber, Home Depot or Lowes hands down. Not always the best of the best, but far out does most others.
Insulation, whatever store I'm at. No real cost difference or quality difference. Home Depot it's inside I grab a cart and load up, Menards I gotta drive around back. Whatever.
Plastic, Menards, again can't beat the cost.
Paint, Menards. I am not saying that Home Depot is more expensive or that the paint isn't as good, but I like the pour out container of Dutch Boy and the easy twist off top. Forget the old pry off lid cans you can have them.
Molding is a matter of taste they each carry the basic stand by casings, but then the fancy stuff they each have their own.
Well hope this helps. I can always be reached for more help. My wife laughs at the fact that I can draw you a map of every home store in the area and tell you the cost of most materials within a few cents at each. Can't imagine how she figures I'm addicted to those stores and to remolding old homes.

Kenny

Answer 2

If the plaster and the lathe are so weakened that you can push it in easily, it should not be a problem to remove. The lathe should be removed also so that the new drywall can be installed directly to the studs.

After you have removed the old materials it will become apparent how to get the baseboards off. The question really becomes how well will new baseboards fit into the style of the rest of the house? Of course you might be able to find new baseboards which closely, if not, exactly match what you have.

If your stud spacing does not allow installation of the drywall, it will be necessary to install more studs. The new stud dimensiions will probably not be the same as the old ones, but that doesn't matter as long as the new stud faces (the part that the drywall attaches to) are in line with the old. One way to do this is to attach a string from one corner, along the face of the wall to the other corner of the room. Install the new studs so that they touch but do not protrude beyon the string. Actually a string at the top, middle, and bottom of the wall would be most useful.

It will be pretty dusty. Putting a barrier over the door opening should help it from getting into the rest of the house. If there is a window and weather permits, a fan blowing out of the room would definitely help. A good dust mask, face protection and substantial gloves are a must for your protection.

There may be pipes and wire under the old plaster so go slowly and try to pull materials off the wall rather than smash them off until you know what is behind there.

Good luck and have fun..

Answer 3

If you drywall over the old plaster, the walls will be thicker and heavier; they'll be much more resistant to damage, they'll block sound much better and they won't have that cheap, hollow "new house" feel. On the other hand, you'll have to shim the moldings to avoid half-burying them (unless they're very thick and you use 1/4" drywall) and you might want to put up some ready-mixed joint compound as a "mortar layer" between the plaster and drywall, then add screws only after it dries, to accommodate the curvature of the plaster. If you have to do a lot of work in some walls (insulating or re-wiring) it might just be simpler to take the plaster off of those walls. So, I'd suggest taking each wall on a case by case basis; many rooms have a few problem walls and good, solid plaster on the others; your main aim should be to restore what you can and update what you have to, without "Home Depot-izing" your house into a state of blandness.

Answer 4

I had the same problem and here is what I did. I put plastic over the doorway and closed the bedroom door to keep as much of the dust out of the rest of the house. Make sure that you wear a respirator mask and also eye protection. I just used a hammer and put holes all over the walls in the plaster and used the claw on the hammer to pull down the plaster to the floor. I did one wall at a time and then cleaned up the plaster on the floor. The biggest job is to take all the lath off. Each piece of lath had ltos of nails so I put the claw of the hammer behind each piece and pulled, dropping them to the floor. After getting all of them down, along with all the insulation that will fall out (it is probably a loose insulation) I cleaned all that up with a shop vac. After this step is done the rest wasn't so bad. You go thru and pull the rest of the nail that are left on the studs from the lath. The baseboard is also nailed on so I pulled that off. You have to do it carefully so you don't ruin it. Put in new insulation, put up your drywall, paint and put your old baseboard back up. It sounds like a lot of work but I did this project myself. I will take about a day for the demolition, a few hours to put in the insulation and then another day for the sheetrock. That is a timeline for someone that does not do this for a living. When you have the plaster off the walls, this is a great time to check the electrical and add a couple more outlets.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I have found that taking the wall down to the studs is the best way to do this project. If you don't take the lathe off, you will have a hard time removing all the little plaster pieces between them. (time consuming). After the room is cleaned up add a layer of the old lathe vertically on each stud. This will allow you to install drywall out to the same depth as the old wall so window and door casing will fit properly. Be sure to use longer screws to anchor DW to studs, thru lathe Does the baseboard have a piece on top of it? If so, remove just this piece, and reinstall after new DW is in place. Otherwise just purchase a piece of base shoe and anchor on top of base after DW is installed.

Answer 7

The only way to remove lathe and plaster is the use a hammer and break it off. Wear a good dust mask while you are working. There is probably lead paint buried under all the layers of paint on the walls. It is a dusty messy job. The old plaster is very heavy. It may cost you a few bucks in extra trash pick up to dispose of.
After all the plaster is removed, pull off the lathe. Remove all the nails, or pound them in. Then hang the drywall on the exposed studs, tape, mud and sand. Prime and paint.
Your probably going to have to sacrifice the baseboards. Once you get the plaster off the walls, you might be able to get a flat crowbar, behind them and work them loose. But old wood gets brittle and it may split.
You may also want to re-insulate the room one you get the lathe and plaster removed.

Answer 8

The best way i think to do it would be to attempt to seal the room using industrial see-through plastic sheeting, covering doors and windows, get a proper face mask and eye protection, be aware that some old houses contain asbestos which usually, is of a bluish grey color,if this exists you will need to get in experts to remove it . the wall in question may contain electric cables or plumbing pipes as well as telephone wires etc. so do not go smashing it as hard as you can with a hammer, take your time making sure you are not damaging any of the wooden structure that might be holding up the curent wall.(you might be able to use it again for the Drywall) saving time building a new one. The baseborads could be completely covered if the thickness of the Drywall to be used can cover it. But i'm sure the baseboard can be removed.prized off the wall, and replaced later.

Answer 9

How To Remove Plaster Walls

Answer 10

your going to have to figure out how to get that baseboards off. first off. i have 8" baseboards and with a little work they came off. keep in mind it may not be one solid 6" baseboard but different layers. dont worry about hurting wall. i would not take down the lath/plaster. just go over it with drywall. now dont be cheap and put a thin drywall up. you will see waves in the drywall and not be happy with it. i would use no less thank a half inch.