Plaster & Lath Demo

[Anonymous No.1632479]

I have a house built in the early 30’s that has plaster & lath walls. I’m considering demoing every room on the first floor except for the kitchen down to the studs. I’m gonna do the demo myself with help of a few friends & maybe hiring a couple of guys for the weekend. I have almost no experience doing anything like this. Any tips from diy’ers?

[Anonymous No.1632492]

>>1632479
Use a hammer, not your bare hands.

[Anonymous No.1632496]

Why are you demoing it

[Anonymous No.1632498]

>>1632479
what tools do you have?

[Anonymous No.1632503]

>>1632496
The plaster is cracked in a bunch of places & I’m being told any repair will not really last. Also, I spent $5900 on home heating oil last year & it was a mild winter. I’m thinking the almost 90 year old insulation is nonexistent. I’m also worried about lead paint since I have a 1 year old.

[Anonymous No.1632505]

>>1632498
I have hammers & a sledgehammer. I was gonna but some crowbars, shovels, & something to scrape the plaster off the lath.

[Anonymous No.1632522]

>>1632505
>scrape the plaster off the lath
No need, smack it with a sledge a few times, plaster will fall, once you have a bit of lath exposed just stick a crow bar into it and start prying. No need to scrape the lath clean unless you are going to leave it up for new plaster.

[Talena No.1632534]

>>1632479
>advice
Ya, don't do it, just put sheetrock on top. The lath structure and the robustness it brings is all but forgotten in modern home construction. Besides sound and temperature benefits, dont spend tons of energy to make something worse.

[Anonymous No.1632535]

lmao have fun, that shit is not fun to demo

[Anonymous No.1632548]

>>1632534
This. I’d bust the plaster off and sheet rock over it

[Anonymous No.1632567]

>>1632522

>this
Also have a pair of tin snips handy to cut the lathe. Don’t worry about the paper or the lathe if you’re replacing it with another material. Should be a one or two man job desu

[Anonymous No.1632570]

>>1632567
Also, if you have a grinder or skilsaw cut out squares with a masonry wheel to expedite the demo and cut down on the mess

[Anonymous No.1632574]

>>1632503
Legit reply.

Wear a mask.
Not the shitty dust mask.
Pay an extra $5 for a box of osha approved hazardous materials masks.
Claw hammer.

There is no magical answer with lathe if you want to save studs, it just takes effort.
Claw hammer/sledge a hole. Reach in and pull.

[Anonymous No.1632575]

>>1632567

Shit my bad, wood lathe didn’t look at ops pic
No tin snips just pry it off with a flat bar and try not to destroy your existing studs removing that lather

[Anonymous No.1632577]

with the amount of hours and frustrating labor that will take, you might as well just move

[Anonymous No.1632623]

The dust will be epic. You might think you've seen dust before but wait until you start smashing up old plaster. Wear a proper mask: when I pulled down my old plaster lath (actually plaster on reed) ceilings I wore a P2 respirator, and god damn was it worth it.

[Anonymous No.1633552]

Bump:
I want resources to learn to plaster on lath.

[Anonymous No.1633613]

>>1632574
>wear a mask

This and have a door or window open aswell. As far as tools go sledge hammer claw hammer and a crowbar. You can reuse the wood lathe peices as shims if you're doing any framing work.

[Anonymous No.1633615]

>>1632479
>Any tips from diy’ers?
At the very LEAST get good masks. Your plaster has lead paint and probably asbestos fibers in it.

That said, plaster is sexier and better then gyprock. Why not leave it up?

[Anonymous No.1633671]

Leave it up and blow insulation into walls

[Anonymous No.1633673]

>>1633671
This. It's the only decent wall insulation anyway

[Anonymous No.1634116]

I did exactly what you're describing a few months ago. Here's what I learned.
>everyone who's telling you to get good masks is spot on. I'd also recommend a long sleeved shirt and a hat of some kind so you have less to rinse off when you're done
>this process creates a fuck ton of dust, so set up a fan in a window to get some of it out. Also use painter's plastic to close off areas where you aren't working to keep the dust out
>the fastest way I found to remove the lathe and plaster was to use a claw hammer to tear a hole between studs, about halfway between the floor and ceiling, large enough to stuff a shovel or digging bar in the stud space, then pry the lathe off with the plaster still on it. You can get enough leverage to strip large chunks of the wall in one shot, then go back and get the scraps left behind
>plaster is heavy. It's pretty easy to over load your garbage bags without realizing it. Pay attention so you don't end up needing to empty a bunch out
>related note, pick the big pieces of lathe out of the plaster pile so it doesn't rip the bags.
>leave yourself plenty of time to clean up at the end of the day, and take cleaning breaks regularly so you have room to work
>get a heavy duty broom with stiff bristles if you don't have one. Most brooms won't move big chunks of plaster.

That's all I can think of for now, but if you have any questions I can try to answer them

[Anonymous No.1634305]

Contractor here. Lath and plaster is terrible to demo. It's physically demanding, filthy, bad for your lungs and hard to dispose of in large quantities unless you rent a dumpster.

Someone up above said to leave it up and blow in insulation. That's the best option. You can rent a insulation blower from the Deep Homo. Drill either 3" or 4" holes in the wall near the ceiling, one in each bay, and fill the cavities. Then go over the plaster with 3/8" sheetrock. Be sure to screw into studs. Tape, finish and enjoy.

The only downside might be how the sheetrock meets the trim.

[Anonymous No.1634313]

>>1634116
I’m definitely getting some good respirator masks because of possible lead paint. I was also gonna get safety goggles, gloves, & disposable coveralls. Tool wise claw hammers, sledgehammer, crowbars, shovels, fans, five gallon buckets, shop vac, brooms & maybe a small wheelbarrow. I’m getting a dumpster too. How big of a pain in the ass are the ceilings? I have 9’ ceilings, so I see that being a pain. I have about 1000 sq ft of demo. I think I can put in about 20 hours myself before the weekend, & have 2-4 other guys for about 12 hours. I’m trying to do this in a week. Do you think I’ll more time or bodies?

[Anonymous No.1634323]

>>1633615
Theirs just too many areas in too many rooms that need repair. I plan on staying in this house for a long time, so it’s not like a band aid is gonna end up being someone else’s problem.

[Anonymous No.1634401]

>>1634313
There's probably asbestos in the plaster too bro

[Anonymous No.1634840]

>>1634305
This is why I hate "contractors".
Can I count the number of assumptions you've made in your post?
1) that there's no fire blocking in the walls to prevent the blown in insulation from filling only half the cavity
2) that the house isn't ballon framed and thus there's nothing to stop the blown in from all ending up under the house
3) that a guy without any experience whatsoever is going to be able to _find_ the studs in a plaster and lathe wall without at least tearing out a thin horizontal strip

I'm sure there's more, but I don't give enough of a fuck to keep finding them.

>>1632479
OP, you've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread, and a little bad.

Here's my advice.
Buy some cheap paint and put a couple coats over everything. Lead paint is only a danger when it's chipping and peeling. Yes, a fresh coat is a band aid, but it will buy you time.
Time for what? I hear you asking.
Time to save up some money. Because this is a project you want done correctly, and only once, given you're planning on living there a long time.
Expenses you're going to have to consider : professionals to hang sheetrock and do the taping and paint prep. Insulation costs. Any other work you might want done while the walls are open (electrical for instance).
You can totally do the demolition yourself, and the advice you've recieved on that is good so far. High quality dust mask, maybe even a respirator. Fans in windows. Now, given it's a 30's house, there's certainly lead paint, and there's almost certainly asbestos. Seal off the rest of the house with plastic and tape. Cover yourself with disposable coveralls. Wear gloves. Wear safety glasses. Bag your waste. Vacuum up everything like you have OCD. Twice. Then wet mop.
Insulate in any way you desire, you have many options.
Do any work you might want like electrical and plumbing.
Hire professionals to hand the sheetrock, make sure they understand it's an old plaster and lathe house.
1/?

[Anonymous No.1634850]

>>1634840
Make sure they plan on doing a lot of shimming of the walls. In the old days of plaster and lathe they didn't bother to keep things perfectly straight because anything that was off a bit could just be floated out in the plaster. Unlike today where you need a well framed wall or it shows in the sheetrock.

Once the pros have taken care of the rock and taping, you can certainly paint the place yourself.

I hope I'm not forgetting any of the major troubles you might run into. Half a day from now i'll probably think of something.

BTW, I've done restoration and remodelling of old homes for about 25 years now. If I do think of something I'll try and find this thread again.

Remember, high quality dust mask as a minimum, prefer a respirator. Safety glasses minimum, goggles a best. Cover yourself as much as possible. Dispose of the disposable coveralls at the end of the day. Clean everything twice. Wet mop. Bag your waste. Seal off the rest of the house. You could do worse than to look up the EPA's Lead Safety for Renovation, Repair, And Painting rules.

Also, be aware that once you open up your walls, all bets are off. God only knows what you might find in the way of "oh holy shit" items. Bad wiring comes immediately to mind. Termite or other insect damage is a possibility as well. You are going to find mummified dead critters. Probably just mice, but you never really know what else.

Good luck and god speed.

[Anonymous No.1634870]

>>1634840
>that a guy without any experience whatsoever is going to be able to _find_ the studs in a plaster and lathe wall without at least tearing out a thin horizontal strip
Just remove the skirting board and the wall studs are exposed. A mirror and flashlight will find out if there are noggings.

[Anonymous No.1634879]

>>1632503
heating oil is the most expensive form of heating you can get. Stop getting cucked so hard nigger and get natural gas. Shit even propane is better. LMAO at your bill.

[Anonymous No.1634900]

>>1634840
You hate contractors because you're a self absorbed faggot who doesn't like your betters. If you knew the first fucking thing about anything you'd be making money that way. But I'd imagine no one would hire you because you're socially inept, do shitty work, and you're to fucking lazy to do what it takes.

Anyone who takes the advice on this board without further scrutiny is bound to fail anyway. What you suggest is going to be expensive as fuck. If OP can get someone to hang and tape for less than $2/sq ft it will be a miracle. Add shimming (if he can even find someone to do it) and it'll be a lot more. He wouldn't be here asking for help to save oney if he could drop 10-15K on sheetrock alone.

And since you're an ass backward nigger I'll spell it our for you. People need to ask questions in order to show interest. You're free to write a self-help book for a guy who doesn't know how to knock down 80 year old shit and carry it to a dumpster and hope he might read it. The rest of us are free to offer some advice and see if he cares enough to invest himself in getting help.

[Anonymous No.1634906]

You can demo this if you're physically fit.

You can hang and shim the drywall, if you can measure and pay attention.

You can trim if you can measure and cut well.

You can mud and tape if you want to gain the skill and have time.

Trades guys like to kick everyone else down to inflate their own egos. When I see diy youtubers do cleaner jobs than professionals, I see right through the bullshit. If the tradesman is that good, they go and contract themselves.

You're going to find out which of these things you're capable of doing in a hurry. You'll get clues like "Oh there's wire mesh that's nailed to the studs holding all the plaster & lath together" "how do I miter and cope these fucked up out of square walls" "how do I shim this ocean of actual 2x4 studs flat" "I just finish painting, why are there mounds where I taped and mudded?"

[Anonymous No.1634922]

>>1634900
Holy shit you're butt blasted.

Let me be a little more clear : I've been professionally restoring and remodelling old homes for about 25 years now. It's what I get paid to do. And I do a damn fine job of it. For many years my bread and butter was coming in behind self proclaimed "contractors" and fixing their fuck ups. That's why I hate them. Because they give the real professionals a bad name. It's because of "contractors" that real contractors and professionals are distrusted about as much as used car salesmen. So go take your butthurt to the proctologist.

>>1634906
This is all true.
OP you can pick up these skills. I recommended professionals because it sounds like time is a factor for you.
If it isn't, pick up the skills.
Do the project one room at a time. Your first room or two can be practice, and by the time you're on your last room you'll have a new set of skills and the self satisfaction of learning them and putting them to good use.

Also, re-reading my posts I make it sound like you ought to be doing your own electrical and plumbing. I don't mean to give that impression. Electrical and plumbing really ought to be left to the professionals (in most circumstances anyway). Again, these are skills you can pick up, but in the case of electrical and plumbing items, if you bugger them up you might not notice what you've buggered until the leak is dripping through the ceiling or the house is on fire.

[Anonymous No.1634948]

>>1634922
You sound like an arrogant asshole. Like the kind of guy who works for someone else and complains that no one else does good work then goes home to beat his wife and/or drink himself to sleep.

[Anonymous No.1635205]

>>1634948
SEETHING

I'm not arrogant, I'm just better than you.
You are correct that I work for a company instead of for myself these days. Because it's nice to get paid to work 40 hours a week instead of working 40 hours a week, plus another 30 hours of paperwork, running down jobs, keeping up with advertisement, going out on estimates, etc. I'm lucky enough to work with a couple of people who've been in the business almost as long as I've been alive, and I get to learn things from them on occasion. I enjoy improving my skills and paying attention to all the details to make sure our customers are happy with the work done and that the most likely reason we'll have a call back is because they want more work done instead of something needing fixed.

[Anonymous No.1635393]

wow, after reading all of this... here is my 2 cents worth of bullshit to throw into the mix.
OSHA approved P.P.E. is a must! Yes! this will murder your fucking house with dust if you do not take measures! Don't be a cheapskate, rent a 15-20 yard dumpster. Go to Lowe's ( home depot doesn't sell them) get the Bostitch 42" demolition bar, it has the best radius at the bottom for prying. A sawzall with s good nail embedded wood blade works great for cutting all of the corners in the rooms. do this first, then start to tear out the walls. use the 42" demo bar to pry out big sections at a time. Have every window in the room open, dust will be like a fog.
cont.'d

[Anonymous No.1635396]

>>1635393
after your demo is complete. Get a 8' straight edge. Levels work great, but if you don't have a 8'er. get something you know to be straight. set it across the wall studs, you will see framers didn't care about crowning studs then. they did this knowing that lathe & plaster would conceal this. Get a power planer, plane down the high studs, go to a drywall supplier, get drywall shims for the really low studs.
Hope this helps anon. 15 year builder here, always willing to help a homeowner with demo, and some minor prep work. It's something you can do do drastically offset the price, it's something that saves me as a builder time.
Not all of us are bad guys.

[Anonymous No.1635406]

>>1635393
>>1635396
I bought one of these from Lowe's for 20 bucks. I bought a 2nd one because my laborer was hogging up the first one on the demo's. Now I have 4 of them. one for every guy on the team. my guys look like firemen demoing out a a kitchen with soffits above the cabinets. Or pulled mud walls in bathrooms.

https://youtu.be/jQor43yKP3c

[Anonymous No.1635441]

>>1634906
>Trades guys like to kick everyone else down to inflate their own egos.
See >>1634900 with his assblasted
>You hate contractors because you're a self absorbed faggot who doesn't like your betters.
Toppest of keks.

[Anonymous No.1636112]

>>1635205
This
Working trades for some firm is Based, unless one man band outfits

[Anonymous No.1636152]

>>1635396
I pulled out a few plaster walls at my place while moving doors around. This bit about the studs is dead on. I had high/low spots of 3/4". Pain in the ass to hang drywall without grinding/shimming the fuck out it.

[Anonymous No.1636202]

>>1635396
>>1635406
>>1636152

No, no, just no. buy steel studs and sister them onto the old wood, quicker and easier than whatever it was you all suggested.

[Anonymous No.1636210]

>>1636202
>and sister them onto the old wood,
Cunt cowboy scammer here Never On them old timbers.

TRADES GET IN HERE .. AN LETS SEE ..

[Anonymous No.1636243]

>>1632479
i recently did this to 1 exterior wall in my house. i dont have any experience in construction. removing it was pretty easy with a crowbar. moving up the beams popping them out and removing the nails. there were parts where the lathe went into a corner that i wasnt going to destroy, so i hit them with a sharp chisel to cut them flush with to wall. i put insulation between the beams before drywall. i marked where the beams were on the floor so it would be easy to screw in drywall. when fitting the drywall i noticed that the beams were all warped. if i took a level and laid it horizontally across multiple beams, at different elevations they would line up differently... not sure how to say that. a wiggly fun house of wooden beams. so i took scraps of wood and shims and nailed them where the wood would warp into the wall, to create a more level surface. i took measurements so i knew where the pieces were placed so i could screw into them later. measured and cut one side of the drywall with a razor, then folded the drywall away from me to crack it along the cut. set my drill so it wouldnt screw so hard that as to go through the drywall. used the previous measurements to put the screws in place. the screws should sink a little into the drywall so there isnt a bump later. filled the screw holes with plaster. put mesh tape between pieces of drywall and corners and applied plaster over that too, making sure to press the plaster into the gaps. Any bumps i scraped and sanded later. primed and painted. i hope i did it right, the wall turned out good though.

this was the case for my house, be careful when removing the lathe by hand, there were huge nail points coming from the otherside. especially when pressing in new insulation, press it in with a stick or with the crowbar so it doesnt come through and poke you.

[Anonymous No.1636275]

>>1632479
Cool thread OP. Entertaining reads.
One thing others have failed to warn you is to be sure you turn off your breakers or take out the fuses of the rooms you may be working on. It's not a bad idea to kill the main to be safe, but youd still need lights somehow. I would say do similar precautions for your plumbing but its probably bombproof.

[Anonymous No.1636675]

>>1632479
Paint the walls with multiple coats.
replace or seal your windows
add insulation to your ceiling.

Tear it open and it could easily turn into 10 X your worst cost projection.

Spend the money on a more efficient heating system.
You are opening a can of worms if you open the walls up.

[Anonymous No.1636699]

>>1633613

>sledge hammer

Makes me laugh seeing first worlders struggling to handle a 10lbs sledge to demolish some paper machet.

[Anonymous No.1636701]

>>1634870

[Anonymous No.1636704]

>>1636699
Who the fuck struggles with a 10-pound sledge? Besides, you want a 25- or 30-pounder for full-on demo work (knocking studs out n sheeit). OP doesn't even need a sledge; a San Angelo bar would do just fine.

[Anonymous No.1636714]

>>1634948
>Projection: the post
I don’t have a dog in this fight. I know Jack shit about construction and remodeling. But from this post I know you...

Lulz have been had my friend. Please continue posting for my enjoyment.

[Anonymous No.1638978]

Bump

[Anonymous No.1638985]

>>1636714
>Lulz have been had my friend.

2010 called. Said they missed you.

[Anonymous No.1639947]

>>1636243
studs, not beams. beams are horizontal, under joists, supporting a floor.
good post otherwise, though

[Anonymous No.1639960]

If you’re still reading the thread OP, think long and hard about whether you really need to do this. Especially if you’ve also got ceilings to do.

As others have said, you can always overboard.

Pic related is a job I was on where we were taking down lath and plaster ceilings. This is long after the dust had settled.

Also if you’re gonna do ceilings, take them down from above if you can.

[Anonymous No.1640702]

>>1634870
magnets should help you find the nails holding in the lathe

[Anonymous No.1640713]

>>1632479
>built in the early 30s
100% has asbestos in the plaster. p100 respirator minimum. leave the ceilings and blow insulation into the attic.

sawzall is your friend. cut the lathe in big sections to avoid all the bits of plaster

[Anonymous No.1640913]

>>1632479

leave what's there in place

drill holes between all the studs

blow in insulation

install modern drywall over the lathe and plaster, make sure to use long enough drywall screws to bite into the studs and not the plaster or the lath strips

this will cost you about an inch off the dimensions of your room, but save you $9000 worth of back surgery

[Anonymous No.1640974]

>>1634313
>How big of a pain in the ass are the ceilings? I have 9’ ceilings, so I see that being a pain.

A huge pain. You have two problems:

1. That shit is heavy and you're making it fall down. Wear a hard hat and try not to be underneath it when it falls.
2. You end up putting the ceiling on the floor, and then you can't move around because the floor is full of ceiling.

When I pulled my ceiling down it was a two man job; me up on a ladder with a crowbar, and somebody down on the ground with a shovel. Basically pull down a small section, then let them come in and shovel it away, then do the next section etc.

[Anonymous No.1640975]

>>1634840
>professionals to hang sheetrock and do the taping and paint prep

wow yeah nobody else but a pro can hang a bit of sheetrock and tape the joints

[Anonymous No.1641250]

>>1632479
get a good mask like most anons have mentioned and rent a rotary hammer with a chisel,it will save you quite some time

[Anonymous No.1641577]

>>1641250
Rotary hammer & chisel, for plaster lath? Don't be silly; he'd be through the wall and out the front door with one push of the button. You could demolish those walls with a clawhammer if you were motivated enough. An SDS chisel is massive overkill.

[Anonymous No.1642727]

>>1632623
im guessing its pretty much the same as tile removal from cement floors? because man fuck that never again

[Anonymous No.1642734]

>>1634900
lol i mean youre not wrong to some extent but get your head out of your ass. im paying you because i dont want to fuck up my body and i want to have legal fallbacks. my time and body isnt worth it for the amount you charge

[Anonymous No.1642767]

>>1634900
>your betters
>calls people he disagrees with "nigger" by habit
You've convinced yourself, and that's all that matters, right?
Right, Mommy?

[Anonymous No.1642969]

>>1632479
Prepare yourself for lots of shimming when hanging the sheet rock. Take note of where the lath has been doubled up. This was to make up for the rough cut and warped studs. Your studs will also be much harder then modern ones. You will break lots of sheet rock screws if you dont drill pilot holes first. Lastly, if what is causing the cracks to begin with is not fixed, it will be for nothing.

[Anonymous No.1642990]

>>1632574
>Wear a mask.
>Not the shitty dust mask.
wear a respirator, lol. this stuff 100% has asbestos and plaster is pretty much friable.

[Anonymous No.1644689]

There's no special methods or science to removing plaster. Just use whatever you've got to rip the shit out.

[Anonymous No.1644757]

>>1642727
Way, way worse. The old plaster turns into fine dust, combined with all the ancient "normal" dust that's clinging to the back of the lath.

[Anonymous No.1645036]

>>1642727
Tile will either come off nicely or be a complete bitch. When it's the latter, it can be hard to scrape or chip the floors level again

Plaster can be hard and brittle like mortar. Then the lathe is basically 1/2" furring strips of wood. You'll never pull down a full wall in one piece like drywall or tiled walls. It just crumbles as stated, so be ready to scoop the dust off the floor.

The plaster squeeze out on the backside is called "keys." This provides strength. If there is wire lathe behind there too, good luck. This makes it everything extra tough and hard to cut. Fein saws and sawzalls will just dull on the plaster. Grinders can do it, but they'll throw clouds of plaster dust everywhere in the process.

[Anonymous No.1645445]

>>1632479
I've torn out every exterior plaster wall in an 1870's Italianate, it's not a fun process. Wear a respirator, eye pro, and gloves. The dust will completely cover you, I'd recommend not washing whatever you were wearing with anything else, or hose them down before washing. All you need to tear it down is a claw hammer, a shop vac is handy for the aftermath. Remove nails from the lathe and save it, it's excellent for starting fires, as for the plaster itself, we used it to fill a hole in the yard. Since insulation is your primary concern (as was ours), I'd say only do the exterior walls and keep whatever you can original and or use drywall to cover the inside walls, it'll save a ton of effort. Also, sprayfoam insulation is the shit, I'd recommend it especially if it's a brick house.

[Anonymous No.1645466]

Just seconding the respirator. Full face. Protect your eyes. Other than that hammers and crowbars

[Anonymous No.1645474]

>>1632503
Demoing internal walls isn't going to help fix your heating bills. If you really do have a 1 year old you should Stop everything you are doing and clean it up. Wait until the kid is at least 6 years old before doing that job. No contractor would go near that job. If your kid gets sick and the doctors suspect lead it's not good. State can force you to move the kid out of the house.
Get a few quotes for having blown insulation from outside. Probably cost you 1000 and your utility company might provide additional $ for the work to be done. Otherwise keep the heat on enough so the pipes don't freeze and Wear winter clothes in the winter. Save some money.

[Anonymous No.1645639]

OP look at your municipal, state/province, federal, electric company, and gas company for rebates or incentives. I had my home with lath and plaster blown insulation completely free by the gas company in partnership with the province. Lath and plaster is far better than drywall, best to keep it on.

[Anonymous No.1645640]

>>1632479
>replacing beautiful plaster with shitrock
F