Here’s how we fix plaster cracks. Outstanding or Overkill?

[@verygoodboy2688]

Step 1: rip it all out and put drywall up

[@Needalex]

Yeah, i had à job once, the plaster was "dead" you cant do anything on That, i made multiple coat of fine finition coat spend à lot of time on it, just to understand That, adding insulated drywall is à lot faster

[@scoobydoo5447]

Drywall is worse.

[@Needalex]

@@scoobydoo5447 lol, you never worked in construction. Drywall is plaster reinforced

[@gelooso]

that takes more time and materials

[@shade38211]

@@gelooso Can pay for things once or twice. These older houses usually have more then just the cracks from the laft separation. The cracks are usually sign of actual wall movement from subpar older framing and joist. Now if you are just trying to flip a house this is best option.

[@blh3741]

Instead of paper or fiberglass mesh tape, try using fibafuse joint tap. It's a fine woven tape that is extremely thin and strong.

[@nothingsimpostleble1593]

Jalapeño solutions 😅

[@muf]

@@nothingsimpostleble1593 why?

[@aleks-33]

​@@muf they mean a KZbinr that uses that tape to repair.

[@danh4527]

Use a grout removal tool to remove plaster as 5 x 5" squares to the depth of the lathe every few feet distance down the crack, then use bonding and real basecoat plaster into those patches, pushing the plaster behind the exposed edge of the plaster, feather to the existing plaster to hold the plaster to the wall. This will anchor the whole section. Use the oscillating grout removal tool to carve out the cracks enough to expose gaps in the lathe for new plaster, an inch or two wide. Use Plaster Weld and Structolite for a basecoat into the bare strips where the cracks used to be and finish with a veneer that matches the original. Learning to plaster is fun. The grout tool is really fast, painting Plaster Weld is quick and mixing plaster takes just a handful of minutes with a bucket and a pointing trowel. The hard part is watching plaster videos to get the technique -- it's hard but not that hard as plasterers make it out to be. Use screeding for excess and smooth with a trowel, with upward and turning motion and an angle so it glides not removes, water the tools to glide. Block out the light and use a flashlight down the wall to see waves to flatten. Let set partially and go back to scrape and smooth. Finish with a sponge or brush. I make my own plaster based on the typical 1930s recipe -- you can order the components online or use premixed. You can add portland to create a stronger plaster. Drywall over plaster works well but I'm not too sure if it will introduce mold or not. I remove durabond from plaster and replaster when I see it. Durabond recracks quickly without tape and putting tape on plaster makes no sense when you have that nice lathe behind it to anchor with real plaster.

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

👍

[@APortaA1]

where r u located

[@VC-Toronto]

Lee Valley Tools sells plaster washers that don't need to be removed, they are very slim when screwed down and can simply be covered with compound.

[@wagzel]

I've used these, they're great.

[@paulbenson4115]

Thats good to know! I live in a 100 year old house and have alot of cracks to repair, thanks!

[@jasonxhx7854]

Holy crap dude. I saw this like 3 weeks ago. Used it today. You just saved me so much time and effort. Liked and subbed dude ty

[@Hrubeshomes]

Fantastic work! This is exactly what we like to see, when I saw the Durabond I knew this was a professional repair. Wear a respirator when cutting the cracks out! It most likely has a layer of lead based paint and possibly asbestos fibers!

[@michael2943]

The old guys love durabond.

[@dogsbyfire]

Nicely done! I recognize the advantages of drywall, but plaster and lath has the quietness and feel of solidity that drywall cannot match. Would not want it again, ha ha, but it does have certain advantages.

[@ShadowSights]

Difficult to find people who still know how to work with plaster but this product will easily have 4 times the longevity and durability of any drywall job😊

[@TrustGod-l6j]

That wall has more cracks then Kensington Ave in Philly.

[@davidsaucier4823]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kevinscarrfo4188]

lol that's facts .this city is made of plaster n lath

[@robertkrause1948]

Truth 🤣

[@yrag0789able]

Love people who post inside jokes, that less than 1% of people will relate to 🤣

[@kammak9867]

Kensington is meth and heroin though... 🤷🤷🤷

[@jjbrown675]

Good job. Id recommend a quick blast of primer first. Adhesive and mud will stick better. Those plastic washers are great!

[@jeffmabry1149]

Wellcrette it's purple I've only used 20 minn durabond on patches but those cracks should hold.

[@jlangevin65]

Thanks for carefully avoiding showing the adhesive you're using - really helpful.

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

No worries! Lol! We used about 4 types in this video to figure out what works best. Dynaflex from dap has a great consistency and adhesive quality👍

[@literate-aside]

I was ready to pick this one apart, guidance for this online is always awful. This is actually an awesome fix and great to see. Wouldn't work in my neck of the woods; damned dot and dab, but great to see someone rising the actual issues rather than the symptom.

[@CEO786]

That wall has more cracks than Kensington Avenue in Philly! 😂

[@ShadowSights]

Nice job 👍 Best repair idea I've seen outside of epoxy resin poured on the backside to reattach to the shrunken lattes ,cheers🎉

[@dryaleah9033]

We had a ceiling that had come free from the lath. It was still in one piece but was drooping down. We went into the attic, poured & spread a couple gallons of waterproof white glue, then braced the whole thing up tight from below & let it dry for a couple days. 15 years later it was still holding tight. Simply, easy, & quite effective.

[@JustTis]

I would imagine the original plaster was vapour permeable, and you’ve completely ruined its functionality. Simple, easy, but not correct. Just get things done properly, now if you were to take it down it’s twice as much of a pain as it would’ve been

[@remodelassets6523]

Excellent excellent method thanks for sharing that!!!

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

Our pleasure!

[@danbeeson9564]

I’ve been very successful with a similar method. I use Ace 1/16 masonry bit to pre-drill the holes for the screws in the same way which prevents additional cracking and crumbling. Then I just install the screws and leave them. I brush. Acrylic additive into the cracks and do the first coat with mesh tape with hot mud and acrylic additive mixed 50-50 with water. Never had a re-crack.

[@n0username0n]

I'm a hardwall plasterer and it's a great idea mate and for those places where mess is a no go, I couldn't think of a better way to do it. But in saying that most times mess is fine and I just hit that shit with a grinder with a honing disk on it and go to town on the wall and re do the whole wall again. I've played around with it alot to find what causes spiderweb cracking and other cracks and so far I've found calaire is a big issue for float plastering for interior work and for external rendering (sand finish) I've found the use of way to much lime causes it to go off to quick and essentially snap dry. You see it alot with creme cement and lime render as the lime content of the creme is already quite high. But what do I know I'm just a plasterer aha

[@tomschmoe8239]

Use a similar method, orange foam to bond to lath and I use PlasterWeld as a primer with 20 min mud, a few hours and it's ready to go. Watch out for lead though, old houses have a lot, HEPA vacuum and a final damp mop will meet clearance standards.

[@DirtyCatBox]

Thanks so much. I really needed to learn this technique.

[@Nordicjuice]

House settles again after patch work… back to square one😂

[@Don.kee.ho-tay]

If that house has plaster. It was built probably 70+ years ago, it's settled dude.

[@tabbott429]

Not if theres a gutter issue pouring water next to the foundation and the foundation is moving due to freeze thaw cycles. I see it all the time and instruct homeowners to address theri gutter issues BEFORE fixing cracked walls@@Don.kee.ho-tay

[@chrismaracle7729]

Not with durabond

[@rickduque5799]

Settle ? That house is probably over 70 years old.

[@mikeeschberger474]

I have done same repair. Only variation I did was mix quick Crete bonding adhesive 1:1 ratio, shake well and flush holes before using quick grab by locktite and squeeze Into holes. In my opinion it prevents the moisture in product being absorbed to quick. Let set 3 to 4 days, and finish as this video shows. I used paper tape. Durabond as shown for taping mud. Then hot mud easy sand for fine finish. Be careful with durabond- it hardens like stone and is not sandable.100 plus year old house, been 3 years at least and job still looks great. Nice video great job and explanation.

[@madmanmapper]

I made the mistake of doing this once. For a friend of mine, it was a little 10x10 bedroom with cracks on every wall just like this video. What a massive time sink. And at the end of it all, no matter how much plastering and sanding I did, the walls still looked wavy and awful. Lesson learned: next time, rip it out and put up drywall. I think if I wanted to do a particularly nice job, I might do a double layer of drywall, to match the thickness of the original lath and plaster, but also to provide more sound deadening. Would've taken half the time, much less stress, and the cost of the drywall would've been under $100.

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

Good point, making old plaster look perfect is a challenge. But don’t underestimate the mess and amount of work involved in tearing out the plaster and lathe. That will require you to re-do and re-cut all baseboards, casings, crowns, jambs etc. and then by the time you get the drywall hung you still have to tape and mud the whole room, sand, prime, and paint 😅

[@madmanmapper]

@@RefreshHomeImprovements Hmm, no. Like I said, I've been down that road. What I would do is simply leave the baseboard in place, and only remove enough plaster and lath to allow new drywall to slip behind it. Shim all the studs to allow drywall to equal original plaster depth. That would not be very messy at all, compared to the dusty nightmare I endured for several days. One day of demolition would be plenty. The rest would be nice clean work. Calculating work, which I am good at and enjoy. As opposed to the artistry required to even out wavy plaster. It's a matter of preference, I suppose.

[@crazyjam6551]

Do not use plaster on cracks in a plaster wall. The cracks are not consistent in width. Plaster shrinks horribly and will crack over and over everytime it gets humidity. Plaster an entire wall the same thickness is different than crack repair. Use plus style compound for flexibility in repair. And if its as bad as the wall in the video just replace it all with drywall for a real permanent upgrade not repair

[@kevinhancock4064]

As in plasterboard right ?

[@ShadowSights]

Plaster does not shrink , but it doesn't have the glue that durabond does .Since it won't properly bond it will appear as a shrink crack.

[@jetteraismabash4186]

Dam that’s a lot of work

[@seannmobley9037]

Spot on. Great job. The one thing I would recommend is of course lightly tap the whole wall and inspect to see if there are any other loose plaster. Then decide if it's more than half and there are chunks just floating being held together by the paint then yes replace it all w drywall. And I know I've ran into clients who have wanted to keep w the plaster because it doesn't mildew nearly as bad. I used to live in Florida. The humidity played the biggest factor in customers desiring the true hardcoat plaster. Drywall compound is not good enough. You can put a most minimal skipcoat of drywall compound as a finish coat to make smooth like glass. And don't forget if you do use plaster , make sure and apply primer to are for ensured bond.

[@chadwahlquist2743]

Best way to fix a plaster wall: demo it and install drywall - haha. Honestly man, I’m really impressed with your skills. I lack the skill you have, so drywall for me! Well done.

[@user-id5xf3qm3k]

Great video. Here's what I had to do in a farm house. 😎 if you don't have plastic caps use the tops of beer or soda caps( plastic or metal caps). I've also used metal regular washers. In past.

[@ejicon3099]

Back in the 90's, a random guy walking around in the parking lot of our local super market did this exact procedure to my uncles Pulsar. Man, he was pissed after the work was done and drove it like that for another 20 years. He still has that car today.

[@jdm120874]

It will definitely work. I prime the area (usually oil base underneath) trowel an anti fracture membrane over the area (like Redgard) after dry, I use joint compound. Depending on the severity, I sometimes use mesh within the Redgard. I haven't had one re-crack yet. Over 15 years doing it that way.

[@jeremysanders8138]

Redgard is for waterproofing. Using joint compound is expected.

[@nobrim8222]

no shortcuts, you guys did it the right way, one and done

[@LuminairPrime]

Shout out to modern adhesives for making this possible. It wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't be able to do this repair reliably, and it would fail again. Now, as shown in this video, that wall is half adhesive. It's a composite now.

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

🙌

[@lilliemauk]

Thank you for this. You have made my project so much easier 😊❤

[@Mulletmans]

Yeah my walls have more cracks then plumbers convention.

[@kenkeneth4964]

And finally you should do wallrock fibreliner wallpaper.

[@istvanszabo3229]

Ha! In in our Brooklyn rental the management just put up drywalls over the plaster before we moved in...👈🙃

[@joejoerider8891]

Clean out the cracks fill with gorilla glue . Works ever time . Especial in reoccurrence cracks

[@heikokramer1993]

Das Problem ist der Untergrund aus Holzlatten.Dieser arbeitet Fermazell nicht, deshalb wird es wieder Risse geben. Die Arbeit an sich ist sehr gut ausgeführt.

[@brandonbanks4394]

I am not one of those youtube experts in drywall. But I did hang 90 boards when I was younger. I understand people want to preserve plaster? Why not rip the whole wall out and replace it. It will save you alot of time and hassle if you do this. IF THEY Want all original? then by all means fix the plaster. But trust me when I say it is not worth the money unless they want to throw it in the trash. If that's what they want. Give it to them. And yes I meant 90 boards a day. Lids,cans,vaulted.etc. Replace the wall.. save your back. You only get one back in life and two knees. Remember that if nothing else

[@infamous3148]

Stucco is good to use in plaster walls. 2 years later and have yet to see any cracks.

[@peternelson8048]

That’s what’s the originally on the wall

[@aptpupil]

Used this exact method before. Works great

[@gregbaugher333]

5 minute mud works great. Will never crack out and once it starts to dry you can work it with a wet sponge and a blade. No paper is needed behind the mud either. I have had customers for 20 years and some a few longer and never had a call back to fix anything I used 5 minute mud to patch I am a retired contractor.

[@chrismaracle7729]

Durabond is actually more resistant to cracking, unlike 5 min.

[@threecharacters]

Tear all that out, put good insulation behind it and replace it with sheet rock. A crew of 2 could finish that wall in 2 hours plus dry time. The amount of time you're putting into cutting, drilling, filling, spackling, sanding, and panting you could be working on something else. If you're really lazy just put 1/4 inch sheet rock right over it using spackle backing and screws to secure it.

[@michaelwilliams5115]

Nice informative video, thank you I learned something today and not stagnant!!!

[@becauseamerica9679]

First time I've seen some one repair plaster right. However if there are too many crack and it's crumbly, I pull the trim and lam with 1/4 inch over the top of it.

[@krookdfinra]

On ANY crack the ends of the crack need to be drilled at the center to prevent the crack from spreading further in the future.

[@craigmiller3078]

Put the durabond on thin! It is way way tougher to sand than plaster but amazing stuff

[@NanciesArt11]

Those people who live in tremor (Earthquake)areas have problems with cracks in walls. In apartment that I used to live in...had to be fixed every six months. However, I moved to another apartment in the same complex and haven't had the same problem 👍

[@dennislock3415]

I think cracks add character to home,gives that "lived in" feeling. lol

[@michaelkitchen6000]

Do a cracked ceiling plaster repair video please!

[@skhateanddestroy1252]

Just hold your phone up above your head and watch again 😄

[@daublex2388]

Yeah I heard you say "shend" instead of "send." It's all good, we all mistakes. 😊thanks for the tips.

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

😁👍

[@tomk3635]

Never seen these washers… good job

[@briansmith3191]

1/4 in drywall over top..tape it

[@TomKaren94]

After the plaster adhesive dries, apply a large sheet of vinyl window screen and plaster topcoat the entire area.

[@generatorjohn4537]

My parents house was like this. All plaster. Nice repair. Some folks say replace with dry wall, I think what you did was just fine.

[@larrybenedict6293]

Would not even buy a home with lath and plaster too much trouble awesome video thanks

[@MD-sg4oc]

I just did the easy fix. Tear down every bit of plaster and put up drywall😂

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

😵‍💫that’s not easy

[@jamesegsmith]

If you want a long term cheap fix Pop the baseboard and laminate the wall with a fresh sheet of drywall. This is kind of a waste of money it's just gonna crack in other places

[@mitchey2511]

If you're going to go that far, you might as well overboard it... job done 😊

[@armandobroncas357]

Why not use the screws without the washer and leave the screws in if you're worry about the head of the screws to big and cracking the plaster there's thin trim screws,just saying

[@BlueSkiesTruthRadio]

Beautiful completion.

[@davidelliott5843]

Simply screw a single layer of 4 x 3 plasterboards over the whole wall. They are cheap. Scrim tape the joints and skim. It’s quick easy and low cost.

[@JonnyDIY]

Great work 👏👍

[@dustinbutzler1031]

Make sure you test for led before you start busying up the wall!

[@markdodd1152]

And asbestos

[@Campos2011]

Good point, my 1918 plaster walls have lead paint. I might be wrong but I’d say that if there is plaster, there is lead paint down the many coats of paint that wall has gotten.

[@ballgms308]

Gotta push as much of that mud as possible into those cracks! And what about adhesive in the cracks? Also should use a pva sealer/bonding agent before

[@rw501]

He doesn’t need the bonding agent. He jerked off in the mud so it would stick.

[@jonfelix5185]

If there is drywall cracking it is more often than not due to a settling foundation.. the foundation falls and then the framing comes with it giving you cracks in your sheet rock

[@ubacow7109]

It's not drywall it's plaster & lath.

[@mattd1188]

Honestly, just break it out and replace with drywall. The issue will magically not be a problem again in the future.

[@logan_howie]

Should you screw and glue down all the cracks or just the ones with movement? I spent all day yesterday opening them up and filling with spackle. Did a couple of them a few years ago like this that are still holding up. This time after sanding, some are solid and some still move. Just got some joint compound. Planning on a skim coat over repair tape.

[@barbarazylema3584]

I tried this years ago and it didn't work on my plaster walls. I found a product called Crack Tape. It is a lot like drywall tape but much stronger and it has holes so the drywall mud binds to it.

[@gman8557]

Nice job dude.

[@thuglife256]

Man this looks so easy but it is damn tough 😢

[@bwj999]

Correct the 20 minute mud is more the consistency of plaster than drywall mud which can be used to top coat.

[@mistyjordan7147]

If you can't afford to gut the whole wall and put up a whole wall yourself. It's better to do it this way until you're able to get professionals to do it for you.

[@randyherringshaw6325]

Honestly, the best way to do it is to have a professional come remove the plaster and lath because they used asbestos fibers in it until the late 1980's!

[@tracietv2]

QUESTION: I don't have plaster and lathe but plaster ceilings in a 1946 home in South FL. The ceilings are secured by nails. Someone told me something about old ceilings that were done this way for a short period of time. Do you know what it is? Something to do with lime?

[@ronemtae3468]

Great video want to Jesse take a paintbrush no paint on it obviously and really saturate up the cracks in the area there it’ll help the Bondo and hear better to the exposed would latth

[@towndrunkjr.5420]

you should look into 2 products that once you try, I guarantee you will encorporate into your repairs. Those products are cgc concrete fill (commonly know as con-fill), and Fiba-fuse sheet roll. The rest is up to you

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

Fibafuse has been next to impossible to find in Canada for the last year at least. Always on back order for the rolls or the sheets

[@donaldphillips2648]

Nothing better than watching the right way of doing something!!

[@Poopoonewnew]

If you’re going to put a bandaid on a foundation issue. Use caulk.

[@dannythorpe1425]

Why does it have to be foundation issues? When plaster cracks there are a lot more reasons why.

[@Poopoonewnew]

@@dannythorpe1425 okay give me some reasons wisenheimer

[@dannythorpe1425]

@Caulk King poor mixing when first applied, the moisture evaporated too quick when it dried out. Major work in another room. How many more you need? Notsowiseneheimer

[@dannythorpe1425]

@Caulk King maybe time for a new name hey?

[@dannythorpe1425]

@@Poopoonewnew did you even know it's the same with caulking? Dry it out to quick and it cracks.

[@CFLavertu]

Love this! But I think it wouldve been a better idea to skim the whole wall while youre at it 👍 Another solution would have been to laminate some half inch drywall over top of the wall and then tape regularly

[@johnfisher9969]

That sounds good but when you laminate the walls now your door jams are too narrow. This repair was legit.

[@supersidecar8901]

If the plaster and lath is old... like 1940's, 50's... I would very cautious. It may contain Asbestos!

[@randyherringshaw6325]

Asbestos fibers were used in plaster and lath until the late '80s according to an architect I worked for! I absolutely loved that job! That man went out of his way and had all the blueprints already drawn up and laid out for me when I got to his house!!!

[@PhillipDavis830]

I lived in a late 1800s house that used horse hair.

[@amandorubin6269]

Great work. Where to get those washer?

[@dlux7357]

Imagine if Americans somehow learned how to build sturdy houses.

[@timhoffman7918]

Bruh you ever seen plaster and lathe? I've seen houses with 100 year old plaster and lathe walls in mint condition

[@GW71093]

You realize plaster is 100+ year old tech that is no longer used, right? And you know drywall is used everywhere in the world, not just the US?

[@Don.kee.ho-tay]

Lol dude a crack in the wall doesn't mean the building isn't sturdy. Houses settle, little thing called gravity.

[@ramongonzalez2561]

Your FIRED!!!!

[@MrTommytwotone]

Adhesive added & taps good stuff

[@dkaloupis75]

Step 1: get rid that archaic lath thing and move forward with better materials. Drywall works fine

[@erichood3169]

I thought I hated this then I thought about it. Idk if I'd go for a crack this big .

[@Project-pq1qh]

I said to myself, What a crap job, I can still see all the cracks. Then I realized the cracks were from my phone screen.

[@frankquijano6749]

The mech does the trick, b'cause the wall will continue to expand and contract reason for the cracks showing up.

[@badieesam6054]

Excellent.

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

Thank you!

[@dennisbrown1811]

Find studs, 1/4" drywall finish accordingly

[@RefreshHomeImprovements]

Not a bad solution if your trim and moulding is thick enough to receive it cleanly. It’s also still a ton of work

[@dennisbrown1811]

Drywall in general a ton of work brother lol. I usually pull trim put EJ's but that is if customer doesn't want full demo but still that new Drywall smell so to speak. I hate lathe and plaster usually comes with a side of water damage and mold.

[@kpfeiffer8775]

i do plaster repairs and have a good name in the business, plaster should only be repaired with plaster, and if you only use plaster, you should never need tape of any kind, In my 30 yrs the only time i have ever had to repair my own work is when i used something other than plaster !

[@jeremysanders8138]

Why wouldn't that liquid nail just tear away from the sheet rock as it continues to shift and settle? It's an adhesive with no countersink action like a regular fastener. It's not gonna wedge it, its gonna grip it and sheet rock is crumbly. It was clearly wood behind the wall. How is liquid nail the better option here?

[@MrRevolverkiller]

this is the way

[@DJChrisSee]

This is exactly how I do it. Works great. I use metal window screen for the mesh.

[@kennethohmert3128]

Brush crack with plaster glue, then use plaster. No tape.

[@willellams9523]

I've started doing this a couple of times, never seemed to get enough adhesive behind to fully stick it and saying "drill holes in every other lath" is easier said than done, if it's not a wide crack how can you see? Are you marking out lath spacing in pencil before? Are all laths equally spaced? In some instances where the other options are egregious maybe but.....

[@Ronny.81]

Fibrefuse the whole wall,works for me

[@maztektrends6223]

Use fiber mesh with spray glue first and then shoot 1,000 1” staples around the cracks; less risk of it all falling apart

[@bigrob8833]

My question is how long did it actually take you to do the job at hand

[@TheGreenNewSteal2025]

Insure, burn, rebuild with materials from this century. Got it.

[@Andrew-vy1rx]

If that is a basement wall you might have a foundation issue or moisture issue where moisture is leaking behind. 🤷

[@jonfelix5185]

Very true. I repair settling foundations.