Repair a lath and plaster ceiling

[@Rockmachine99]

I had multiple ceilings/walls that were sagging, or came down in a very old house in Toronto. I knew I had to fix them and watched Kirk and Jay's video's for more than a year, and some vids I watched well over 12 times. Then when the pandemic hit I decided to sell, and had to put all I learnt into practice. It was a super-success , and I blew my real estate agent away with the before and after. People thought I actually knew what I was doing lmao, so thanks to you Kirk and Jay, and everyone behind the scenes! The house (built in 1850) got multiple offers.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Howdy Rock Dude, folks like you who benefit from how we do things are the reason we show how we do things. Cheers and congratulations. 🕵🏼‍♀️

[@haveablessedday7746]

I watched a lot of your videos before I plastered my kitchen and mud room 6 years ago. Now I'm getting ready to plaster again so I need my Kirk Giordano refresher course. 👍

[@StuccoPlastering]

We do have many videos on how we do this, thus refresher course are on us, Blessings, 👨🏼‍🎨

[@j.d.1488]

Love when you do old wood lathe work. My favorite Kirk videos. Prior to seeing your videos and getting educated, always used Structo-lite as a base fill over wood lathe and skim coat with Joint compound when Structo dry, scraped any high spots then top coat. Never had many issues with edges cracking. Now I use plaster. Not afraid of it getting away. Your videos helped with the skill set. Love you man always a pleasure watching.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Awesome, thank you! All can depend on us for sound advice.👨🏻‍🔬

[@rhodachandler4277]

Love Kirk! I have a 1937 Northbay home, lath & plaster. With Kirk’s help I have kept things looking great! ❤❤❤

[@StuccoPlastering]

Atta girl, thank you for the kind comment, all can depend on us for sound advice, Cheers 👨🏼‍🎨

[@avisitorhere]

I'm a believer in using Fiba Fuse over cracks in addition to what you are doing. I think of it as an uncoupling membrane while giving the repair more strength. Cracks are never really fixed we just cover them up. They're still there under the patch. If you're not getting a commission on Marshalltowns big trowel you should. They could do a Kirk Giordano signature series.

[@KevinStreet510]

I have been using the Fiba Fuse in the last year or 2 as well and seems like the way to go.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Howdy folks, there are too many methods to repair cracks to mention here, but one must take into account that after more than 100 years, this home has settled as much as it’s going to. As a rule settling happens in the first ten years of mountain homes being built.👨🏼‍🎓

[@JustinBilyj]

Back to the basics. Good stuff Kirk!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Exactly, back to the beginning🧞‍♂️

[@RyanPerrella]

WHAT A VIDEO @stuccoplastering You told me about a trowel which can do the job of two tools and you named it and told us where to get it. You also give a BRIEF on joint compound and the differences between different products in a way the layman plasterer on LV1 can understand and make informed decisions by. You also professed skill which you display in your ability to do work and EDUCATE in one motion. Well done. Additionally you cover how these simple but selected tools for ceiling can also be used for walls and cracks. You speak of the priming compound and you even cover how to finish without sanding by using the same trowel to cut the edges smooth then how to use water and a towel to avoid the annoyance and mess of dry-sanding and the dust that comes from it. What proficiency, well done Kirk, i like your work but I wont thumbs up because I dont want the algorithm to flood me with more plastering videos because you answered a dozen questions i had about a project i have in one single demonstration. Well done.

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@RyanPerrella Howdy Rayan, I like your style, thank you. folks can depend on us for sound information. 😉

[@RyanPerrella]

@@StuccoPlastering right on!

[@MichaelDillin]

Really enjoy watching your art and hard work 🇺🇸🤠👍

[@StuccoPlastering]

Thank you Michael, I gotta take the good with the bad or as in this video, the stiff mud instead of the perfect mud. I have plastered whole ceilings with less exertion than this tiny patch. I do enjoy applying whatever mud is brought to me rather than send it back, the difference between pros and whiners.👨🏼‍🎨

[@vikeliz1]

Kirk it is always nice to see postings, and come across your great skills. Thank you.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Morning, you are welcome, thank you for the kind remark. 😉

[@juslostone]

Love it. I've seen old timers take twine or even twist up paper towel real tight and throw in bigger cracks, then skim. Just throwing that out there

[@StuccoPlastering]

Howdy Stone Dude, there are too many methods to repair cracks to mention here, but one must take into account that after more than 100 years, this home has settled as much as it’s going to. As a rule settling happens in the first ten years of mountain homes being built.👨🏼‍🎓

[@mr.crapper7197]

you have to be a strong guy Kirk well condition for this work.

[@StuccoPlastering]

This is a fact, I take a can of spinach every day to work.🏋️

[@chrisscullynz]

Wealth of knowledge, you're the man Kirk!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Hi Chris, thank you.

[@jauld360]

Good to see you preserving the building history. It would be common in the UK for the ceiling to be boarded over and skimmed.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Thank you, we aim to please.

[@nmatthew7469]

Kirk makes it look easy.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Practice.😉

[@jimrichter9549]

Hey Kirk I love the washcloth idea thank you very much

[@StuccoPlastering]

No problemo

[@meowerstationone3793]

Really good stuff. I need to do this on a closet ceiling. Thanks Kirk!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Hello Kitty, you can do it. 💃

[@jeremypmpm]

Nice work Jay. You make it too easy for Kirk! Keep it up.

[@StuccoPlastering]

He does all the hard work like removing and prepping, I just happened to be in the neighborhood, thus stopped by, or Jason would have simply plastered this ceiling. But one can't video themselves or we'd have way more videos. MY brother Lu, tried to break my arm on this job, didn't work as my arms are way too strong for his stiff ass mud. On the flip side if he would have mixed me up some soupy mud, I would have made that work too. 👨🏼‍🎨

[@MediumRareSteve]

Great video guys. Please if you would either in comments or mention it in a video when they start selling that huge trowel. I’d love to add that to our arsenal for work. Thanks my dudes. Be well 🖖🏻

[@StuccoPlastering]

Hody Steve, No doubt we will give the trowel a shout out, Curry does make and sell this trowel, but good luck finding it as they don't sell it on Amazon for some odd reason. Plus must can't tell the difference between the one we use and a concrete trowel with a full and useless radius.👨‍🏫

[@pistache28]

Great video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍

[@StuccoPlastering]

No problemo, thank you

[@andreakeeling9217]

I love that trough. ❤❤❤

[@StuccoPlastering]

It is a Curry 20 by 5 inch and makes my task easier .😉

[@thepsychonaut8212]

kirks da beeeeeest!!!

[@StuccoPlastering]

I've heard that before too, thank you.

[@michaelmorrison4663]

Well done Kirk magic mending

[@StuccoPlastering]

Thank you Michael.👨🏻‍🔬

[@als1023]

Hey professor Kirk ! Great video, am wondering if you can post the final coat on this one, i.e. did you finish the whole ceiling to a smooth finish ? Or just skim these areas and let the painter decide? You were about to show the green spnge and then went to the towel, was that going to be another way to smooth the fast set ? Wondering if this would be helpful to your legion of fans ? I do a lot of work in early plaster homes, always looking to improve my skillset and work faster to a better finish. Most of the interior plaster is not smooth, when I do / reno / repair a room, I trowel everything to a smooth finish, my customers really like that look. THANK YOU for the marshall reference ! I have been cutting my 16 -18" trowels with a cutoff disk on a grinder. Once you have the ' pool ' shape, I can't go back.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Howdy my friend, I did in fact wet the joint compound mometarily with the green sponge float to add water to the compound, when that was done, I used the trowel. This area was finished, There was no need to towel on another finish over the entire ceiling, when we blended in the patch to the rest of the ceiling. Nor was it necessary to add extra work for the painter to finish our work, we finished our work. The painter's only job was to prime and paint this ceiling when it was ready for painting. 👨🏻‍🔬

[@als1023]

Thank you very much !@@StuccoPlastering

[@petekobraoutdoors7324]

These were the fun repairs, eh Kirk? I luv fast mud, too... no sense waiting around if ya got speed....😊

[@StuccoPlastering]

Exzackoory.

[@purpshiso]

you have the best voice and you are funny

[@StuccoPlastering]

Evening Purpshiso, thank you.

[@johnjohn-ne8fw]

Good job!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jumperjackflash]

Hi Kirk, When can we buy one of your pool trowels? Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Fred

[@StuccoPlastering]

Howdy, "bontool.com" I hear Marshall Town will be making the exact one I'm using in this video and it will be on Amazon. Until then try bontool.com 👨🏻‍🔬

[@ColorJoyLynnH]

OK, so what’s the pink stuff? I need to patch a slanted roof in an attic which has been textured/stuccoed over back in the 70s. It’s in our attic, so I don’t care what it looks like but I need it to no longer drop blown in insulation out of the missing plaster ceiling whenever things shake a little bit around our house. The previous owner decided to tear down the plaster a little at a time and it’s a hassle.

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@ColorJoyLynnH Hi Lynn, the pink stuff is a bonding agent called, “plaster-Weld sold by Larson’s. Quikrete also works and is found at HD and Lowe’s for about 10 bucks a pint. It’s cheaper than beer, and makes certain the new plaster last or adheres forever.😉

[@Cablesmith]

why have I never seen Lou, but hear his name mentioned almost every video!

[@StuccoPlastering]

LOL, he hates being filmed and even threatened to break the camera if he sees it, filming him, I tell him the camera was already broken, it happened when it zoomed in on him. 🕵🏼

[@Cablesmith]

@@StuccoPlastering 😂😂😂 fair enough! Excellent response 👏🏼

[@lureup9973]

Hey Kirk, great channel!…I have a question, I’m thinking of building an indoor inground pool and considering building the walls with treated lumber and plywood sheathing…can plaster be applied to treated plywood, if so is a metal mesh necessary?…by the way I plan to fiberglass over the plaster …it’s not good to apply polyester resin over treated wood or I would forgo the plaster…thank you.

[@StuccoPlastering]

I've built really large fish ponds, thus you'd have to install a seamless rubber membrane to contain the water after a frame. Best wishes👨🏻‍🔬

[@lureup9973]

@@StuccoPlastering my main concern is will the plaster adhere to the treated plywood or do I need a metal lathe first?

[@StuccoPlastering]

No plaster or stucco will adhere to any wood surface for long, wire mesh of some type must be used if there is no waterproof membrane first, before the metal wire, the water will destroy the wood in about a month. cheers.🕵🏼

[@lureup9973]

@@StuccoPlastering thank you for your help 👍😏

[@joohsay]

@Kirk Giordano... I have textured walls and would love to have the walls skim coated, for the smooth look and feel. Can, plaster veneer be used on regular Sheetrock/gympsum drywall?

[@StuccoPlastering]

Yes, it can be used, apply a bonding agent over the Sheetrock such as Larson’s Plaster-weld, then mix either USG, diamond or Imperial plaster finish over them. You can purchase these plasters at any plaster material yard such as Westside Building Materials.

[@memongman]

hey Kirk no mesh or paper tape needed for those cracks or plaster fix ? thanks

[@StuccoPlastering]

No, in fact, both paper and especially mesh would make humps everywhere, as much mud would be necessary to cover this mesh. I have seen folks do this before, a serious eyesore, Mesh, or tape is for new sheetrock where they meet or butt up at all the joints or seams. Good question. 👨🏼‍🎨

[@memongman]

🖖thanks!@@StuccoPlastering

[@Ulfrob]

Hi Kirk and Jay! Do I have to use the pink stuff because it’s in the house ?or can I use my leftover blue stuff that I used for the outdoor stucco repair? I will be repairing my nieces plaster ceiling inside her house. Thanks in advance.🤷🏻‍♀️

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@Ulfrob Excellent question, yes the exterior can be used for interior bonding, but the interior can’t be used for exterior bonding.

[@Ulfrob]

@@StuccoPlastering once again you have made my day. Thanks soooo much you guys!

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@Ulfrob Our pleasure, 😉

[@ShauninParadise]

Great stuff 🤙🏽

[@StuccoPlastering]

Appreciate it!

[@ColorJoyLynnH]

That crack where you’re using a tool to clean it out of all of the broken plaster… I once had a 1940s duplex, built after the second world war. We had cracks like that in our ceiling and I didn’t have any training or the Internet at that point. I used the pointed end of a bottle opener/“Church key” that was designed to open juice cans. It worked pretty well. That was a horrible job.

[@StuccoPlastering]

There are many ways to open a crack.

[@ef93781]

Sylvester Stallone my man he's such a great actor and an excellent plasterer too.

[@StuccoPlastering]

lol, he was and still is the man 😉

[@smason37691]

What bonding agent are you using?

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@smason37691 Plaster -Weld by Larson’s sold at all plastering yards.

[@DonaldNethery]

He needs a pabst blue ribbon and a lucky strike after that,😂

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@DonaldNethery I have the Blue Ribbon in the fridge, but don’t smoke. I hear it’s a bad habit.

[@OnTheGoKRO]

Is this stuff sandable???? Like the regular dry wall

[@StuccoPlastering]

Joint compound is sandable, lime plaster is not

[@freddysanchez6500]

How do we leave it smooth if we’re not suppose to sand

[@MB-vv4hu]

Hey bud, I think it’s settin!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Lol

[@jayc4715]

Kirk!!

[@StuccoPlastering]

I like your style, thank you.🐆

[@ball-up]

40 minute is better it gives you more time to install

[@StuccoPlastering]

Folks should base their mud on their skill level. You’re probably right as you have to take into account mixing and carrying it to the area needed. We’re professional plasterers thus prefer 20 minute mud. Cheers

[@redmille1000]

10 grand! We couldn’t charge that for a 3 bedroom house, walls and ceilings in the U.K.! I need to move to California!

[@StuccoPlastering]

I agree brother, my son’s cost to repair it was a tenth of that.

[@controlsgirl]

Why use 20 minute and not lime base plaster? Is it just a time thing? The gypsum doesnt dry as hard

[@StuccoPlastering]

Correctomundo, gypsum does not have the strength of, say, Structo-Lite; however, Strtucto-lite takes three to five hours to dry, plus a topcoat would be needed also. We show alternative ways of repair from the methods used a hundred years ago. Plus, in many videos, we do indeed show those older original methods.

[@controlsgirl]

@@StuccoPlastering thanks so much for the reply. It makes since. I've been doing a deep dive on all of your videos. If you came upon a repair where the top coat delaminated from really old base coat, the base coat seemed in tact and strong, can you use a lime finish coat instead of gypsum based mud? I really liked one of your videos that you made explaining the practical advantages to why basecoats are used and why/when you can skip them. I've found it hard to find a straight forward explanation in one video that explains the advantages/disadvantages between using all lime base/top coats during repairs, using structolite and lime top coat, and using the 20 minute. I have an old home and I can tell where people made patches with gypsum. It's always softer. turns into mush with water. scrapes away like packed powder if you get under the paint. the lime is super smooth under the paint and shiny. It's a little harder to dig into it to get it to turn into dust. The old lime base coat with hair in it is like a rock!

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@controlsgirl Wow, you’ve invested some serious time in to realize all this stuff. Congratulations.

[@spencercolgan]

11:43 lol!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Good evening Johnathan, maybe subconsciously, I too love the sound. It's possible it may explain my love of applying it after more than 40 years. Things that make you go Hmmmmm.👨

[@mikegresham9424]

Let the first coatd dry then come.in with nappy rollers roll mud then skim it done

[@StuccoPlastering]

Thanks for the tip.

[@tonianthony4984]

PLEASE COME HELP? This looks like my house except worse i think...hole definitely. I think half the ceiling needs to be done.😢😢😮Been contemplating doing my self. Hard to find reasonable price to help.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Morning Toni, allow this video to be your advice and teacher, Cheers, you can do it.

[@ColorJoyLynnH]

That crack where you’re using a tool too clean it out of all of the broken plastered… I once had a 1940s duplex, built after the second world war. We had cracks like that in our ceiling and I didn’t have any training or the Internet at that point. I used the Pointed end of a bottle opener/Church key that was designed to open juice can. It worked pretty well. That was a horrible job.

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@ColorJoyLynnH Hi Lynn , life and all the trades are about improvising, good thinking.

[@terryken12]

If you are going to talk try using 45 min mud. 🤣

[@StuccoPlastering]

20-minute mud is right up my alley, as I talk and plaster, quickly. 👨🏼‍🎨

[@pompeyjim]

10 grand??? Someone would do that type of repair for a few hundred quid here in England

[@StuccoPlastering]

I'm just the messenger.🕵🏼

[@babs66]

I just paid £860 up north. Took ceiling down plasterboard then plastered over the top. Terraced diningroom about 13x10ft.

[@Entertainment_Station_ES]

I notice just about everyone--including you, a plaster guy--says to repair plaster with quick setting joint compound, not with plaster. Why is that?

[@StuccoPlastering]

It's faster and not noticeable for patchwork. Now for a complete ceiling.....

[@bobwhelk2117]

Sure looks like a pirate walking the plank.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Morning Bob, it was a death trap for some, but I have the balance of a gazelle. Thus no problemo.🦌

[@NoreastWhips]

Tear it out and replace the whole ceiling. All those cracks will come back.

[@StuccoPlastering]

Every once in awhile, we get a uneducated comment such as yours. Let's say for example the cracks will come back. Is it worth the over 10 to 15 thousand she was quoted to remove and replace this ceiling? In light of a deeper knowledge, I understand setleing, and neither me or my son Jason need to sell fear. We sell skill and professionalism to earn our dough.👨‍🏫

[@stevenmitchell7332]

You use a thousand words when one will do!!!!

[@StuccoPlastering]

Which one, O shit, thats two. Here's your dodo award. 💩

[@joeleblanc3749]

I don’t know why he keeps calling himself a plaster. He’s not even using plaster. He’s using joint compound, easy sand joint compound. What he’s doing is making me cringe.

[@StuccoPlastering]

@@joeleblanc3749 Plasterers use all materials.

[@andreakeeling9217]

Oh! I hate it when you skip and don’t show everything…. “It’s done.” 8:25 Booooooooo

[@StuccoPlastering]

Contraire we did show the finish.🤔

[@Anarchist007]

Why would you do this drunk? Sober up first dude

[@StuccoPlastering]

I could do it drunk, but why?You seam afraid of life, there’s little to fear.

[@Jim-e8f]

10 grand to pull dowñ and plaster that ceiling 1 days work talking shite mate ure no better than average

[@StuccoPlastering]

Your response reeks of jealousy. Here's your DoDo award. 💩