Hello again and welcome to Lesson #1.
Today, we will deal with the first mistake that people sometimes make when they rush into fixing their plaster problems. Inadequate preparation of the plaster surface (or none at all).
For your plaster repair to be permanent, the plaster surface you are working over must be free of anything that might interfere with the adhesion of your plaster repair materials.
In other words, if your plaster is dirty, has cleaning agent residues, or has flaking, crumbling or powdery material, you need to solve those problems FIRST before you put any "mud" on that surface.
Let's deal with these one at a time.
----- dirt. In a house that might have had dogs or children, the areas near the floor may have smudges, body oil and so on. I recently replastered the walls in a 1950's house that had dogs living in the house. In two of the bedrooms, the lower walls were noticeably darkened by the dogs rubbing against the plaster, probably for years. It took a lot of scrubbing to get it off.
Check around light switches, wall plugs and other areas where fingers often come in contact with the plaster. Also around heat vents. Be especially vigilant around food prep areas.
----- cleaning residues A great and cheap cleaning agent is TSP (tri-sodium phosphate). It's a powder that you dissolve in water, and does a great job removing dirt, oils, soap, etc. The only drawback is that you must clean rinse the plaster surface well to get rid of the residues. Use a sponge and change your water frequently.
In general, it would be a good idea to wash down any plaster wall before repair, with at least a minimum of warm clean water. Notice if your water darkens. That would be a good sign that you are disturbing the dirt or smoke residues that may not always be easy to see.
----- unstable plaster surface Here we are talking about problems caused mainly by water.. A plaster ceiling or wall will show signs of flaking, powdering or staining when water is coming into it from behind. Find the source of the water intrusion, and get that fixed before you try to fix your plaster. Check the roof, gutters, and plumbing for leaks. Also, around windows on the weather sides of the house.
Loose material of any sort must be removed. To learn more about dealing with water-damaged plaster, you can read my article in Ezine Articles.
I am listed as an expert author there.
Sometimes you may have a plaster ceiling that is sagging badly. In some cases, you have to remove the bad area completely and then patch in the blanks.
This is treated completely on my website where I discuss drooping ceilings.
These basic plaster repair pointers will enable you to provide a good foundation for the next stages of
your plaster renovation project.
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