Q Am I right that when sections of plaster break away from the lath, an accepted repair technique is to roughly fill in those gaps with drywall and then drywall over the whole wall or ceiling? — M.H., ...

SOMETIMES pooling information is the best way to solve a problem. That was the case when a reader e-mailed to ask about a problem, and we were able to provide a hint of solution that allowed him to ...

In an otherwise charming older home, a sagging plaster ceiling can be an eyesore, especially when it’s a hodgepodge of cracks and crevices. To repair the entire surface requires mastering the fine art ...

Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

Before the arrival of prefabricated wallboard or "drywall" in the 1940s and '50s, plaster was the material of choice for interior walls and ceilings in American homes. Portland cement plaster was ...

Just because a wall has some chips or cracks — or even a hole or two — doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be replaced. There are two reasons to save an old wall surface: because it’s the best way to ...

Removing the plaster from a vintage house is a nasty job. It generates yards of debris and creates clouds of dust that go everywhere. We have some advice: don’t assume the plaster has to go. In fact, ...