# 1950s Plaster and lath house what to expect?



## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Starting a bathroom remodel next week which is a complete tear down to studs. The home is older with plaster and lath walls. Going to be installing lots of tile on walls and drywall. Anything I need to know about demoing this stuff or any thing particular about what is under it and dealing with a moder remodel in this situation? 

In addition I peaked at the old tub drain, it's copper, looks like 1 1/2 inch running into cast iron 4 inch main. Hot and cold water lines are all galvanized of course, should the plumber continue with more galvanized to new fixtures or splice in copper?


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## housedocs (Jan 10, 2005)

Mike we run into alot of this stuff, if it's in the client's means & budget, I'd have the plumber yank all the galvanized and come back with either copper (preferred in my book) or else the PEX. That cast iron drain I would also replace, I've seen a lot of the old things rusted completely through, even the stack pipes I've seen rusted out completely. 

If you're taking it down to the studs, do it all right, which would also include the wiring, odds are it's not up to modern standards & code either. There's my .02¢


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I'm with housedocs. Expect about twice of what you are seeing. Make sure that you stress the unforseen in your contract and tell the client that you expect surprises. I assume that you know to use isolators between iron and copper plumbing but I just thought that I would throw that in.
Have fun, older homes can be a real learning experience.
A home in that era may have asbestos in the plaster. You will want to check that prior to the demo. If present, it will certainly change your pricing.


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## PipeGuy (Oct 8, 2004)

Mike Finley said:


> Anything I need to know about demoing this stuff or any thing particular about what is under it and dealing with a moder remodel in this situation?


The lumber's hard, the lathe is sharp, the plaster dusty and it makes a hell of a mess. This year my mom gutted the bathrooms in the circa 1940's house I grew up in and it looked just like what you described.



Mike Finley said:


> In addition I peaked at the old tub drain, it's copper, looks like 1 1/2 inch running into cast iron 4 inch main. Hot and cold water lines are all galvanized of course, should the plumber continue with more galvanized to new fixtures or splice in copper?


Upon numerous recommendations she removed all the old plumbing that could be reached. DWV went from cast-iron and black steel to PVC -water supply from galvanized to PEX.
PEX was opted for over copper so as to eliminate the potential fire hazard posed by soldering amongst the old lathe and rough hewn framing lumber. She decided copper plumbing wouldn't be of much benefit if the house got burned down accidentally.


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## Craig (Oct 2, 2004)

Mike,
If you're absolutely sure there's nothing in the framing cavities, cut along each wall stud with a recip. saw. You can take out the whole section of lath & plaster without much of a mess. Otherwise, invest in a feed shovel - its great for scooping up the debris. As to the plumbing, replace the galvanized crap with copper or pex. The old stuff is probably so corroded that the inside diameter is about that of a soda straw.


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## Craig (Oct 2, 2004)

Mike,
Thought of something else I've run into. Sometimes in previous remodels a wall has been added butting into the wall you're tearing off. For some reason, the new wall is frequently tied in over the old lath & plaster. So - know where the lath ends. You can damage the plaster in a wall beyond where you're tearing out.


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