# Drywall over plaster ceiling?



## RandyB1986

Let me start by saying I aint no drywall man. I had a guy call who had a leaking roof, I looked at roof and made repair. He had me come in and look at his ceiling where it had started falling where the leak was. It is plaster over wood strips. the room is 13 x 13 and there is only about a 3 x 3 area that has fell off, leaving just the wood strips.

I bid this to tear out the plaster on ceiling and leaving strips and then installing drywall over wood strips, breaking joints on centers. 

My drywall guy/buddy and the homeowner have decided they would rather not tear out the old plaster but just go over it with 1/4" drywall letting joints fall where they do and just screwing thru new drywall, plaster and into wood strips  

What would you guys do? Do you tear out plaster or install drywall over the plaster?

Thanks!
Randy


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## neolitic

If it's an upper floor and
there's loose fill in the attic
I'll laminate to save mess.


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## TimelessQuality

long dw screws, into joists...

Then get your azz back outside on a roof:laughing:


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## CScalf

why use screws? just use super glue, i am sure it will hold, after all it is super correct?:whistling


What I have done in the past is put in furring strips, this way I get a flat even surface and don't have to worry about the board waving at you from the other room. Where the plaster has fallen:thumbsup:


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## Rockhound

CScalf is right. Run fir strips and screw them on well. Drywall screws(even 3") are no match for loose plaster and lath,gravity wins every time. And gluing the plaster just makes it all come down in bigger pieces. I'm not saying I haven't laminated over old plaster ceilings but I AM saying I'd never hang out in 'the new room' for a couple beers


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## Mellison

Or you can give him a quote to just patch the area that fell.
Build it up with drywall, fiberglass mesh it, plaster, prime and paint.
If done correctly, it will be seamless and you will look like a pro who really knows his trade.
Always give the customer options.


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## Darwin

RandyB1986 said:


> Let me start by saying I aint no drywall man. I had a guy call who had a leaking roof, I looked at roof and made repair. He had me come in and look at his ceiling where it had started falling where the leak was. It is plaster over wood strips. the room is 13 x 13 and there is only about a 3 x 3 area that has fell off, leaving just the wood strips.
> 
> I bid this to tear out the plaster on ceiling and leaving strips and then installing drywall over wood strips, breaking joints on centers.
> 
> My drywall guy/buddy and the homeowner have decided they would rather not tear out the old plaster but just go over it with 1/4" drywall letting joints fall where they do and just screwing thru new drywall, plaster and into wood strips
> 
> What would you guys do? Do you tear out plaster or install drywall over the plaster?
> 
> Thanks!
> Randy


It's perfectly fine to go over plaster with drywall. I've done it several times on jobs in the past.

It cuts down on labor and demo charges to the customer. Plus, you finish much faster. Good luck.


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## Frankawitz

I just love it when trades people go out of their line of work, This is a Insurance repair job, the guy could have had his Insurance company foot the bill, renail the wood lath base coat skim coat prime and paint done deal, no dickin around with drywall:whistling. The guy should of hired a plumber. WTF!


www.frankawitz.net


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## [email protected]

Ditto Frank. It's only a 3x3 patch. I'm no plasterer, but have done a ton by pulling back the loose stuff, adding 1/4" , and fill and finish with hot mud.


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## Mellison

Frankawitz said:


> I just love it when trades people go out of their line of work, This is a Insurance repair job, the guy could have had his Insurance company foot the bill, renail the wood lath base coat skim coat prime and paint done deal, no dickin around with drywall:whistling. The guy should of hired a plumber. WTF!
> 
> 
> www.frankawitz.net


Building it out first with drywall eliminates the need for the base coat.
No Base = no fu%&ing around with the lath, less mixing, and less dry time.
Just my way of doing it.


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## neolitic

If the plaster didn't already
have "issues" like cracks,
broken keys, .......it probably
wouldn't have fallen off the 
ceiling while they were roofing. :whistling
Most folks with those kind of 
"issues" aren't falling all over 
themselves to have the mess 
and bother of a real plaster fix.
At least not in my experience....
The guy wanted a roof, not a 
bathroom renovation.


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## bh54

helo I posted on another thread about concrete fill this would solve your problem in a hurry this is how I make my living by repairing things like this and making textured walls and ceilings smooth what I do is mix 30 % con fill and 70% drywall mud togeither and use this to replaster the area con fill has fibers in it that willadhere to the lath so one or two coats of this mix and one or two coats of mud over top depending on how good your are with a trowel and it will come out as smooth as glass you can sand inbetween coats if you need to


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## woodchuck2

CScalf said:


> why use screws? just use super glue, i am sure it will hold, after all it is super correct?:whistling
> 
> 
> What I have done in the past is put in furring strips, this way I get a flat even surface and don't have to worry about the board waving at you from the other room. Where the plaster has fallen:thumbsup:


 I have seen this done in homes before. Usually the home has little or no insulation either so the fur strips are put on so foam insulation can be put up too. The foam will absorb some of the high spots and give some R-value, then drywall over that.


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## Frankawitz

Mellison said:


> Building it out first with drywall eliminates the need for the base coat.
> No Base = no fu%&ing around with the lath, less mixing, and less dry time.
> Just my way of doing it.


That's why you do drywall and I do plaster big difference, anyone can patch it like that, just a handyman move. I have Historical Houses and Buildings under my belt, They wouldn't have gone for this handyman patch:whistling
as for time my jobs figure in waiting for mud to dry:thumbsup:



www.frankawitz.net


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## harris drywall

*3/8s over plaster*

Chances are the house is balloon type framing,i just did 2 big rooms in an old farm house,used key hole saw to find ceiling joists then i marked them ,hung drywall finished and came out flawless.i used 1-5/8s screws,remember ceiling joists usually run the shortest span of a house,old 1800 dwellins arent 16 on center,all nominal inch material


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## Mellison

Frankawitz said:


> That's why you do drywall and I do plaster big difference, anyone can patch it like that, just a handyman move. I have Historical Houses and Buildings under my belt, They wouldn't have gone for this handyman patch:whistling
> as for time my jobs figure in waiting for mud to dry:thumbsup:
> 
> 
> www.frankawitz.net


Why would you assume you are the only one who has discerning clients?
If you think you can tell the difference you are either being silly or are just ignorant.
Everyone knows (or should know) the proof is in the finish coats.
Whether you use plaster or drywall for a base makes absolutely no difference, as long as the last couple of fill coats are plaster followed by a high quality polish coat or two.

And remember Frank,
Just because the dry time is figured in the price doesn't mean it's not wasted time.
You can charge the same while having less dry time.
Now, doesn't that make sense?


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## plazaman

3/8s laminate.. done


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## CScalf

woodchuck2 said:


> I have seen this done in homes before. Usually the home has little or no insulation either so the fur strips are put on so foam insulation can be put up too. The foam will absorb some of the high spots and give some R-value, then drywall over that.



No foam, no fur strips, just super glue, damn you people work too hard!:whistling


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## rogerhattman

Mellison said:


> Why would you assume you are the only one who has discerning clients?
> If you think you can tell the difference you are either being silly or are just ignorant.
> Everyone knows (or should know) the proof is in the finish coats.
> Whether you use plaster or drywall for a base makes absolutely no difference, as long as the last couple of fill coats are plaster followed by a high quality polish coat or two.
> 
> 
> 
> There absolutely is a difference even in base coats. You are reparing a BMW with Yugo parts. The plaster underneath in this house was probably lime or a lime gypsum blend, definitely not the same thing. It may look seamless when you are done but time will tell. I pulled a fair number of of these types of old patches apart after they revealed themselves. The materials do not expand at the same rates. A lime/hair mix (for instance) is typically very flexible and self-healing to a degree. Drywall is not. The proof is how the repair looks years down the road.


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## silvertree

1/4" or 3/8" drywall over whole ceiling.


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