Drilling into lath and plaster how to#
Drilling into lath and plaster crack#

When drilling into plaster walls, it is important to take proper safety precautions. You’ll need a drill, a drill bit suitable for the type of plaster you are drilling into, a level, a screwdriver, and screws. Gather the Necessary Materialsīefore you begin drilling, you’ll need to make sure you have the right materials. Lime plaster is softer and more brittle than gypsum. Plaster can be either lime or gypsum based.

This will help you decide which drill bit to use and adjust your drill speed accordingly. It is important to identify the type of plaster you are drilling into. With the help of this guide, you can learn the best techniques for drilling into plaster walls and find out what type of drill bits and accessories you need.

Drilling into lath and plaster how to#

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to drill into plaster walls, so that you can complete your project with ease. This is usually done in order to avoid having to deal with future problems and also lack of proper knowledge/training, however, it will usually cause problems again in the future because the plasterboard doesn’t “flex” like a lime plastered ceiling does – thus creating cracks around the area of the plasterboard.Drilling into plaster walls can seem intimidating, but with the right tools and knowledge, it can be a relatively simple task. Without such repairs and knowledge from people who have been in the trade for many years, it would be tempting for someone without that knowledge to just remove parts of the ceiling and replace them with modern plasterboard and fillers. Once the vital repairs are complete, we can then move on to the preparation for painting which includes sanding and, in some cases, extra filling over the ceiling to hide the previous repairs so it all blends together smoothly.Įxperience is vital and I’m lucky to be in the hands of experts who have been using this technique for many years. Stage 3 – First layer of plaster to cover repair

Drilling into lath and plaster crack#

Once the screw and washer are secured, the debris is removed from the crack and this is filled in using a mix of lime putty and casting plaster – this allows for a quick set time and also adds strength to the mix. The screw and washer need to be tightened carefully as too much pressure can damage the ceiling and render the repair useless. We then make a pilot hole through a joist for the screw and washer to be screwed into, however not all cracks run alongside a joist so this can sometimes be difficult – the next alternative is lath. When carrying out the ceiling repairs, we drill into the second layer of lime plaster. Lime plaster is usually applied in 3 coats to lath work. It works by removing the pressure from the crack and allowing that part of the ceiling to be secured in place by the screw and washer that is now taking the weight. This gives an effective repair, providing it has been done correctly. This system works by drilling into the ceiling with a flat drill bit and adding a screw with a washer on in order to secure that part of the ceiling in place around the cracks. There are several repairs that you can make to secure a ceiling, but the one we will be using offers excellent results without having to tear down parts of the ceiling that may not need to be torn down. We are currently repairing a larger lath and plaster ceiling alongside a cornice, both of which have been damaged due to water ingress. With this in mind, work needs to be completed to the best of our ability and carefully planned so we are ready to pack up and leave by the end of week 5. Working on schools requires a stricter deadline due to the limited time that you have to complete the repairs, this job in particular has been given a maximum time limit of 5 weeks to complete as children need to return in order to receive an education. The property is an independent school though, so it is open to private clients and potential students.

My mentor and I are currently working on a beautiful Georgian property within the county of Hertfordshire this is for a private client so the house is not open to the public. Watch this space for other interesting blogs about plastering, he’s promised us one about traditional mouldings next! He is a very enthusiastic trainee and has written a description of a job he was working on in May 2020, which you can read below. – This piece was written by Arran, HES Heritage Plastering trainee at Messenger BCR from September 2019- 2020 – Arran is our Heritage Plastering trainee, working with Messenger BCR on historic buildings across the East of the UK and the East Midlands.