Hi!
We live in an older house (for southern California) with plaster interiors. We’re re-modeling and adding on, and I want to keep plaster interiors. My builder says his subs won’t do three-coat plaster any more because it can’t have the asbestos fibers in it to hold it together, but will substitute plaster over buttonboard, which he says will look, feel, and sound the same.
Is he corrrect? Has three coat plaster gone the way of the dinosaurs? Is plaster over buttonboard comparable?
Thanks!
Barbara
Replies
wow, do they still make buttonboard? I thought bottonboard went the way of the dinosaurs! Thinwall plaster is all I've ever seen in my 25 yrs. in the building trades (I mean I've seen buttonboard, doing demo on older homes, but I've never seen it done!)
Dear Huck,Wow, that's the fastest response ever! Thank you! Ummm, that's what they said. I take it your response means you really don't see the three coat variety?Thincoat plaster just doesn't have the same feel, sound, or what have you.Thanks!Barbara
Never seen it. I've heard stories of old school guys who can screed a wall flatter than a Texas horizon, but you know how rumors are. Anyway, I like drywall, plaster is too brittle for my taste.
I have three-coat plaster on some of the walls in my house. It was done in 2000. The first two coats are Structo-Lite, which is a safe product. I also have veneer plaster on blueboard for some walls and sheetrock on others. I like each of the plaster walls much better than the sheetrock...they feel harder, smoother, much more abrasion and dent resistant. Veneer plaster over blueboard is a fine combination.
Of course they do three coat plaster. It's just not done that often anymore, and you will pay a premium. The garbage about the fibers was just that, garbage. There are fibers made for the basecoats, if you think you neeed them. The problem for you will be finding a plasterer who can and is willing to do a full three coat job. This type of plastering is mostly used for repair and restoration work anymore. They do it in commercial work as well. Usually you will find a person capable of three coat plaster in a masonry and stucco company. Also, you may want to contact the union of The Brotherhood of Allied Craftworkers...it used to be #5,maybe still is, and see if there are any plasterers in your area who will take on side work. Good luck.
The old-school plasterers I've heard of were doing commercial work, as you mentioned. So what did they use as a substrate for 3-coat plaster? - I always thought thats what buttonboard was for!
I've done or had done three coat plaster on a couple of projects. The reason for it was to blend into old plaster work or to create curved walls and ceilings. Expanded metal lath, the type used for exterior plaster, was nailed to the framing and then plastered over. Its a bit labor intensive as compared to thincoat. What I did was use blueboard or regular drywall for the flat surfaces and then tied into the curved areas with lath. The curved areas got two coats of structolite and then the whole thing was finish coated.
I do believe button board did go out with the dinosaurs. You could probably make your own with a hole saw though. (g)
If you search the archives here, you'll find a lot of plastering info.
Tom
We had 3rd generation plasters do repairs and fill ins for two doors that we eliminated and they used 'rock lathe' for the base, then top coated with plaster. I don't recall just how many coats it took, but it looks like the rest of the plaster. Rock lathe is basically a form of drywall with a special coating that binds to the top coat they were using. I have no trouble recommending it.
Thanks for your input!I'm not familiar with either "blueboard" or "rock lath". Are they the same thing? Does the finished result feel and sound like real plaster, as well as look like it? Will this method be less expensive than the other suggestion offered of using something called structo-lite for scratch and brown coats and whitekote for the finish coat?Thanks again!Barbara
rocklath with one coat of brown and then the white coat finish is what is standard. three coat is more common with wire lath because you need the first coat ( the scratch coat ) to firm the wire before the leveling coat is applied.
only about $7.50 per square foot for the two coat ( that includes the rocklath ) and that is for a big area. that's 5 times the cost of drywall
pricing, not the ending of asbestos, has made interior plaster uncommon.
carpenter in transition
You can also take sheetrock and paint it with a bonding adhesive, Plasterweld is one, and then either whitecoat it or put a brown coat of perlite plaster (structolite), and then your white coat. Make sure all your seams are fiber taped.
The last big plaster job I did was the old way, three coat with a sand aggregate scratch and brown, then a lime putty with the guage for the white. This was on self furring diamond lath and we used plastic fibers in the scratch mix. The finish is impecable with lime and it's wonderful to work with. Trouble is, you gotta know the mix, and it's very time consuming labor, so it's not really worth it.
I live in Southern California as well and I have made a hobby of preserving and restoring plaster walls in the houses I've owned. Kudos to you for seeing the difference between a real plaster wall and drywall. I've used Structolite for scratch and brown coats and Whitekote for the thin finish skin. In my opinion, there are probably less health issues with plaster than drywall because nothing needs to be sanded. Buttonboard or blueboard is hard to find but there are still some construction supply yards that continue to carry it. Diamond mesh is easy to find. If you live in Los Angeles, e mail me and I can let you know where to go. Plaster is more labor intensive than drywall and it takes more skill (and expense) to get it to look right. But there's an authenticity to it that I really like, especially in an older home. Good luck!
Something to keep in mind is that 3 coat plaster takes a long time to dry before it can be painted. I think it is like 3 weeks or so...or at least that what the paint primer data sheets I've read say.
eric
Thanks for the offer of a referral! I live in El Cajon, east of San Diego, a little further afield from your territory, but if you have any recommendations, I'd appreciate them. I am thinking of calling the local pasterer's union to see if they have any referral service.The plaster we have also helps add to the thermal mass of our house more than drywall would, I feel sure--we have no insulation (going to remedy that in the re-model), but our house stays pleasant till mid afternoon on hot days.So, two coats of Structo-Lite and a finish coat of the other stuff? I'll research it. Thanks!Barbara
Contractor is full of poo, about the asbestos. also full of it about not being able to do a three coat... won't be cheap. but there are still guys on the west coast that can do it.... I would start talking to the three coat stucco boys... Up here in northern california many of them come from Ireland and know how to put a proper three coat over wire plaster job.
james
> ... an older house (for southern California) with plaster interiors.....
I'm also in Southern CA, and found a great plasterer for repair and remodel work, Tony Bartolazzi. He's in the Gardena area, listed as "A. Bartolazzi Plastering".
He puts two coats over rock lath. IIRC, code doesn't allow wood lath any more. It's OK to do small repairs over existing wood lath, but if you have to put up new lath, it's rock lath or expanded metal.
-- J.S.
Thanks for the referral!Do you think he would know anyone in the San DIego area?THanks again!Barbara
I'm not sure, but it can't hurt to ask. He's a great guy, third generation in the business.
-- J.S.
Thanks very much! I sure appreciate that!Barbara