Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 03:25am | #1

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   I have no idea. Seems to me the fix for a plaster ceiling gone bad is a full room drywall overlay. Your buttons will have to be finished off and there is no assurance the fix will hold. A drywall overlay will go up fast and can be finished off, in most cases, with less labor than patching. This could explain why your buttons are hard to find - no demand.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 03:30am | #2

   *If you don't get an answer here, you might want to check out Ornamental Plaster.Rich Beckman

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   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 04:22am | #3

   *Jim - I get them at a local hardware store. They do work well. I will be driving past there tomorrow, I will go in and find out who makes them amd post the info.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 05:20am | #4

   *Steve, you only suck the old horsehair up so you can do a full overlay WITHOUT taking down the rest of the plaster.And some times we have to throw in some 3/8 drywall shims if there are big holes in the ceiling.My plasterer uses plain flat washers to suck it up. just find the right size for your sheetrock screw so the head sits flush, Doesn't have the same spread as the one you describe but it does the job, and its easy to buy.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 07:26am | #5

   *Jim,Charles St. Supply Co. has them. 800-382-4360KK

2. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 08:50am | #6

   *Guys, Specialized hardware can be replaced with off the shelf substitutes. In this case, a very large washer with a small hole, called a fender washer can be used. It comes in a variety of sizes and is readily available, even at the big orange box. If the lack of a dimple to recess the screw bothers you hit it with a ball peen hammer (the round end).Ralph

3. 
   Guest_ | Dec 05, 1999 09:46pm | #7

   *Charles St Supply is the easiest source. They are very nice and sell small quantities if you need. My advice is to buy just the washers from them; they sell what they call a "kit" which is nothing more than the washers and some 1-5/8 galv drywall screws. You can use any length you want and screws are cheaper if you buy the screws separately.By the way, if you do this type of work, there are lots of other neat products lurking in the back pages of Old House Journal.

4. 
   Guest_ | Dec 07, 1999 03:07am | #8

   *Ralph,I sincerely hope you were kidding. Not only would stiff fender washers not be an acceptable substitute for the flexible plaster washers, hitting the roof with a hammer would destroy the loose plaster, anyway.

2. 
   Jim_Liston | Jan 04, 2000 11:56pm | #9

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   Okay guys, Where do I find this item? Twenty years ago,my brother-in-law in Florida gave me a washer that is the size of a quarter with a detented hole in the center to accept #6 drywall screw . It is somewhat cup-shaped with a series of holes around the center hole. The purpose of this device is to suck up sagging plaster in old ceilings. (Screw through the washer into the redwood lath or buttonboard and into the joist or rafter.) I can't find them anywhere. I have shown this device(I keep it on my keychain) to probably 500 carpenters, remodelers, drywallers and suppliers all over So.Cal. over the last 20 years and NO ONE has a clue as to where to buy them. Win the prize, be my bud and tell me where I can get some.