How To Hire A Plaster ContractorWhen you take the time to get good recommendations regarding the plaster contractors in your area, you can invest in a professional service with some peace of mind. (See a free and easy way at the bottom of this page.) Having said that, however, getting the work done for you is not without its headaches. As someone who does plaster repair and renovation for a living, I should remind you that the job will make your house a more difficult place to live in, at least in the short run. There is some mess and noise. If the job requires some plaster demolition, there may be a lot of mess and noise. Things will look worse before they look better. You will need patience, and faith in the final result to come. How to find a good plaster contractor is not too difficult. Every area of the USA has them, although if you live in city or town, it may definitely be easier (and cheaper) than if you live way out in the country somewhere. Look at the trades ads in your local paper or in the yellow pages of your phone book. Call and talk to several contractors and see how they sound to you. Talk to local builders who have good reputations and see who they like to use in their projects. As you narrow your seach, ask to see some of their completed jobs and talk to their customers and get their opinions. You can also get a jump start on the whole process by doing an online search. Check out the form at the bottom of this webpage. One big point: is the contractor you are talking to skilled and experienced in plaster repair? Some plaster contractors may only do work in new construction. If your plaster is so bad that you want it replaced entirely, these fellows can do that. But if you are looking to repair your house plaster in place, without removing all the old plaster first, you need a plaster contractor who knows how, and is good at, doing just that. Here things get a little trickier. Ask your contractor what methods he uses to repair plaster in place. Does he sound like he knows what he is talking about? Sure and confident? If he passes your first test, ask to see some of his work and judge for yourself how it looks.
Three Basic Options
#1 ALL NEW PLASTER. This involves tearing out all the old plaster down to the wood lath (or joists/studs if your plaster is over rock lath). This is enormously messy and noisy and results in a lot of debris to be disposed of. Next, plasterboard is installed, the seams taped with fiberglass tape, and usually two thin layers of gypsum veneer plaster are trowelled on over the entire surface. If texture is desired, the second coat will have the texture worked into it, normally. This will probably be the most expensive option. #2 NEW VENEER PLASTER OVER THE OLD PLASTER. Here, the old plaster stays in place and all defects are cleaned up and prepared before a new layer consisting of one or two coats of veneer (also known as thin-wall plaster) is put on over everything. The final result is a new plaster surface, ready for painting. This option means that all holes are filled in advance, all cracks cleaned and filled, and fiberglass tape applied over all cracks and larger hole repair perimeters before the veneer plaster is trowelled on. And we don't want to forget the plaster bonding agent, which is rolled on the entire area before the plaster goes on. The bonding agent ensures that the new plaster will stick to the old, usually painted, plaster. This is ESSENTIAL. Be sure your plaster contractor does this! #3 PLASTER REPAIRED WITHOUT PLASTER. This is the method I have most commonly employed in my work. Here we are using drywall compound to repair cracks, and drywall (sheetrock) for larger gaps or holes in plaster. See CRACKS and HOLES. I know how to use Option #2 above, but because this is normally a two man operation, I don't get into it. However, I do use hot mud (setting type joint compound) and with that I do all repairs and skimcoating. When I have textured the finished surface, it looks exactly like textured plaster. I find hot mud to be easier to mix and handle than veneer plaster. Just not as hard. Because the hot mud contains its own glue, it is not necessary to apply a bonding agent over the old painted plaster. However, for extra insurance, I often mix plaster bonding agent into my water before mixing a batch of hot mud.I just want to be sure that I have a permanent renovation. Option #3 is not an option a plaster contractor would use. I just wanted to show that this is one way to go for a complete plaster overhaul. For people doing their own plaster renovation, this is an easier way, and they could choose to use regular multipurpose joint compound in place of hot mud. It's quite a bit softer than veneer plaster but adding fine quartz sand to the texture coat can toughen it some. A good coat of drywall sealer will toughen it further. If you are budget conscious, there are several ways you can get ready for the plaster contractor you have hired and save yourself some money, depending on how flexible he is. Helping Your Plaster Contractor _________________________________________________________
A Word About Money Even when you do the work yourself, home improvement projects take money, and sometimes more than you might think. Important questions arise and should be answered before you launch into a major upgrade or renovation. Can I do this out of pocket, or am I going to need to get a loan? If I need a loan, what kind of loan would be best for me in my present situation? What are the most economical sources to tap? Where do I find various kinds of easy to use financial calculators to help me plan in a realistic way? Here is a good source for the discussion of home improvement finances. _________________________________________________________
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