Plaster Repair

Plaster is different from drywall because it is an older, harder, thicker wall or ceiling system that can crack, chip, crumble, bow, or pull away from its base. Drywall is sheet material with taped joints, so repair methods are not interchangeable.

Douglas repairs plaster walls, plaster ceilings, and plaster cracks with the material's age and texture in mind. Smaller plaster repairs may be texture-matched so the repair does not look like an obvious new drywall patch.

Related work: Plaster Wall Repair, Plaster Ceiling Repair, Plaster Crack Repair.

Plaster lamination makes sense when a plaster ceiling or wall is too cracked or uneven for spot repair but suitable to be covered with new sheetrock. It can avoid tearing out the entire surface while creating a new drywall plane to tape and finish.

Douglas has done plaster ceiling lamination work for general contractors for four years running. We use 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch sheetrock depending on how straight the existing surface is, and we check it first because wet, unsafe, or severely loose plaster should not simply be covered.

Related reading: Drywall Installation in Summit: Replacing Plaster While at Home, Plaster Repair in Short Hills: Repair, Overlay or Replace?.

Wall plaster repair belongs on vertical surfaces with chips, cracks, texture issues, trim transitions, or localized damage; ceiling plaster repair belongs overhead where sagging, cracks, stains, and falling material raise different concerns. Plaster crack repair focuses on the crack itself.

The right repair depends on what is failing. A small wall chip may be patched and texture-matched, while widespread ceiling cracks may point toward lamination or replacement rather than individual crack repair.