Can I sheetrock over plaster?

Hello! pardon my ignorance, but I'm learning as I'm going along. I am slowly remodeling a house I inherited. I have a small room approx. 8x12 and would like to possibly sheetrock it. I have a lathe and plaster wall that isn't too bad a shape, but the corners and the seams along the sealing are all pretty rouch looking! My question is: Can I just screw the sheetrock right to the studs over the existing plaster? or should I tear down the lathe and plaster? or possibly use furring strips and screw the sheetrock to them? I want to do this as easy as possible as I am going to rent it as soon as I get all my remodeling done. Thanks in advance! Jack

 

I also have lath and plaster and I am currently planning on doing the same. I have helped a friend do this and he just found each stud and marked it on the floor and ceiling so when he put the new sheetrock up he knew where the studs are. We just took a hammer and knocked a piece of lath and plaster out and found the first stud. Usually they are 16oc but older houses have 24oc, not all of them but I know my 1942 house does.

I would buy 3/8" thick sheetrock. Really no need for the 1/2" sheetrock. You will need 2" to 2 1/2" screws depending on what thickness you go w/ your new sheetrock. MY lath and plaster is 7/8" thick.

Hope this helps, no need to be embarrased to ask ?'s!! GOOD LUCK!!

 

Thanks!!!!!! I appreciate it! Jack

 

Jack, plaster gets laminated all the time with drywall. You will need to remove all the mouldings and alter them to fit. Doors and windows will need an etra piece of wood to make up for the drywall thickness. As noted above - be sure to attach the drywall into the studs!

It might be less work to fix the plaster you have.

If relevant, a good reason to remove the plaster would be that you can update electrical and insulation.

 

I did this in my master bath. I tore all of the lath n' plaster off the walls! It royally sucks, but I took out all that cellulose I blew in the exterior walls, and put in fiberglass and ran the new electric I installed 3 yrs previous and put it in a more appropriate place and what not. So like mark said this is a plus to do so by tearing it all out. It isn't a big room so it wouldn't be to bad.

Is there anyway for you to post pics of the cracks you have now on your current plaster walls? You can take the picture put them on your computer go to Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket and create a link or post the html code in this reply box. I have fixed and repainted all the rooms in our house the first yr we bought it, so you could easily fix the walls, but installing new wiring/insulation is a big plus.

About the trim, when I did the bathroom, I had to add a little smaller than 1/4" piece of wood to the new sheetrock side of the trim so it would set flush w/ the window trim piece. I just glued that extra piece to the new trim, stained it and it looks great.

 

Thanks! I don't currently have a digital camera. I may be able to figure something out with my cell phone camera. I have emailed pics before from my phone. Concerning the room, being that i't's so small, it doesn't have much trim at all. Just the trim around the window and door. Since every room in the house is lathe and plaster I'm not going to mess with any of the electrical. This little room I'm considering sheetrocking only has one outlet. Kind of sucks that each room only has 1 or 2 outlets! Just seems like it may be easier to sheetrock over the lathe and plaster. The wall has a few holes along the bottom about the size of a fist. The corners are all crumbling and have roughly 1/4 inch gaps in them. My mom's famous wallpapper job 25 years ago included duct tape over those corners I spoke of. Since then it has about 2 coats of paint on top of the wallpaper. Also, along the bottom of the wall their isn't any mop board so their is also a crack around the floor. The one wall also seems to be bulging out a little in one spot about a foot in diameter. I figured an easy and quick solution might be to hang sheetrock, paint the ceiling, put some mopboard around the floor and some trim around the ceiling. Sound good? Thanks as always! Jack

 

If that spot is buldging, I would kinda wanna know why. Maybe tear that area out? If you don't find anything wierd then put a furring strip up so that the new sheetrock will have a support behind that area you tore out. If you put the new drywall up over that buldge you may still be able to see it.

Also what kind of electrical do you have? Is it newer?? If its knob and tube I would suggest installing new.

You say about painting the ceiling, aren't you gonna put drywall on the ceiling?? It may look good now but eventually??

Keep us posted. My saying is quick and cheap isn't always the best.

 

I'd definetly rethink the part about not updating the electrical. 1-2 outlets just isn't enough - both for you and resale value. You shouldn' have to tear out all the plaster in order to re wire..... and while that part of the wall is opened up, you can add outlets to the otherside of the wall if needed

 

Thanks! I kind of figured I'd have to tear the bulge out of the wall and furring strip that or shim it or something. Knob and tube, hmmmm I know tvs used to have tubes and they still have knobs but I have never heard of it regarding electrical! LOL, Told ya I didn't know much! Aren't extension cords made for people without many electrical outlets? lol I'm sure I'll have more questions and I'll keep you posted. Thanks again, Jack