So here is the question. Is there anything I can do to make removing plaster and lath walls and plaster ceilings easer or more efficant? I will be working on the second floor and removing a lot of plaster

I'm still doing research and planing before I start my project. As to the building codes and what type of plaster is in the house.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Any way you go after it - it will be a messy job. If you mask off the adjoining rooms it will limit how far the dust goes. When was your house built?

 

Build a garbage chute out an upstairs window from a 16" sonotube (concrete form) that has been ripped lengthwise, and aim it toward the dumpster.

I like to put poly on the floor to make cleanup easier. (sweeping just raises dust) So that you can just fold up the plastic after you've scooped most of it off. Corn shovels work good for cleanup. Heavy wrecking bar is good for tearing lathe off. Sledgehammer as needed. Having a sawzall standing by is usually needed. Sometimes partition walls go right over the lathe, so you have to buzz the lathe off and leave what's behind the partition.

And wear a respirator. The lime in old plaster is nasty. Keep a box fan in a window to exhaust as much dust as possible. Keep doors closed and tape them off to maintain negative air pressure.

 

The was built in the late 1800's 1890 is my closest estimate as for wearing a respirator I plan to I never thought to lay something down on the floor thank you for that advice its going to be a messy job either way. after I run tests on the plaster to see what hazards it might hold I'll check with local codes to ensure I dispose of properly. I believe the plaster has horse hair in it it's very strong it's going to be a pain to remove. I was hoping to take it little by little I don't have a lot of time at once to put into the job any advice for taking the job slowly?

 

Plaster of that age isn't going to contain anything that is hazardous to dispose of, so unless someone is demanding an analysis in order to dispose of it, that's kind of a waste of time and $. Horsehair plaster is powdery and easy to remove compared to later types that are more like cement.

I don't really understand why you say you want to take it slowly... I think you could pretty easily demo a room in a couple hours and scoop it down a chute in a couple more. You usually want to make a separate pile of lathe since it doesn't fit on a shovel too well. Doing all the demo at one time just get's all the dust over with so that you aren't raising dust every night for a week.

Oh, and you might want to wear work boots so that you don't get any of those lathe nails in your feet if you happen to step on a piece with a nail sticking up.

Are you leaving the existing door and window trim, and baseboard? or ripping it all off? Your door and window jambs will be too wide (depth from studs) once you rip off the lathe, so you need to shim the studs back to the right width if you are planning on going back with drywall.

 

That was going to be my question, what are your plans as you can not just slap drywall back up. It will not work with the door jambs, electrical boxes and windows which will all have to be adjusted for.

 

I am planning on taking all trim off of everything and the windows will be redone some time after the room is complete if that won't cause any major issues. The electric wires and boxes will be redone as well after the plaster and lath is down. Thanks to all who is commenting I'm no contractor if not for other people's advice I would overlook some things that cause headaches down the road.

 

ok. Don't forget the door to the room.... its jamb will stick way past the studs... and if you replace the door it will still be odd. So you might want to shim that one wall the door is in either way.

 

I have removed a lot of plaster on wood lath and I'll add a few considerations.

If your house is balloon framed and there is no insulation in the exterior walls you might want to remove the plaster and lath at the baseboard first and block the flow of debris to the lower walls. I have done this by slipping a piece of plywood in between the studs at each bay and tacking or screwing it to the floor or into the side of the studs. This will keep all that debris from going down the cavity and blocking your access for new wiring and other mechanical runs.

My method of removal usually is to remove the plaster separately from the lath. I usually wack the walls with a flat shovel enough to fracture the material and then scrape it off. I lay down a heavy tarp first and then sheets of old plywood, panelling or whatever so that I have a easy shoveling surface and protect the floor.

After I get the plaster off I go back and remove the lath, trying to keep it as intact as possible which simplifies bundling and disposal. This also minimizes the lath and potentially upturned nails from being underfoot. With the lath off, you will have all the broken plaster "keys" behind the lath at the base of the wall which you can easily shovel out. This may take a little while longer in practice but makes for a more orderly and safe removal.

The fan in the window is a definite must, you can also rent a " negative air" machine to keep dust from traveling everywhere in the house. An occasional wetting down of the surfaces and lath will help control dust as well and definitely wear a quality mask and glasses.

 

Also you need to check the stud spacing. Back then they didn't always set the studs on regular spacing like they do today. It might make more sense to add a stud or two rather than have to make extra cuts on the drywall so the ends will land on a stud.