# Horse hair plaster repair Question



## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

I'm working on this old horse hair plaster wall, some sections are real solid still so I'm leaving them as time and money is an issue. I already patched bigger areas with drywall. 
Getting Plaster of paris to patch little areas and where the drywall meets the old plaster. 
My plan is to texture the whole wall after to match it up and hide imperfections. Not a bumply texture but with a trowel ,not sure what it's called , but I have it in my bathroom and like it. 
Q. is, do I use Plaster of Paris for the texturing or drywall joint compound?
Would rather use the joint compound cause it doesn't set so quick and I have time to work with it .
Thank you in advance!


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

you need to plaster for a solid base. if you have a hole, put metal lath behind the hole and hold it in place with a string to the front then plaster the area. once plaster has set, grind down flush or a little indented then finish with drywall mud like you would normally.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks Rancher. The smaller sections still have the old lath behind them.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'you need to plaster for a solid base'.
Do you mean fix the bad spots with plaster? 
I had already planned to do that ,just wasn't sure if I can put joint compound on top of plaster .
Thanks so much!


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

You need plaster because drywall is a soft compound. If you try and build it up with drywall compound it will shrink and crack. You can use the drywall board and try to bring the two together but all plaster would be a lot easier IMHO. hit any holes with plaster weld and build them up close. Then you can go over the whole wall with plaster. It will be a lot nicer job and not ear as easy to chip.crack and dust off.
Unless your really really fast dont mix plaster with a drill. Mix it by hand (two trowels) on a board just liek the old guys. If you mix it on a board ti will set up in a big hurry. One of the first lessons I learned 
If you really want a nice skipped troweled surface once it dries and you hit it with paint. then go over it with a rag and stain just a little darker It will bring out the highlights


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## AVanarts (Jan 2, 2011)

I've done such texture using a trowel and premixed drywall compound over drywall. It worked fine.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

I texture with Dry wall mud, 98% of the time.

I usually patch with dry wall and then pre fill the cracks up to the plaster and tape them out just like in dry wall, some times depending on the situation I will re plaster or cement plaster, the situation, (I had a curved ceiling that need plaster as dry wall would not work very well).


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## Guest (May 21, 2012)

I fixed a lot of holes in the plaster walls when I had my 110 year old house. The material of choice is drywall compound that you mix from powder. It sets up with very minimal shrinking and no cracking. The premixed stuff does shrink and crack. 

I also mixed it thin and repaired popcorn textured ceilings by skim coating the bad spot and rolling over it with a paint roller that has a bunch of plastic loops instead of a nap. 

Have fun.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Thank you so much for all your answers and tips.
Very much appreciated!


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## sdharlow (Jan 27, 2012)

The texturing process that you are talking about is called a Knock Down finish in the construction industry. It is typically a spray applied finish, then troweled. Thus the name knock down. Here is some detailed info. Knock Down Finish


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## dirtman (Sep 15, 2011)

you can use setting type joint compound to patch plaster walls, It will come as 20, 45 or 90 which refers to the amount of time you have before it sets up. It doesn't shrink. Plaster fo paris is a pain in the butt to use and you probably won't get a good job with it unless you are quite experienced.


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## Catalpa (Dec 18, 2011)

My house was built in the 20s and was abandoned for ten years before I moved in. Major work needed! I've used drywall where the horse hair plaster and lath was just too damaged to work with; but I used the 90 min. setting compound to skim coat everything and blend the repairs. By the fourth room I was getting pretty good with the knife! The only cracking and shrinking problems I've had are in the one bedroom I did first, before my first heating season. After all those years of neglect, there was a lot of moisture left. The work done after I started heating the house again has had only minimal issues. It's not perfect but to my eye the minor imperfections just add to the character of the house.

I found that the soft sanding sponges, worked in a circular motion, gave me a better result than trying to use the standard drywall sanding screens.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

I found that the soft sanding sponges, worked in a circular motion, gave me a better result than trying to use the standard drywall sanding screens.[/QUOTE]

Oh yes ,I have used them on the rest of the house where I had to do drywall repairs with joint compound. They work much better.
DH thought I hired a professional when he wasn't there, LOL, that was some compliment!


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

sdharlow said:


> The texturing process that you are talking about is called a Knock Down finish in the construction industry. It is typically a spray applied finish, then troweled. Thus the name knock down. Here is some detailed info. Knock Down Finish


No,that's not it. I'm talking about just smearing it on with a smaller trowel, looks kinda like plaster with a little more texture to me. We did it in our Bathroom, one wall was already done this way and our job matched really good. Looks nice too.


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