How To Repair Plaster Ceiling Hole

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva helps a homeowner repair a cracked plaster ceiling in an older home.

How to repair plaster ceiling hole.

For larger holes you ll need to cut out a drywall square 2 inches bigger than the hole trace the square onto the ceiling around the hole and cut the square of ceiling out. Holes in a plaster ceiling can be repaired and made undetectable in a matter of minutes. Follow these easy tips along with the video to make quick work of repairing your ceiling from cracks nail pops or large holes. Subscribe to this old house.

Usually it takes two to three applications to fill the holes flush with the ceiling depending upon the product. How to fix sagging plaster. If that s the case you need a patch. To reattach the sagging plaster to the lath drive the washer with a power screwdriver or drill so that it penetrates the wood lath wall studs or ceiling joists.

Drive screws into both sides of the stud the nail is in. Maybe a chunk of plaster fell off your ceiling or an electrician cut some unfortunate holes and other than the hole the rest of the ceiling is in good shape. Spread joint compound over the tape and smooth it out. The frustrating thing about repairing a ceiling be it mending holes in plaster ceilings or lath and plaster ceilings you always have to make the hole bigger before you can repair it.

Here is a step by step guide to how to fix plaster ceilings in your old house. Apply mesh tape over the crack. Then you can screw a couple of furring board strips inside the hole using drywall screws and screw your square drywall patch to the board strips. Fixing holes in a plaster ceiling.

To avoid cracking the plaster and creating an even bigger repair job don t pull the plaster tight to the lath in a single motion. Sand away any loose paint and drywall. If the lath is still intact then the patch is very simple. For large holes and patch jobs reinforce the hole with mesh or screen but small holes simply can be.

Flaking and cracking plaster are relatively minor repair items but when the plaster starts to sag or belly out from a wall or ceiling it indicates deeper problems.