Q: We recently purchased a 1926 colonial house with mostly horsehair plaster walls. This is my first experience with plaster walls, and I’m afraid they are going to crumble when I hang artwork ...

These "keys" form a bond between the dried plaster wall and the lath. You'll be able to tell if the nail strikes a piece of lath -- it will bounce back when you tap it with your hammer.

Traditional plaster walls were always two or three-coat systems. A base coat of plaster was put over wood or metal lath. About 80 years ago, plaster lath was invented.

The unmistakable period feel of an old house is often directly related to the beauty and the character of its plaster walls. While it is not recommended that the average old-house owner try to repl… ...

Q: The walls of our 1938 San Francisco home are lath and plaster, with a canvas-like fabric over the plaster. There are cracks in the plaster, which can be seen through the paint as raised creases ...

Also, if you do take down the plaster. Be care what and where you replace it. Some walls and ceilings are fire rated if this is a multi-family. If so, that would require a permit. The problem with ...