This video is a life saver my home is 120 years old and all lath and plaster. There are some cracks in the plaster and I was told countless times it would have to all be ripped out and dry walled. This method worked out amazing! Thank you soo much!
My god, thank heavens you didn’t listen!!! My house was built in 1879 and I was told to tear out my old windows by a couple idiots …. Jokes on them, with a little care I rebuilt them and they’ll last another 100 years probably!
@vancouvervixen4253 that's next on my list is figuring out. I have glass I need to replace. I just want to replace the glass the rest of the frame is in exalent shape and thermal insulation is ridiculous in the home.
Im a 2nd generation Drywall Installee and Finisher. Everytime I watch your channel I realize that the 100s of ways I know how to do things isn't even a fraction of the ways. Love it
DIYer here who owns an early 1900s home: I've used USG Structo Lite for this up in Minnesota, the United States. ACE Hardware can order a big bag for you and Structo Lite is a JOY to work with - It's a setting mud that you have to mix, made of gypsum with pearlite aggregate, which can be used to key into old lathe, build out wonky walls (you can put it on real thick) or even shape into molds. It does not sand much better than Durabond, but it's just a lot easier to build big, strong and lightweight. If I need a real flat surface, I start with Structo Lite on old lath that I've painted with concrete bonder, doing everything to make it as flat as possible (if it's big, a darby is perfect, but a straight piece of wood might work as a makeshift darby - if it's small, just a big square trowel like our Vancouver guy uses here is sufficient) and then, when it's dry, go over it with a thin application of Easy Sand 45 or 90. And streaks can be sanded at that point. If you still have pits, you can use Plus 3 or any pre-mixed lightweight joint compound so you don't have to work as hard on the mixing and sanding end of things. I went at a closet this way last summer and the wall is one of the straightest, smoothest, hardest walls in my house.
Quickset easy sand says on the directions not to be used as a skim coat. Minimum thickness of 1/8 I believe. Love duribond, structo lite but I always skim with topping compound or sll purpose. Stay away from from plus 3 or lightweight. Scratches too easy. BTW I am not a DYI er. 30 yrs GC
As a handyman who does tons of drywall repairs, I agree completely with "why you don't demo the wall and start over". It's more work than people realize.... Add in the fact that the customers will only pay so much for the job and so you need to choose the most expedient option for them all the while you are doing quality work. I've learned a ton from your channel - thank you!
I used fibafuse for an older garage ceiling repair, where there was little to no backing and pretty much every joint had cracked. I scraped out the cracks first, filled with hot mud then used fibafuse. Turned out perfect
I've got a badly cracked plaster wall. I was going to just demo and drywall, but this video is the first one that gave me hope I might be able to salvage it.
Thank you so much. I am contemplating restoring and staying in my grandmother's house in the future and you just made it seem a lot easier. Fix the plaster versus ripping it all down
I haven't done d/w in years, but recently had to do a patch in a plaster wall that a lavatory sink had been hanging on (sagging.) I tapped into all of the knowledge of Ben's that I had absorbed and did a halfway decent job of it too. The sink now has better blocking inside the wall now. Thanks Ben.
@@jordanabi-samra9709 Sounds like Durabond would be a good choice for me. I have 1950's rock lath (looks like plaster over concrete) and the wall got wet, the plaster peeled off, but the concrete material is intact.
@@Ronbo765 that being said, I’d go one step further and get a cement bonding adhesive and brush some on the repair before applying the durabond 90. You don’t have to but it doesn’t hurt. That’s just what we do at my company
Great work as usual Ben! Thank you for all your dedication! You were the one who made me become successful in many drywall repairs I've done over the past 2 years. This is exactly how I would have done this repair! Thank you for all your knowledge and teaching abilities. You make a great mentor!
Hot mud used to mean something spa-like but now I own an old house. This video was helpful and also demonstrated just how much I have to learn about materials and techniques.
One thing that I haven't seen you do but I always do is whenever I tear off crumbly plaster, I always make sure that the edges have been glued back to the lath. Basically just drill holes, spray in some watered down PVA, then jam in a mastic gun and squeeze in some construction adhesive, then use a screw and washer to squeeze it down. Once it has gone off that plaster is rock solid to the laths and will hold better to whatever you fill with. I've done this method with cracks that I've only repaired with filler (no tape at all) and you can bounce yourself off the wall and it stays rock solid.
Awesome! I've watched a bunch of your videos. I have that old house. All this information solves so many how to's. Your teaching style really works for me. Straight forward and thought full. Gosh! Can't tell you how helpful. Thank you thank you
Nice job! I am a plasterer in the states. Here we use a product called Structo-lite for the base coat. You did a very nice job. I watch all of your videos.
Thank you for this video! We have a house with plaster and while most of it is solid, it needed some love. I ended up fixing the loose plaster and then using fibafuse across the entire room's walls. Now everything is super tight and there's no way that the plaster will fall apart! Now onto the next room !
Great shout! We just did a Reno - with an addition on to an existing plaster finish. We did not go to this extent and the cracking of the old plaster is hard on the eyes for sure. The budget for the job and the customer had a ceiling and understanding , respectively. This is very, very helpful and in my future this will certainly help when I quote a job. Many thanks from old Toronto! Wishing you lots of success, good health and smooth pulls this year! 👍🏽
😊a "darby" is a flat tapered piece of aluminum and is flexible. What you have is a "featheredge," which has a ridged backbone. Anyways, no biggie. Great video I am plasterer 1963😎👍
3:37 Thanks 😊 so much. This had always proved to be so daunting, you have made it lots easier. Modernization of available products has been a tremendous help.
WOW! This video was so helpful.....I have the same issue on one of my living room walls....Wasn't sure how to repair the huge area that the plaster fell off.......I have chimney bricks behind the laths........Now I know why the plaster fell off and now know how to repair it myself.....Thank You So Much for sharing your amazing skills.
thanks for the amazon link. Ive been using this product as joint tape for years i did not know it was available in 3' wide rolls this product is going to be used on a fire restoration of a historic home.
I agree with your attitude towards the work . Especially your approach to the repair aspect. I'm doing that exact same thing now. Great work by the way.
Great videos, Thank you! I was recently asked my opinion on a friend's renovation, who was using a neighbor as the GC of the job. It was an ugly baby, and I called it as such. The neighbor got PISSED at me for pointing out obvious flaws, and later told me to "never talk to his people again" and slammed the front door as he left. Classic A-hole. I appreciate your demonstrations and dialogue. You do top-notch work.
If i had watched this post first I'm sure that i would have followed your advice. I did use durabond for the base coat and then coated over that with general purpose. It came out fine i just hope that it holds because I didn't use fibafuse. Thanks for the leason.
This is great information! I can think of about three or four jobs that I would have loved to use this stuff instead of trying to piece together a smaller patches. Thank you.
I’ve used fiberglass window screen over cracked and plaster where the keys were broken and the plater was just a little loose before this amazing product was available. Totally sound afterwards.
I enjoy you videos I own a 140 year old house that has the plaster walls im always fighting cracks and this seems to me a way I might be able yo get them under control and the glue to help strengthen the drywall mud never heard about that I think im going to try it since im about to finally finish my daughters room in my house I hope this helps me out
Good video the only thing I’d recommend is putting a bonding agent on the old lathe before plastering/mudding . It’s not necessary but I always do it when I’m doing a replaster .
I just wanted to say thank you for your hard work in paying these videos. They’ve helped me in ways that you won’t expect. I’m an artist and most recently decided that I want to do a piece which would require me to use drywall as my canvas. The problem is, I will have a raw edge. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to cover that raw edge seamlessly? Mud is one way, but that may crack over time. I have to find something that’s secure and won’t make me worry. Any suggestions? Many thanks to you!
I remember when my wife and I sold her old home and it had plastered walls that needed a bit of work. We found a guy who did a wonderful job and it was actually a selling point that we retained the original walls. After the neighbor's tree fell on the home a couple years later the new owner had to gut the upstairs and start over. They also got rid of the knob & tube wiring, which I don't think anybody missed.
Excellent work as usual Just to make sure I understand That fiberfuse can b used to cover a 20 in X 20 in hole in the wall Just as well as cutting a piece of sheet rock and screwing it in
As a person that’s done a lot of these repairs you can also just use cement/lime plaster instead of a setting compound and not use the fib/mesh. I will add fob/mesh or fiberglass mesh can be added for some extra structure and retention especially on ceilings after you screw the existing plaster up in any loose spots. Plaster and stucco work do take a little more experience in getting things flat and smooth as they don’t have the cheater step of sanding after which can make things easier for compound work. Plaster also has the benefit, and the problem, of being HARD relative to joint compounds.
I haven't seen any cement that can bond to wood. Including modified thinset. I'm wondering if you missed the part where he mentioned the back of the lathe was blocked so the gaps won't allow the plaster to flow through and key in.
@@bsmithril: No I didn’t catch that portion but with a good bonding agent you’d be surprised just how much stuff plaster can bond too. Lime also adds some adhesion and flexibility as does upping the Portland percentage. Outside of plaster I have used modified and setting thinnests to bond kirdi or ditra to plywood and haven’t had either come off; modified thinnests are made to be quite sticky, though they don’t smooth all that great.
With the concrete fill, do you still need to push the mud through the keys of the slats so that the slats hold onto the mud? And Thank you for all your videos, they allowed me to have a little more confidence in my DIY projects.
Ben you are great, but I have a question for you, So you never talked about cleaning off the dust or getting the edge of plaster wet and maybe using glue with the water. Or putting adhesive back behind the plaster.
Didn't know FibaFuse came in huge widths like that! Awesome! I have a weird architectural feature that sees drywall butting up against MDF, and it seems that no matter how much I fill and sand, fill and sand, it will not get flat. It's edge-lit from above, so the tiniest little inconsistency stands out. It needs to be level-5 flat, and I just don't have the skills for that with mud alone.
Absolutley love everything about this product...except the price, but, when you need it it is the best and often only answer to no cracks or call backs. Glad to see you pushing it and love the video , as always! Someday I would like to demo a patch like this and see just how durable it really is....Ben, is that something you would be willing/able to do?
Love what you said,you have the right attitude in what you said there close towards the end about finding Solutions to problems without whining.... Great as always How's the skating coming has it been cold up there.?
Would you use this fiber mesh over wood paneling to cover over all the cracks how would you go about muddying Over with channeling to make it look like she rock
General Question Ben... I usually do two coats of Sheetrock 20 and then sand and use the pink spackle to fill any remaining perfections, since I am doing patches and painting on the same day. I have not had any issues with this method, but I am curious why you use an all purpose mud. What is the usual dry time for the all purpose mud and I use the Bin sealer primer after my finish sand, wait about an hour and then apply my first coat of finish paint after that. The second coat if required is applied a good hour after the first, or based on the manufacturers recommendations. I hope you can shed some light on my questions, as I would rather tell clients that the patches will take two days, then sacrifice quality! Thank you for all your time putting together these videos, and you have helped me greatly with my mudding! (Now plastering as well haha)
Interested amateur question. Classic plaster is a scratch coat with chopped hair for tensile strength, brown coat to transition, and finish coat. Could a modern equivalent be hot mud with chopped fiberglass, second hot mud, then lightweight mud? I was thinking the concrete coat you put on doesn’t have tensile strength and could pop off over time.
I had the same problem with the old house cracks everywhere plaster falling off. I asked the owner it’s just going to put quarter inch sheet rock around the whole room and it worked out perfect.
7:40 Best wide mesh demo ever! A pro tells me this is best for blown out plaster. Neither taping nor “heavy” mud is widely available in US. Would you recommend setting, light, all purpose, or topping for embedding? Maybe add glue too? I’ll use a short roll of 36” fiberglass mesh from HD. I also find durabond easily usable on the first lathe coat.
Think I got it. Your glue video suggests Easy Sand setting compound with weldbond is what I should use to embed mesh/fibafuse over a painted wall. ruclips.net/video/RxIduTQXToQ/видео.html
I would embed it with all purpose if you are doing a large area. Setting mud could be a pain in the butt. Make sure your mud is pretty thin so it wipes out nice.
@@vancouvercarpenter Thanks Ben, then it sounds like a little glue for strength and adhesion with all purpose is the way to go. There's a bunch of hairlines I haven't prepped with scoring, screws, and durabond during the initial treatment so I'm a little skeptical that all purpose and mesh alone will hold up especially because I'm going over sanded paint. I think this is a good approach. Plaster Magic seems over-rated when there are many hairlines and most of the lathe is well attached. I want strong mud that will hold onto the paint and mesh.
I have a big question...maybe. thanks for the video btw...I took a job repairing A LOT of plaster where electricians made a mess of the wall. I used 90, 20 and all purpose. The existing walls have little bumpy texture that I can't figure out. It's not orange peel and I REALLY NEED HELP MATCHING THE TEXTURE.. PLEAAAAASSEE
Great work as always. I think I may have stumbled upon this video at just the right time. I’m beginning a renovation in one of the rooms in my 1853 home, and the walls are riddled with cracks, most of which are very fine spider cracks. Despite the cracks there is no movement of the plaster so it doesn’t seem to be separated from the lathe. I’ve dealt with larger cracks over the years; etching, filling, taping, then finishing, but i feel like prepping all of the fine cracks in this room will be impractical. That fibafuse looks like it might be the answer. Now the question is, the walls are painted with what I’m assuming is acrylic paint, so will they require priming prior to application of the mud/fabric? Thanks in advance.
I heard you call your concrete fill - hot mud. Would it be possible to do this with like 45? Or if you're in a place you can't get concrete fill would you do better trying your hand with actual plaster? Great video by the way, been in the trade 3 years, framing, insulating, hanging and taping. Truly a fulfilling line of work. I watch every video you make.
He said use hot mud if you aren't somewhere where you can get con-fill. So, yeah, 45 would be it. Though I'd probably go with 90 to give myself a bit more time to get it on the wall and smoothed out.
Hello! I love your videos! I find myself watching them in early am as I mentally prepare myself to start doing this same work in my first home. Have you come across any warped walls? I have a wall in my office/man cave that has huge dip in the middle - most liked caused by the window installation and poor framing/finishing. Do you have any advice or video suggestions on how to tackle the problem?
I use California One-Kote with diamond metal lath stapled to the wood lath. However, you didn't quite have the space for that here. The three-foot Fiberfuse (sp?) is a great method. I wish I'd used that in a few applications.
Thank you for your videos! We had largish holes in our lath and plaster ceilings caused by workers reinforcing our attic joists and accidentally stepping through in a few spots. Our contractors patched the ceilings and in some cases put drywall over the larger holes, including adhering with liquid nails. They then put mud on top to complete the patches. We ran out of money and can’t afford to pay them to paint! Can anyone recommend what kind of primer is best for going on top of plaster mud before we paint?
Where was this video 20 years ago when every wall in my janky house looked like that! 😂 That looks fantastic and who really doesn't want to put drywall mud on with a paint roller??
Love the channel, your help is slowly improving my mudding skills. I have a question maybe you or your subscribers can help with my next project. I took down old paneling and the finish plaster coat just crumbled but the key scratch coat is still in good condition. You said to use carpenters glue but it's a big room. Are there other options like just wetting the walls so the mud won't dry to fast and crack, or using primer on the old key scratch coat, or any other suggestions?
Love your vids! I have old plaster ceilings with those numerous cracks (from age and weight of new attic insulation). They seem somewhat stable. Would you recommend that 3’ fibafuse method and skim coat rather than individual fibre tape strips? Not a fun job either way!
Dude... IF. you can mud ( and you are downright NASTY at doing mud) YOU CAN PLASTER!!!! Once you start doing plaster you will NEVER mess with drywall mud again. I plaster everything now. No dust. drys fast, smoother surface. Compound is trash.. Give plaster work a try. You absolutely can do it. You're a pro taper.
Can you add aggregate to quick mud and make your own concrete fill? The way he's described concrete fill in other videos it sounds like it is just quick mud with aggregate added. It may also have some fibers added for additional strength.
sounds like it might be passable. I've mixed quick mud and normal mud together successfully to get a mix with both properties, but you'll have to find the right ratios, that's the tough part.
@@ricosrealm upon watching some of Ben's other mud framing videos I'm under the impression that it has perlite as aggregate in which is genius cause of how light weight perlite is.
Dunno how bad or where the damage was. Every time we've seen water damage. The general contractor cuts out around the bottom 16"-24" (usually not super square, lol) of the wall (usually where all the damage is). Then we replace it all, pre-fill with hot mud, tape it with 2" fibafuse, coat it like a butt joint. We've never taped over water damaged drywall, it's always replaced. Oh also, to apply the tape to the joint, we just use hot mud as well, usually with paper tape you need a mud with a bit more adhesion. But because of how fibafuse is, just many strands of fiberglass, the mud will seep into the tape, providing as good a bond as paper tape to a taping mud. Fibafuse is also feels a bit thinner, which is great when you need to build out your butt joints a ton.
Pro tip: use latex modified thinset. Mix it up stiff, and if you're in a hurry, you can mix 50/50 fast setting thinset. It bonds to almost anything. When it firms up, screed it smooth, and after its fully set, follow up with normal compound.
Hey Ben, I am repairing a ceiling and a lot of it has water damage which I will replace but in other areas there are just cracks and it isn't lath it is just drywall. Can I use this roll on method there and put the fiber fuse over it? I guess my question is - is this ok for drywall or just a technique applied over lath?
As a landlord with a couple 1920s era plaster wall properties I've done minor repairs on (yay ReadyPatch), this was invaluable to me, thank you. On the point of why not demo and re-install? One of the first things I learned is if you cut something out, what are you going to replace it with? Will the extra material/work be worth it? Will it be faster/easier to not remove as much? With tenants (or between) the turnaround is typically faster to patch what is there as long as it's structurally sound and will as long.
As someone who does work for landlords this is exactly what they are looking for, clean work, not dirty work. If you can make the wall look brand new using this method then they will be happy. Less time, less cost overall. Happy and repeat customers for similar repairs on other properties they might own.
I have a 100 year old house my attic ceiling has plaster and it's starting to loosen and break I'm wanted to learn how to update and repair the plaster ceiling and walls.
What about when your fixing plaster behind baseboard's and all of the excess mud at time of home built (1930's) fell to the wall cavity behind the baseboard making a solid curb almost. The plaster failed there and now it hard to clear the key ways. Trying not to open pandora's box.
I have a 3 ft wide role of the yellow mesh we use for joints, would it work the same way to hold large sections like this together? Or would it be more for exterior stucco patching?
This video is a life saver my home is 120 years old and all lath and plaster. There are some cracks in the plaster and I was told countless times it would have to all be ripped out and dry walled. This method worked out amazing! Thank you soo much!
My god, thank heavens you didn’t listen!!! My house was built in 1879 and I was told to tear out my old windows by a couple idiots …. Jokes on them, with a little care I rebuilt them and they’ll last another 100 years probably!
@vancouvervixen4253 that's next on my list is figuring out. I have glass I need to replace. I just want to replace the glass the rest of the frame is in exalent shape and thermal insulation is ridiculous in the home.
“Show up to a job ready to solve problems” thanks for all your help. This philosophy will get you more work and clients than you know what to do with!
Im a 2nd generation Drywall Installee and Finisher. Everytime I watch your channel I realize that the 100s of ways I know how to do things isn't even a fraction of the ways. Love it
BS
@@johnswan9123 Neet fam cause you know me
DIYer here who owns an early 1900s home: I've used USG Structo Lite for this up in Minnesota, the United States. ACE Hardware can order a big bag for you and Structo Lite is a JOY to work with - It's a setting mud that you have to mix, made of gypsum with pearlite aggregate, which can be used to key into old lathe, build out wonky walls (you can put it on real thick) or even shape into molds. It does not sand much better than Durabond, but it's just a lot easier to build big, strong and lightweight. If I need a real flat surface, I start with Structo Lite on old lath that I've painted with concrete bonder, doing everything to make it as flat as possible (if it's big, a darby is perfect, but a straight piece of wood might work as a makeshift darby - if it's small, just a big square trowel like our Vancouver guy uses here is sufficient) and then, when it's dry, go over it with a thin application of Easy Sand 45 or 90. And streaks can be sanded at that point. If you still have pits, you can use Plus 3 or any pre-mixed lightweight joint compound so you don't have to work as hard on the mixing and sanding end of things. I went at a closet this way last summer and the wall is one of the straightest, smoothest, hardest walls in my house.
Thanks so much for this detailed comment. As a Minnesotan DIYer in a 1900 house, this is super helpful!
You learned that from kirk & jay. Give credit where it's do
@@mattrybacki189The best plasterers on RUclips!
Quickset easy sand says on the directions not to be used as a skim coat. Minimum thickness of 1/8 I believe. Love duribond, structo lite but I always skim with topping compound or sll purpose. Stay away from from plus 3 or lightweight. Scratches too easy. BTW I am not a DYI er. 30 yrs GC
@johnnichols2710
True story. It will peel and blister if you go to thin, with few exceptions.
As a handyman who does tons of drywall repairs, I agree completely with "why you don't demo the wall and start over". It's more work than people realize.... Add in the fact that the customers will only pay so much for the job and so you need to choose the most expedient option for them all the while you are doing quality work. I've learned a ton from your channel - thank you!
No doubt people always trying to undercut and do drywall cheap and fast.
Should replace this type of framing?
I think they're confusing it with someone wanting a renovation vs repair.
And a lot more garbage than people think! Even a small section of wall plus framing will fill several garbage bins easily.
I used fibafuse for an older garage ceiling repair, where there was little to no backing and pretty much every joint had cracked. I scraped out the cracks first, filled with hot mud then used fibafuse. Turned out perfect
I love how this series of videos almost, but not quite, capture the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I look like doing drywall repair. Thanks for sharing.
I've got a badly cracked plaster wall. I was going to just demo and drywall, but this video is the first one that gave me hope I might be able to salvage it.
Thank you so much. I am contemplating restoring and staying in my grandmother's house in the future and you just made it seem a lot easier. Fix the plaster versus ripping it all down
I haven't done d/w in years, but recently had to do a patch in a plaster wall that a lavatory sink had been hanging on (sagging.) I tapped into all of the knowledge of Ben's that I had absorbed and did a halfway decent job of it too. The sink now has better blocking inside the wall now.
Thanks Ben.
We use durabond all the time for plaster repairs. We wet sand it smooth and it works. Top coat with all purpose
How thick is your top coat? It doesn’t seem like theres much space left for a top coat.
@@Ronbo765 just a tight skim. Lightly sand it and you’re good to go for prime and paint. Hasn’t failed us yet
@@jordanabi-samra9709 Sounds like Durabond would be a good choice for me. I have 1950's rock lath (looks like plaster over concrete) and the wall got wet, the plaster peeled off, but the concrete material is intact.
@@Ronbo765 that being said, I’d go one step further and get a cement bonding adhesive and brush some on the repair before applying the durabond 90. You don’t have to but it doesn’t hurt. That’s just what we do at my company
@@jordanabi-samra9709 Thanks for your advice!
Great work as usual Ben! Thank you for all your dedication! You were the one who made me become successful in many drywall repairs I've done over the past 2 years. This is exactly how I would have done this repair! Thank you for all your knowledge and teaching abilities. You make a great mentor!
Hot mud used to mean something spa-like but now I own an old house. This video was helpful and also demonstrated just how much I have to learn about materials and techniques.
Been drywalling since the early eighties, always use durabond for my base on the lath
That is awesome. I have done lots of different things for plaster. Never knew you could get fibafuse in big sheets! That's a great solution.
One thing that I haven't seen you do but I always do is whenever I tear off crumbly plaster, I always make sure that the edges have been glued back to the lath. Basically just drill holes, spray in some watered down PVA, then jam in a mastic gun and squeeze in some construction adhesive, then use a screw and washer to squeeze it down. Once it has gone off that plaster is rock solid to the laths and will hold better to whatever you fill with.
I've done this method with cracks that I've only repaired with filler (no tape at all) and you can bounce yourself off the wall and it stays rock solid.
Awesome! I've watched a bunch of your videos. I have that old house. All this information solves so many how to's. Your teaching style really works for me. Straight forward and thought full. Gosh! Can't tell you how helpful. Thank you thank you
Love this. I have an 1825 plaster/lathe house. You're my new handyman. 💗
Nice job! I am a plasterer in the states. Here we use a product called Structo-lite for the base coat. You did a very nice job. I watch all of your videos.
Thanks so much!!!!
Thank you for this video! We have a house with plaster and while most of it is solid, it needed some love. I ended up fixing the loose plaster and then using fibafuse across the entire room's walls. Now everything is super tight and there's no way that the plaster will fall apart! Now onto the next room !
Great shout! We just did a Reno - with an addition on to an existing plaster finish. We did not go to this extent and the cracking of the old plaster is hard on the eyes for sure. The budget for the job and the customer had a ceiling and understanding , respectively. This is very, very helpful and in my future this will certainly help when I quote a job.
Many thanks from old Toronto!
Wishing you lots of success, good health and smooth pulls this year! 👍🏽
You make all of your work look so easy. Thanks for your videos.
😊a "darby" is a flat tapered piece of aluminum and is flexible.
What you have is a "featheredge," which has a ridged backbone.
Anyways, no biggie. Great video
I am plasterer 1963😎👍
3:37 Thanks 😊 so much.
This had always proved to be so daunting, you have made it lots easier.
Modernization of available products has been a tremendous help.
WOW! This video was so helpful.....I have the same issue on one of my living room walls....Wasn't sure how to repair the huge area that the plaster fell off.......I have chimney bricks behind the laths........Now I know why the plaster fell off and now know how to repair it myself.....Thank You So Much for sharing your amazing skills.
thanks for the amazon link. Ive been using this product as joint tape for years i did not know it was available in 3' wide rolls this product is going to be used on a fire restoration of a historic home.
I really enjoy watching a master at work. You have taught me much; thank you for your experience and insights!
Thanks!
I agree with your attitude towards the work . Especially your approach to the repair aspect. I'm doing that exact same thing now. Great work by the way.
Awesome job, a really good way to fix that properly. Would love to see an update on that patch later on, keep up the great work and videos!
Great videos, Thank you!
I was recently asked my opinion on a friend's renovation, who was using a neighbor as the GC of the job. It was an ugly baby, and I called it as such. The neighbor got PISSED at me for pointing out obvious flaws, and later told me to "never talk to his people again" and slammed the front door as he left. Classic A-hole.
I appreciate your demonstrations and dialogue. You do top-notch work.
If i had watched this post first I'm sure that i would have followed your advice. I did use durabond for the base coat and then coated over that with general purpose. It came out fine i just hope that it holds because I didn't use fibafuse. Thanks for the leason.
it will chip if it hasnt already. and crack again. should have used fiberfuse sheeting
You are an artist for sure, great Stan Smiths also
This is great information! I can think of about three or four jobs that I would have loved to use this stuff instead of trying to piece together a smaller patches. Thank you.
I’ve used fiberglass window screen over cracked and plaster where the keys were broken and the plater was just a little loose before this amazing product was available. Totally sound afterwards.
I have used fiberglass mesh for eifs, but window screen is thiner and will cover easier, however fibafuse is a great product
I enjoy you videos I own a 140 year old house that has the plaster walls im always fighting cracks and this seems to me a way I might be able yo get them under control and the glue to help strengthen the drywall mud never heard about that I think im going to try it since im about to finally finish my daughters room in my house I hope this helps me out
Good video the only thing I’d recommend is putting a bonding agent on the old lathe before plastering/mudding . It’s not necessary but I always do it when I’m doing a replaster .
I've been watching your videos for years now....and I don't even do any drywall work! Lol. Thanks for another awesome video.
Thank you. I needed to repair a damaged wall in an apartment unit
I just wanted to say thank you for your hard work in paying these videos. They’ve helped me in ways that you won’t expect. I’m an artist and most recently decided that I want to do a piece which would require me to use drywall as my canvas. The problem is, I will have a raw edge. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to cover that raw edge seamlessly? Mud is one way, but that may crack over time. I have to find something that’s secure and won’t make me worry. Any suggestions? Many thanks to you!
Use an L edge corner bead and miter the corners.
I remember when my wife and I sold her old home and it had plastered walls that needed a bit of work. We found a guy who did a wonderful job and it was actually a selling point that we retained the original walls.
After the neighbor's tree fell on the home a couple years later the new owner had to gut the upstairs and start over. They also got rid of the knob & tube wiring, which I don't think anybody missed.
Excellent work as usual
Just to make sure I understand
That fiberfuse can b used to cover a 20 in X 20 in hole in the wall Just as well as cutting a piece of sheet rock and screwing it in
Yes it can.
As a person that’s done a lot of these repairs you can also just use cement/lime plaster instead of a setting compound and not use the fib/mesh. I will add fob/mesh or fiberglass mesh can be added for some extra structure and retention especially on ceilings after you screw the existing plaster up in any loose spots. Plaster and stucco work do take a little more experience in getting things flat and smooth as they don’t have the cheater step of sanding after which can make things easier for compound work. Plaster also has the benefit, and the problem, of being HARD relative to joint compounds.
I haven't seen any cement that can bond to wood. Including modified thinset. I'm wondering if you missed the part where he mentioned the back of the lathe was blocked so the gaps won't allow the plaster to flow through and key in.
@@bsmithril: No I didn’t catch that portion but with a good bonding agent you’d be surprised just how much stuff plaster can bond too. Lime also adds some adhesion and flexibility as does upping the Portland percentage. Outside of plaster I have used modified and setting thinnests to bond kirdi or ditra to plywood and haven’t had either come off; modified thinnests are made to be quite sticky, though they don’t smooth all that great.
With the concrete fill, do you still need to push the mud through the keys of the slats so that the slats hold onto the mud?
And Thank you for all your videos, they allowed me to have a little more confidence in my DIY projects.
Love your videos Ben! I’m a dry Waller from Scotland 🏴
Thanks!!!
Ben you are great, but I have a question for you,
So you never talked about cleaning off the dust or getting the edge of plaster wet and maybe using glue with the water.
Or putting adhesive back behind the plaster.
Hello👷♂Nice repair👌unfortunately in Central Europe you can't find this large fine mesh 😭🙈
Didn't know FibaFuse came in huge widths like that! Awesome! I have a weird architectural feature that sees drywall butting up against MDF, and it seems that no matter how much I fill and sand, fill and sand, it will not get flat. It's edge-lit from above, so the tiniest little inconsistency stands out. It needs to be level-5 flat, and I just don't have the skills for that with mud alone.
Absolutley love everything about this product...except the price, but, when you need it it is the best and often only answer to no cracks or call backs. Glad to see you pushing it and love the video , as always! Someday I would like to demo a patch like this and see just how durable it really is....Ben, is that something you would be willing/able to do?
I can’t do it unless I come across it in the wild.
Love what you said,you have the right attitude in what you said there close towards the end about finding Solutions to problems without whining.... Great as always How's the skating coming has it been cold up there.?
Would you use this fiber mesh over wood paneling to cover over all the cracks how would you go about muddying Over with channeling to make it look like she rock
had the same issue with ductwork behind. removed the lath, added 1/4" board as a backer and plastered over.
General Question Ben... I usually do two coats of Sheetrock 20 and then sand and use the pink spackle to fill any remaining perfections, since I am doing patches and painting on the same day. I have not had any issues with this method, but I am curious why you use an all purpose mud. What is the usual dry time for the all purpose mud and I use the Bin sealer primer after my finish sand, wait about an hour and then apply my first coat of finish paint after that. The second coat if required is applied a good hour after the first, or based on the manufacturers recommendations.
I hope you can shed some light on my questions, as I would rather tell clients that the patches will take two days, then sacrifice quality!
Thank you for all your time putting together these videos, and you have helped me greatly with my mudding! (Now plastering as well haha)
Interested amateur question. Classic plaster is a scratch coat with chopped hair for tensile strength, brown coat to transition, and finish coat. Could a modern equivalent be hot mud with chopped fiberglass, second hot mud, then lightweight mud? I was thinking the concrete coat you put on doesn’t have tensile strength and could pop off over time.
I had the same problem with the old house cracks everywhere plaster falling off. I asked the owner it’s just going to put quarter inch sheet rock around the whole room and it worked out perfect.
Try Larsen plaster weld as primer first. Also, sponge floats work great for knocking down first coat.
Excellent work 👏 👍
7:40 Best wide mesh demo ever! A pro tells me this is best for blown out plaster. Neither taping nor “heavy” mud is widely available in US. Would you recommend setting, light, all purpose, or topping for embedding? Maybe add glue too? I’ll use a short roll of 36” fiberglass mesh from HD. I also find durabond easily usable on the first lathe coat.
Think I got it. Your glue video suggests Easy Sand setting compound with weldbond is what I should use to embed mesh/fibafuse over a painted wall. ruclips.net/video/RxIduTQXToQ/видео.html
I would embed it with all purpose if you are doing a large area. Setting mud could be a pain in the butt. Make sure your mud is pretty thin so it wipes out nice.
@@vancouvercarpenter Thanks Ben, then it sounds like a little glue for strength and adhesion with all purpose is the way to go. There's a bunch of hairlines I haven't prepped with scoring, screws, and durabond during the initial treatment so I'm a little skeptical that all purpose and mesh alone will hold up especially because I'm going over sanded paint.
I think this is a good approach. Plaster Magic seems over-rated when there are many hairlines and most of the lathe is well attached. I want strong mud that will hold onto the paint and mesh.
Green cap
In the states
I have a big question...maybe. thanks for the video btw...I took a job repairing A LOT of plaster where electricians made a mess of the wall. I used 90, 20 and all purpose. The existing walls have little bumpy texture that I can't figure out. It's not orange peel and I REALLY NEED HELP MATCHING THE TEXTURE.. PLEAAAAASSEE
My 1950s house has many plaster walls. Some of them have weird bumps and others have fan swirls. A wall in the guest bedroom has some bowed spots.
Great work as always. I think I may have stumbled upon this video at just the right time. I’m beginning a renovation in one of the rooms in my 1853 home, and the walls are riddled with cracks, most of which are very fine spider cracks. Despite the cracks there is no movement of the plaster so it doesn’t seem to be separated from the lathe. I’ve dealt with larger cracks over the years; etching, filling, taping, then finishing, but i feel like prepping all of the fine cracks in this room will be impractical. That fibafuse looks like it might be the answer. Now the question is, the walls are painted with what I’m assuming is acrylic paint, so will they require priming prior to application of the mud/fabric? Thanks in advance.
I would scuff the paint with sandpaper and give it a coat of PVA glue as a primer.
I heard you call your concrete fill - hot mud. Would it be possible to do this with like 45? Or if you're in a place you can't get concrete fill would you do better trying your hand with actual plaster?
Great video by the way, been in the trade 3 years, framing, insulating, hanging and taping. Truly a fulfilling line of work. I watch every video you make.
I believe he says usg light sand works and to me that means 45.
He said use hot mud if you aren't somewhere where you can get con-fill.
So, yeah, 45 would be it. Though I'd probably go with 90 to give myself a bit more time to get it on the wall and smoothed out.
try durabond for this application, they have different setting time mixes
Way to go Captain Mud-man! Love the videos. Thank you!
Love me some fibafuse. It’s super strong and easy to cut with with your taping knife
Great job, can you overlap the mesh sheathing?
Hello! I love your videos! I find myself watching them in early am as I mentally prepare myself to start doing this same work in my first home. Have you come across any warped walls? I have a wall in my office/man cave that has huge dip in the middle - most liked caused by the window installation and poor framing/finishing. Do you have any advice or video suggestions on how to tackle the problem?
I use California One-Kote with diamond metal lath stapled to the wood lath. However, you didn't quite have the space for that here. The three-foot Fiberfuse (sp?) is a great method. I wish I'd used that in a few applications.
Why did you decide not to use glue? Either directly to the lathe or mixed with the confil? I would think this would be the ideal spot to add strength.
Have you ever thought about adding aggregate to your muds when filling large gaps like the lathe? Or in any scenario?
Thank you for your videos! We had largish holes in our lath and plaster ceilings caused by workers reinforcing our attic joists and accidentally stepping through in a few spots. Our contractors patched the ceilings and in some cases put drywall over the larger holes, including adhering with liquid nails. They then put mud on top to complete the patches. We ran out of money and can’t afford to pay them to paint! Can anyone recommend what kind of primer is best for going on top of plaster mud before we paint?
Where was this video 20 years ago when every wall in my janky house looked like that! 😂 That looks fantastic and who really doesn't want to put drywall mud on with a paint roller??
Hey Ben. Have you ever used those plaster repair kits? Where you drill holes and inject glue? Just curious.
Love the channel, your help is slowly improving my mudding skills. I have a question maybe you or your subscribers can help with my next project. I took down old paneling and the finish plaster coat just crumbled but the key scratch coat is still in good condition. You said to use carpenters glue but it's a big room. Are there other options like just wetting the walls so the mud won't dry to fast and crack, or using primer on the old key scratch coat, or any other suggestions?
I wonder if you could sand the lathe with a belt sander to thin it out enough to accept the 1/4 in board without a bulge?
Would have liked to see what mud you used. What is hot mud? Is it cement or or USG sheetrock plus 3 joint compound?
Love your vids!
I have old plaster ceilings with those numerous cracks (from age and weight of new attic insulation). They seem somewhat stable. Would you recommend that 3’ fibafuse method and skim coat rather than individual fibre tape strips? Not a fun job either way!
Dude... IF. you can mud ( and you are downright NASTY at doing mud) YOU CAN PLASTER!!!! Once you start doing plaster you will NEVER mess with drywall mud again. I plaster everything now. No dust. drys fast, smoother surface. Compound is trash.. Give plaster work a try. You absolutely can do it. You're a pro taper.
Do you recommend any RUclips channels for plastering?
@@cgraf69Kirk Giordano is a master plasterer plenty of instructional videos
Don’t you have to wait longer to paint with plaster?
Can you add aggregate to quick mud and make your own concrete fill? The way he's described concrete fill in other videos it sounds like it is just quick mud with aggregate added. It may also have some fibers added for additional strength.
sounds like it might be passable. I've mixed quick mud and normal mud together successfully to get a mix with both properties, but you'll have to find the right ratios, that's the tough part.
@@ricosrealm upon watching some of Ben's other mud framing videos I'm under the impression that it has perlite as aggregate in which is genius cause of how light weight perlite is.
@@punchout2418 isnt that basically Structolite then?
Where do u get those huge pcs of fiba fuse I love tha stuff but I've only seen the tape around here in North Carolina
Oops asked to soon thanks !!!
How come you don't use a 1000 or 800mm skimming knife like level 5 or marshaltown for the smoothing? Or is that more for the last step?
Buddy is the bob ross of spackling. Amazing work.
skills pay the bills awesome job
Gave me some great ideas on my little job.
Another great video!
So helpful! Just bought a 20s house chunks are missing. I panicked but now I think I got this. Thanks!
Another quality video, Ben. Bounce sheet without the smell....hilarious!🤣
So elephant question in the room.
How long is this gonna last, and what happens when damaged plaster starts pulling away from the lathe?
Would it be a good idea to put a layer of FibaFuse on water damaged drywall where the paper has delaminated and peeled off or it that unnecessary?
Dunno how bad or where the damage was. Every time we've seen water damage. The general contractor cuts out around the bottom 16"-24" (usually not super square, lol) of the wall (usually where all the damage is). Then we replace it all, pre-fill with hot mud, tape it with 2" fibafuse, coat it like a butt joint. We've never taped over water damaged drywall, it's always replaced.
Oh also, to apply the tape to the joint, we just use hot mud as well, usually with paper tape you need a mud with a bit more adhesion. But because of how fibafuse is, just many strands of fiberglass, the mud will seep into the tape, providing as good a bond as paper tape to a taping mud. Fibafuse is also feels a bit thinner, which is great when you need to build out your butt joints a ton.
@@TheOfficialDjProduct yeah it's great for those types of repairs!
Is that fibafuse only for plastering ? I thought plastering needs blue board ?
that's a great video, I work for a company doing this things almost every day, it is fantatic! I'm just curios about the price for a job like that.
Pro tip: use latex modified thinset. Mix it up stiff, and if you're in a hurry, you can mix 50/50 fast setting thinset. It bonds to almost anything. When it firms up, screed it smooth, and after its fully set, follow up with normal compound.
I tried this. t's not sandable.
What a job that was…….I learned something on that one…….What is that
sheet that you applied over the mud?… what’s it called?
Hey Ben, I am repairing a ceiling and a lot of it has water damage which I will replace but in other areas there are just cracks and it isn't lath it is just drywall. Can I use this roll on method there and put the fiber fuse over it? I guess my question is - is this ok for drywall or just a technique applied over lath?
Very much acknowledge your work.
Great, video.
Thanks
As a landlord with a couple 1920s era plaster wall properties I've done minor repairs on (yay ReadyPatch), this was invaluable to me, thank you.
On the point of why not demo and re-install? One of the first things I learned is if you cut something out, what are you going to replace it with? Will the extra material/work be worth it? Will it be faster/easier to not remove as much?
With tenants (or between) the turnaround is typically faster to patch what is there as long as it's structurally sound and will as long.
As someone who does work for landlords this is exactly what they are looking for, clean work, not dirty work. If you can make the wall look brand new using this method then they will be happy. Less time, less cost overall. Happy and repeat customers for similar repairs on other properties they might own.
@@MV-wb2cz This would take more time the cutting it out.
The L and P in California has wire and wood, AND an inch of solid plaster. It's wicked!
I have a 100 year old house my attic ceiling has plaster and it's starting to loosen and break I'm wanted to learn how to update and repair the plaster ceiling and walls.
What about when your fixing plaster behind baseboard's and all of the excess mud at time of home built (1930's) fell to the wall cavity behind the baseboard making a solid curb almost. The plaster failed there and now it hard to clear the key ways. Trying not to open pandora's box.
I have a 3 ft wide role of the yellow mesh we use for joints, would it work the same way to hold large sections like this together? Or would it be more for exterior stucco patching?
When I see this I think this guy is really good
Are you the skateboarding guy! You're helping me in multiple areas of my life haha
I sure am 🙂