# Can you drywall over drywall?



## Skuzzlebutt (Jun 15, 2011)

Here's my situation:

I have a wall i my kitchen that is entirely tile. The people who owned the house before me thought it would be a good idea to tile a whole wall in the kitchen and hang cabients on it. (maybe this is normal? but it seems odd to me) I am in the process of taking down the cabients and moving the fridge and stove. I'm going to then rip all the tile off the wall. I did take a few tiles off the wall to see how well they were on there. And its pulling chunks of plaster off with it, which i expected. I want to know if once i get all the tile off, can i just dry wall over the old wall? or should i take it down to the studs? I was going to use 1/2" at the most if i go this route.


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## del schisler (Aug 22, 2010)

Skuzzlebutt said:


> Here's my situation:
> 
> I have a wall i my kitchen that is entirely tile. The people who owned the house before me thought it would be a good idea to tile a whole wall in the kitchen and hang cabients on it. (maybe this is normal? but it seems odd to me) I am in the process of taking down the cabients and moving the fridge and stove. I'm going to then rip all the tile off the wall. I did take a few tiles off the wall to see how well they were on there. And its pulling chunks of plaster off with it, which i expected. I want to know if once i get all the tile off, can i just dry wall over the old wall? or should i take it down to the studs? I was going to use 1/2" at the most if i go this route.


If it were me i would take all the dry wall off. Now when you say chunks how big are the chunks?? if small chunks you could mud over the chunck hole. If it is big like all most as big as the tile than i would take all the dry wall off. If you go over the dry wall that is their maybe the chunk hole will show later. my 2 cents worth


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## jamalc6996 (Jun 15, 2011)

I would also take the drywall that is there down. Then put a new piece of drywall up.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

*HOLD ON !*

You say: "drywall over drywall" then you say: "it is pulling chunks of _plaster_ off". So wich is it? Is the old wall drywall or is it plaster?


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## del schisler (Aug 22, 2010)

Bud Cline said:


> *HOLD ON !*
> 
> You say: "drywall over drywall" then you say: "it is pulling chunks of _plaster_ off". So wich is it? Is the old wall drywall or is it plaster?


my guess he is refering to the dry wall comming off like chunks of plaster ? He didn't say how old the house is. I doubt it is lath and plaster? Lath and plaster was used until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began . Google search


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

*SIDE BAR:*
Actually drywall was invented around 1916 by U.S. Gypsum but was slow to catch-on. It was used extensively in the 1933 World's Fair construction but really didn't take off until it was used in government housing projects after WWII because of a serious housing shortage and the need to build homes quickly.

I asked because if it is plaster then I would be hesitant to suggest anyone just start tearing it out to replace it with drywall overall. That can turn into a real bag of worms.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

I have drywalled over plaster several times with no problems. Much easier than removing the plaster, but not always possible.


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## GottaFixIt (Dec 3, 2010)

My house was built in 1940. It has plaster over drywall and a very hard top coat.
I can tell you this - the old plaster wall is far more durable than new drywall.

I find areas where the plaster is falling off of the drywall, or the top coat is loose and flaking off. 
What I do is scrape off all of the bridle, loose stuff, clean it up with a wire brush and blow out the dust with compressed air (respirator / dust control required).
I then primer coat it with Zinsser BIN primer.
Once that's dry, I lay in a nice bed of Durabond setting type joint compound to bring it almost flush. Follow this up with another coat or two of Easy Sand setting type compound and then a skim coat over the area (or whole wall when necessary) of regular joint compound. Sand, primer & paint and you'd never know that it was a 70 year old wall, but maintains the durability of the original plaster.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

You can drywall over drywall or plaster. If it's drywall, you might want to open up the wall anyway to add electrical/plumbing upgrades. If there is a door or window in the wall, you'll have to deal with extending the jamb for the extra thickness.


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## Jessidog (Jun 21, 2011)

bjbatlanta said:


> You can drywall over drywall or plaster. If it's drywall, you might want to open up the wall anyway to add electrical/plumbing upgrades. If there is a door or window in the wall, you'll have to deal with extending the jamb for the extra thickness.


+1 Drywall over plaster is fine if it is structurally sound and there is no question about the plumbing or electrical inside the wall. When I was younger, I worked for a drywall company. We typically repaired old cracked plaster walls by covering with drywall. I would use screws if it is plaster since they will go into the lath easier than nails.

If the wall is plaster and the house is fairly old, it is my understanding that asbestos was used in plaster. 

David


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

You need to find the studs and screw/nail into them, not rely on attaching to wood lath strips. You may not have wood lath, in fact, but wire lath. Use adhesive also to ensure a good bond with the existing plaster or drywall, whichever the case may be. And yes, there is a possibility of asbestos in the plaster and/or lead based paint. The only way to be sure is testing by a certified professional......


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Finally...
Someone with some experience in the matter.


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