# Was this common long ago?



## bcbud3

I thought i had plaster and lathe on my walls (house built in 1960). My intention was to tear it out and reinsulate my exterior walls and put up some new drywall. I can tell there is plaster for sure on the wall. I put my hand on exterior walls and they're cold. My brain said plaster with no insulation behind it. So I grab my hammer, suit up and punch hole in wall. The plaster is about 1/2" thick. But there is 1/2" drywall underneath the plaster. Punch small hole in drywall and there is paper and then insulation (probably couple inches thick). I put my hand on the drywall and it is warmer than the plaster. Was it common to put plaster over the drywall? I'm worried now that the drywall will have asbestos and the plaster will not...any ideas or info please?

If there is drywall underneath as it appears, why did they plaster over top?


----------



## joecaption

How knows?
I've seen plaster board then plaster but never drywall then plaster. They may have been trying to cover over flaws with a skim coat for all we know.


----------



## bcbud3

What is the difference between plaster board and drywall? I have never heard of plaster board?


----------



## Minich

I don't know about the weird setup, but I do know that when I was researching asbestos products from yesteryear that asbestos in drywall itself is rare or even unheard of; however there was sometimes asbestos in the joint compound. That's where I was lead, anyway. I also determined for myself that for today's homeowners asbestos is kind of an overhyped bogeyman.. It's there but not nearly the insane risk that it's been made out to be... Treat it with common sense and a little bit of research and knowledge and you'll be fine.. However this last runon sentence is all my personal belief I'm sure


----------



## joecaption

Looks like tile board. That's what they used in my home.


----------



## Xygris

aka blue board, it is a type of drywall with a bonding agent for plaster. Its common up here to have blue board with a veneer plaster over the entire surface but the plaster is only about 1/8" thick. 

I've never seen what your describing but it is possible because drywall was invented in the late 1800's or early 1900's originally meant to take the place of the wood lathe and the base coat(s) of plaster.


----------



## bcbud3

Here's a couple of pics...i am wondering what this board is underneath the concrete-like plaster. Can i just remove the plaster and slap some drywall mud on that board and have new smooth, even, crack free walls?


----------



## nil4664

Plaster board is what they call drywall in some parts of the country.

What you have could be rock lath. It is 16 inches by 48 inches in size, and 3/8 inch thick. Rock lath became popular in the 1930s as a less expensive alternative to wood lath. It is nailed directly to the wall studs and receives two coats of plaster over it. Our old house built in 1946 had rock lath.


----------



## loneframer

I'm almost 100% sure you're talking about "rock" lath. It's very similar to drywall, but came in narrow widths and shorter lengths. It was used to replace wood lath and the first coat of the plastering process.

http://www.usinspect.com/resources-...ms-home/interior-home/wall-and-ceiling-cove-2


----------



## bcbud3

Did either of these products; the rock lath or the plaster have asbestos? I'm thinking i will remove both layers to do my reno


----------



## oh'mike

That's just gypsum---safe to remove---do wear a good respirator and take care---rip that out.


----------



## rubberhead

oh'mike said:


> That's just gypsum---safe to remove---do wear a good respirator and take care---rip that out.


Bad advice. Hold your breath while you are working just in case there is asbestos in the mud. :huh:


----------



## TarheelTerp

bcbud3 said:


> The plaster is about 1/2" thick. But there is 1/2" drywall underneath the plaster... why did they plaster over top?


Because it makes a better job.
http://www.diychatroom.com/f101/should-i-really-level-5-my-drywall-131493/


----------



## rubberhead

Test for asbestos. Seriously.


----------



## bcbud3

i do plan on testing..have to test the rock lath as well now..


----------



## Gary in WA

Day late and a dollar short....LOL. I vote rock lath: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief21.htm

Gary


----------



## dberladyn

In the 50 and 60's there was a lot of different systems that were tried. Drywall was invented during WWII, so it was relatively new technology at the time your house was built.

Here, it's common to see homes from the late 50's, early 60's built out of 2' wide drywall sheets coated with plaster. In the late 60's it's common to see drywall done the way you've come to know it. These were the transition years for us out here. By the 70's plaster was gone.


----------



## 4just1don

tearing it all out depends on your window and door jamb spacing. Your removing 1" and trying to replace with 1/2. yes it is rock lathe, very common in those days. you could fir out wall studs to make window and door trim to fit,,,cutting down jambs to fit is not as easy as it seems at first. been there, done that


----------



## coupe

bc bud 3 said:


> Here's a couple of pics...i am wondering what this board is underneath the concrete-like plaster. Can i just remove the plaster and slap some drywall mud on that board and have new smooth, even, crack free walls?


Bud, what you have is rock lath, which was pretty much standard practice for plaster through the 50's-early 60's. rock lath is more dry than drywall, which is anything but dry, for fire resistance. the thicker the drywall, the longer it takes to dry it out in a fire. it just steams helping to extinguish a fire.

rock lath was much faster to install than the old wooden lath strips, that took a couple or 3 days to lath. you might be able to get the plaster off? but, the rock lath is only 16"x48". to tape and finish it would take a long time! plus, it likely has holes in it? that were to be used as key locks for the plaster to hold onto. you'll end up coating the entire wall to get a smooth crack free finish.

if you do remove the plaster? DO NOT! sand the rock lath. asbestos is okay, if undisturbed and left intact, it's the dust that is dangerous. once the plaster is off, you can see where the studs are where lath is nailed on. mark the studs on floor and ceiling. time is money! you can hang drywall over the lath with 2" screws, chalk the stud lines from ceiling to floor if needed? use blue chalk as red will not cover well with paint.

you can hang the drywall faster and finish it long before you'd have sanded/scraped the lath smooth and stirring up the asbestos dust. whatever you do? wear a good respirator, long sleeves and gloves!

when I first began hanging drywall in 1962, we put the top sheet tight to ceiling, then set bottom sheet on 1/4" material, leaving 1/4" between top and bottom, the 1/4" crack acted as the key lock to hold the mud in when it was pushed into the cracks

just think, "safety first"


----------



## bcbud3

Good news, had the samples tested and NO asbestos...it's hammer time!!!


----------

