Chop out the inner part of the square with a flat prybar.You don’t want to score all the way down to the lath (that’s pretty impossible anyway), but just about 1/8 inch down. Use a straight edge to score through that layers of painter’s tape, and down into the plaster itself.Apply two layers of painter’s tape (i.e., expensive masking tape) in a perimeter around the area of plaster to be removed.Limit the amount of plaster and lath that you remove with some of these techniques: Before you know it, you’ve taken down the whole frigging wall. You may have planned on taking down a 4 foot square section, but that section just keeps on expanding and expanding. But plaster walls have the unfortunate characteristic of crumbling and crumbling, until nothing is left. Maybe you’re not the one doing the cutting, but these practices are still important to tell anyone working on your house since you’ll be the one patching it up.When you’re taking down part of a plaster wall, that’s exactly what you want to take down- part of the wall. Vacuum up any remaining dust and wipe the wall down with a wet cloth to get the remaining plaster dust off. Take this time to clean up anything necessary keeping in mind that the hole doesn’t have to be perfect since it will likely be covered with a switch plate or some other escutcheon for the item you are installing. If you’ve cut all the way through the lath, the patch should fall right out as you make your last cut. Be sure to cut all the way through the wood lath behind. Make sure to finish the cuts all the way to the end so that all the lines connect. Using either the angle grinder or multi-tool cut along your line. The tape will help keep some of the crumbling plaster from falling out in the middle of your cut if there is any and it helps you see what you are cutting. Use painter’s or masking tape to mark off the areas you are going to be cutting and draw your cut line on the tape. Step #1 Mark Off Your Cut Step #1 Mark Off Your Cut For more fine tuning or for smaller cuts, I prefer the multi-tool. Use the following tools for surgical like precision when cutting plaster.Ĭutting plaster is not extremely difficult with the right tools, but it does make a mess so be ready with containment and cleanup. For larger areas, I use an angle grinder with a diamond blade since this can go pretty fast. *If your walls or ceilings get a positive test for lead paint make sure you follow lead safe work practices! Always wear an appropriate respirator when cutting plaster. High speed tools cause much more dust than other tools, so make sure to use a HEPA vacuum with them or keep the surface moistened, both of which help control dust and protect you. They don’t cause the lath behind to bend and flex knocking other things loose which is what you want to avoid. High speed tools work best to cut through plaster smoothly. Unless your plans are for massive demolition, stay away from the following tools when it comes to cutting plaster. Lots of shaking and vibration can cause a chain reaction that will bring a whole ceiling crashing down.Ĭutting plaster without disturbing the rest of the wall requires tools that are more surgical and less shock and awe. Plaster and wood lath are extremely sensitive to vibration. It is a dusty job and you can’t always be sure to avoid all the crumbling plaster, but with the right techniques, you can avoid most mishaps. I will warn you that cutting through nearly 1″ thick plaster is not without its messes. Usually, the damage is courtesy of a hurried plumber or electrician who doesn’t care since they aren’t the ones patching the holes. I see tragically destroyed original plaster walls all the time. And before you do it wrong and knock big chunks of plaster from your walls or ceilings, I thought I’d give you some tips on how to cut plaster walls the right way. Yes, there are times when you need to cut a hole in a plaster wall.
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