Ceiling Button / Plaster Washer / Plaster Button / Ceiling Washer
Ceiling Buttons / Plaster Washers / Plaster Buttons / Ceiling Washers
Please visit our shopping cart to purchase these: Plaster Washers/Ceiling Buttons
FOR PERFECT PLASTER REPAIR JOBS.
These are the solution to sagging, cracking plaster!
Great For either the ceiling or wall!
We Carry the 1" sized washers
Plaster washers are about the size of a quarter and cost pennies. A drywall
screw goes through the washer and is driven into the wood lath behind the
plaster. The unique design of the plaster washers anchors the plaster firmly
against the lath, stopping cracks and sagging.
Why Plaster Washers?
The old houses we love and live in are almost all distinguished by the pervasive use of plasterwork. Real
plaster has a look, feel, acoustic properties and often rich decorative detail that just can't be copied by
its modern cost cutting substitute--paper-faced, gypsum-filled wallboard, or drywall. Houses move and
breathe, however, much like humans, and over time can develop cracks in the walls and ceilings. In these
areas, the layers of plaster are pulling away from the underlying strips of wood lath which support it.
No problem! Plaster work is easy to repair, even for the novice, with the a few simple tools
and materials. A plaster surface is composed of three or more coats of plaster secured to lath. In turn the
lath is fastened to the house's framing. The lath may be wood, metal, or strips of gypsum,
similar to drywall. The plaster dries and is locked to the lath. The portion of the plaster that has
dried behind and around the lath is called a key. If the plaster keys behind the wall or ceiling break,
the plaster sags away from the lath. Damaged plaster can be reinforced using drywall screws and plaster
washers. These saucer-shaped washers are punched from spring steel and are perforated to hold patching
plaster. Screws with plaster washers are driven into the lath and framing surrounding damaged plaster.
The plaster washers flatten out as the screw is driven home. Tighten enough to pull the plaster against
the lath. Plaster must have integrity to work. If tightening the screw does not flatten the washer,
you have missed the stud or lath.
Materials for typical plaster repair projects:
- plaster washers
- 1-5/8" galvanized drywall screws
- patching plaster
- self-stick fiberglass mesh drywall tape
- ready-mix drywall (joint) compound
- drywall sanding screen or sandpaper
And these are the tools you'll need:
- a stiff, narrow paint scraper or old chisel
- a #2 screw driving bit
- a variable speed drill or screw gun (cordless is the most convenient)
- safety glasses
- dust mask
- an old paint brush
- an old container and stir stick for mixing patching plaster
- a 6" drywall taping knife
- drywall sander or sanding block
Instructions
Step 1:
Remove any small, loose chunks of plaster. Reattach remaining loose plaster with plaster washers, spaced a few inches apart. To avoid cracking the plaster, drill pilot holes for the screws with a 1/8-in.-diam., carbide-tipped masonry bit. For large loose areas, install the washers in concentric rings, starting where the plaster is firmly attached and working in toward the loosest area in the middle.
Step 2:
Mist the area with water first to prevent the dry plaster and wood from drawing moisture out of the compound too quickly. Fill small holes with a setting-type joint compound (a powder that must be mixed with water) to almost level it with the surrounding area. Use a 5-inch taping knife to apply the compound in two stages, scratching the surface of the first coat so the next coat will bond better. For larger holes, cut a scrap of 3/8-in. or 1/2-in. drywall to fit the hole and fasten it with screws to the lath, then cover it with compound.
Step 3:
After the patch dries, apply self-adhering Fiberglass reinforcing tape over the patched area and all cracks. Avoid overlapping the pieces of tape. Or you may embed paper drywall reinforcing tape in the compound immediately after applying it, and smooth with the taping knife.
Step 4:
Apply two or three additional coats of compound, allowing complete drying between coats and feathering each coat over a wider area than the preceding one. Drying time varies according to the type of compound as well as with the humidity and the amount of ventilation.
Step 5:
Use a pole sander, as shown, or a similar pad sander, with very fine (150-grit) sandpaper to smooth the compound after it has dried. (Compound will turn from gray when it's wet to bright white when it's dry.)Each Pack is measured by weight, the count is approximate.