Preservation Brief 21, Repairing Historic Flat Plaster Walls and Ceilings

Summary

This is number twenty-one of 42 preservation briefs prepared by the Technical Preservation Services of the National Park Service. This brief focuses on repairing historic flat plaster walls and ceilings.

The approaches described in this Brief stress repairs using wet plaster, and traditional materials and techniques that will best assist the preservation of historic plaster walls and ceilings--and their appearance. Dry wall repairs are not included here, but have been written about extensively in other contexts. Finally, this Brief describes a replacement option when historic plaster cannot be repaired. Thus, a veneer plaster system is discussed rather than dry wall. Veneer systems include a coat or coats of wet plaster--although thinly applied--which can, to a greater extent, simulate traditional hand-troweled or textured finish coats. This system is generally better suited to historic preservation projects than dry wall.

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Cultural Resource Office, Joint Base San Antonio

Contributor(s): Kay D. Weeks

Repository(s): Fort Sam Houston

Prepared By(s): Technical Preservation Services, National Park Service

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