How To Repair Plaster Ceiling Hole

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva helps a homeowner repair a cracked plaster ceiling in an older home.

How to repair plaster ceiling hole.

Fill the injection screw holes as with all good restorations a successful repair is hard to see. Drill additional holes about 3 to 4 apart across the area that is loose or bulging. Subscribe to this old house. Add wooden cleats behind each side for support.

The frustrating thing about repairing a ceiling be it mending holes in plaster ceilings or lath and plaster ceilings you always have to make the hole bigger before you can repair it. Apply wallboard tape and wallboard compound to all four sides of the patch. You will need to cut or score the hole at a point away from the hole where the ceiling is stable. First brush away loose plaster and dust.

This method can also be used for inserting a new timber into a ceiling for screwing a light fitting to if required. Cut completely around the hole and gently pull down the plaster around the hole. Snap off the temporary tabs from the repair clips. Insert the wallboard patch into the hole and drive screws through the wallboard patch into each wallboard repair clip.

Attach a patch piece to the cleats. Working from the edges inward push the plaster mixture into and through the lath for a good bond. If the lath backing is fine you can mix joint compound with plaster of paris for the patch. Spread a layer of putty across the hole and push it into the hole using a putty knife and smoothing.

Cut a rectangle around the damaged area. On the plaster side scrape off the dried adhesive residue with a drywall or putty knife then use the corner of a putty knife to gently scallop out excess adhesive showing from the hole. It s relatively easy to repair small holes in plaster if the lath backing that grips the plaster is intact. Gently tap around the edges to shake down the dust and debris.

When the tape and first coat are dry apply a second smoothing coat. Use a fine mist spray bottle or wet rag to add moisture to the edges of the hole if necessary. Using the enclosed 3 16 masonry drill bit drill holes 1 to 2 from the crack when you hit the lath stop don t drill thru the lath.