Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

Before you do any plaster patching, rid the rooms of any residual lead. If you try to vacuum up chips or dust, you must use a special HEPA filter-equipped vacuum cleaner. Some tool rental stores rent ...

Plaster, a decorative wall coating of lime, sand, and sometimes fibers, has been around since the beginning of time—and so has plaster repair. Although subject to cracks and bubbles, it's a durable ...

Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this story. When you stop and think about it, a wall (or a ceiling) is a canvas. It’s a large flat surface that we hang wallpaper on, or paint. Just because we are ...

Q. I live in a 55-year-old home that has plaster walls. Last winter there were ice dams on the eave edges of the roof and some water got inside the main floor bathroom. Now the paint in this area is ...

Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4 of this story. So you live in an older home with plaster walls and ceilings, and you need to renovate. You need to run new electric lines, or repair plumbing, or perhaps ...

Natural plaster walls add to the beauty of this southwestern style home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. More and more people are seeking natural and healthy ways to build a home. So it is, that the ...