Lath and Plaster

Lath and Plaster is a skilled technique which dates back to the early 18th century.  Due to the necessity to produce homes quickly Lath & Plaster has been deemed an ineffective method of plastering and has subsequently been replaced by Gypsum plasterboard in the 20th century.

Now, Ovolo London only seems to undertake Lath and Plaster work when a project is listed and so the lath & plaster method is demanded. I’d like to understand better why lath & plaster is no longer in demand when it provided such an assured quality for such a long period of time.

Cost. The main reason for the downward slide is cost. The laths are extremely expensive for a start; our friends at OldHouseStore have a fantastic range of quality hand riven(split) oak and chestnut laths and offer competitive prices however they cost far more than plasterboard sheets.

After the wooden laths are attached (via nails or screws) you then need a pricking coat of coarse lime plaster. This coat is imperative for a strong ceiling. We always used a horse haired coarse plaster which provides an excellent key for the next floating coat. The float coat is used to level and flatten the ceiling before a final coat of lime and sharp sand is applied.

 Sounds like a long process right? Because it is. The time element also adds to the cost of a job. Both of which are important factors to consider in a modern building project which is always driven by a challenging handover deadline.

Not really selling it to you am I? Well how about some positives. Firstly, how many of you live in a home with original features? If yes, it isn’t uncommon for your plaster work to have a shelf-life of 100 years+ which begs the question when do quality and price meet. Yes a plasterboard ceiling costs less, however which will look better in 100 years?

 The argument must go deeper. Plaster-boarding onto old joists is so common now and is something I absolutely hate. Why on earth ceilings are installed to be bumpy and out of level surely goes against everything a plasterer is meant to be?

If you’ve read through my website then you’ll see that I lived in Australia for a while and worked for OldMelbournePlaster. Here I received an education in drylining, metal formwork and plaster-boarding. Every ceiling we worked on had a brand new laser level ceiling installed. The plaster board sheets were glued to the metal studs and the boards were cleated to each other. We then installed cornice after and screwed into the metal studs which were intentionally set out at the correct places for each cornice.

This education showed that plaster-boarding can be used to a much better effect than is often used in the UK. Unfortunately we seem to have taken the cheaper method and practise it badly too. I must say I can see the sense in both arguments (boring I know). Not everyone can afford lath & plaster and plaster boarding is a great alternative when carried out correctly.