That old church in Dayton taught me something about mudding

I was helping a buddy do some patch work at a church built in 1928 over in Dayton last month. The old plaster walls had these huge lath gaps and the texture was unlike anything I've seen on modern drywall. Made me realize how much we rely on perfectly flat surfaces these days instead of learning to work with what's in front of us. Has anyone else run into old plaster jobs that forced you to change up your usual approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

joel_martinez1d ago

My buddy in Cincinnati tried fixing some and said the old lime just crumbled on him.

grantw321d agoTop Commenter

Feel for your buddy, man. Old lime mortar is a total pain once it starts going - it's like working with chalk that's had a bad attitude for a hundred years. I tried to repoint a section of my own place a few years back (built in 1906, so I know the struggle) and the stuff just fell out in chunks as soon as I touched it with a trowel. Ended up just calling a mason in the end, saved myself the headache (and a few choice words).

the_sam1d ago

Yeah @joel_martinez, my friend in Boston had the same thing happen.