Drywall vs plaster in Silver Spring: the knock test
Drywall vs plaster in Silver Spring, MD starts with a knock. Plaster sounds solid and dull. Drywall sounds slightly hollow. That one test tells you half the story.
What plaster is
Plaster went up wet, over wood lath. Two or three coats, troweled by hand. It hardens into a dense shell. It blocks sound well. It can last a century.
When it fails, it fails in sheets. Crumbling off the lath. Cracks where it still moves. Fixing it takes different skills than drywall.
What drywall is
Drywall is board from a factory. It goes up fast and fixes fast. Most homes built after 1950 use it.
Repair or replace?
Sound plaster: keep it. Repair cracks. Skim-coat rough surfaces smooth. You get old walls with new looks.
Failing plaster: replace it. Crumbling off the lath does not come back. New drywall goes in straighter than the old plaster ever was.
We make the call with you on the free visit. See plaster repair.
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