New homes use drywall instead of plaster because it’s cheaper and faster to install.Because of how dense plaster is, it’s very sound resistant.Plaster walls are very dense and hard to damage.Plaster can be finished in a variety of ways which includes smooth and textured.Once the final coat is applied, it’s allowed to dry for about 20 minutes before it’s smoothed with finish trowels and a damp sponge. Then plaster is applied to the lath in thin coats using a trowel. First, the strips of lath are nailed to wall studs or ceiling joists. Lath and plaster walls are wall covered with 1-inch wide strips of wood nailed closely together followed by 3 thin coats of wet plaster. But due to its density, it blocks WiFi signals making wireless routers less effective. Plaster also has great sound deadening which is an advantage in a noisy home. It’s very hard to damage, dent or scratch compared to much softer drywall. The biggest being how strong and dense the material is. There are some big advantages to using plaster instead or drywall. It’s not used much in Modern construction, but many older homes still use it to stay more original. Once fully dry, it’s texture is a bit rough and it’s very dense.ĭrywall panels were invented in the 1950s to replace lath and plaster because they’re easier, faster and cheaper to install. When properly mixed it has a consistency like thick peanut butter and easily sticks to the lath. Plaster is made by mixing sand, and cement and/or lime with water. Ingredients are often added to the mixture to give it an extremely white color without requiring paint. Once plaster dries, it can be painted or left it’s natural color. It can be finished by the installer to be extremely smooth or textured depending on the look the designer is going for. The plaster hardens over time, forming a strong bond between the lath and wall surface. As a final step, the plaster is carefully smoothed using trowels and a damp sponge.

They then spread multiple thin coats of plaster over the wood lath to form a smooth wall surface. To do it, builders first nail thin wooden strips of wood closely together to the wall studs and/or ceiling joists. Lath and plaster is an age-old building technique used to finish interior walls and ceilings.

Wifi with plaster and lath walls