ProfessionalPlaster Lath Repair

Old plaster isn't glued to the wall — it's pressed through narrow gaps in wood lath strips while wet, and those little humps, called keys, harden and lock the plaster in place from behind. Decades of vibration, moisture, or age can snap those keys, and the plaster face comes loose from the lath even though it looks fine from the front. Left alone, a bulging or hollow-sounding section can eventually let go and fall. Depending on how much lath and how many keys are still sound, this is repaired either by reattaching the loose plaster or by patching the area with a plaster-compatible material, not by defaulting to a drywall cutout in an otherwise plastered room.

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What you get

What’s included

Sounding out the wall or ceiling by hand to map where plaster has separated from the lath
Reattachment of loose but intact plaster using plaster washers or a compatible bonding method where the plaster is worth saving
Removal of only the plaster that's too broken or crumbled to reattach
Patching removed sections with materials suited to plaster, keyed or secured to sound lath
Blending the repaired area into the surrounding plaster's texture and slight waviness
Prime and paint-ready finish once the repair has cured

Simple & stress-free

How it works

Map the loose area

We sound out the wall or ceiling by hand, since plaster that's separated from the lath often looks normal but sounds hollow or feels slightly springy when pressed.

Reattach or remove

Plaster that's still solid gets reattached to the lath; sections too cracked or crumbled to save are removed carefully so the surrounding sound plaster isn't disturbed.

Patch and blend

Any removed area is filled with a plaster-compatible patch keyed into sound lath, then feathered to match the texture of the plaster around it.

We can help

Problems we fix

A section of ceiling plaster that sags slightly or feels springy when touched
A hollow sound when tapping an area of an old plaster wall
Visible bulging where plaster has pulled away from the lath behind it
Cracked plaster paired with looseness, rather than a simple surface hairline crack
Old water damage that rotted lath or dissolved the plaster keys holding a section in place

Good to know

Plaster Lath Repair — FAQ

Why not just tear out the old plaster and put up drywall instead?

That's usually the fastest option, but it changes the wall — drywall has a different thickness, texture, and sound than plaster, and a drywall patch in a plaster room often looks and feels out of place once you notice it. We reattach or patch the plaster itself whenever the lath behind it is still in good shape.

How do you know if plaster can be saved versus needs replacing?

By sounding out the wall by hand and checking how much movement there is. Plaster that's cracked but firmly attached can often be reinforced. Plaster that's crumbling, badly bulging, or sitting on broken lath usually needs that section removed and patched.

Is sagging ceiling plaster dangerous?

A section that's visibly sagging or bulging can eventually let go, so it's worth having checked rather than waiting. A small area that just sounds hollow isn't usually an emergency, but it tends to get worse rather than fix itself.

Will the repaired area match the rest of my plaster ceiling?

We feather the patch into the surrounding plaster's texture and slight unevenness so it reads as part of the original surface rather than a flat, obviously new patch.

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