Q:We have a small 1924 cottage in the El Cerrito flatlands a little east of the El Cerrito Mall. Our lot has a minor slope, and we have a high water table. Our house continues to shift and settle, ...

The unmistakable period feel of an old house is often directly related to the beauty and the character of its plaster walls. While it is not recommended that the average old-house owner try to ...

Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

Living With Plaster Walls Whether you view plaster in an old house as a blessing or a curse, like original floors, windows or architectural millwork, it’s a valuable part of the fabric of an old home ...

Lath-and-plaster walls are common in older houses (built late 18th Century until the early 1950’s, when drywall became standard). Whether you want to hang a picture, mirror or kitchen cabinet, ...

Drywall is common and ubiquitous in commercial and residential buildings today. Many of us barely think about it until we have to repair a hole smashed in it. However, drywall has not been around ...

Q: The walls of our 1938 San Francisco home are lath and plaster, with a canvas-like fabric over the plaster. There are cracks in the plaster, which can be seen through the paint as raised creases in ...

Q: We recently purchased a 1926 colonial house with mostly horsehair plaster walls. This is my first experience with plaster walls, and I’m afraid they are going to crumble when I hang artwork, etc.