How To Stabilize Water Damaged Plaster Walls? 5 Steps

In this article, we will answer your question on how to stabilize water damaged plaster walls. Plaster is a suitable building material for coating, decorating, and protecting your walls and ceilings. However, we cannot avoid experiencing water damages on plaster walls.

It is crucial to know how to stabilize water damaged plaster walls to avoid further damages. With that, here are amazing things you need to know about stabilizing them!

how to stabilize water damaged plaster walls

 

Stabilizing Your Water Damaged Plaster Wall

Doing this plaster wall stabilization process can only take you five steps to do it. It can require 3-4 hours of work and a few days for drying. However, do not let the time discourage you!

The following are the steps to solve your problem.

 

Step #1. Assessing and removing damages

Before anything else, check the amount of damage your plaster wall has. If there is a water leak, fix it immediately to avoid further damage. Moreover, ensure to dry it up first before starting the process.

To start stabilizing, you need to remove the damages first. Peel off the flaking paints, or remove soft, damaged areas. Dig all the bubbling plasters and any degraded laths with a knife until you reach the undamaged parts of the plaster wall.

 

Step #2. Sealing the water damage

Clean and wash the surface of the plaster wall after removing the damages. You can use a brush to clean the dust and a sponge to remove residual lime deposits. After that, let the wall dry up.

Choose between using an oil-based or a quick-dry primer on the plaster wall. Applying a primer can help to reduce the bleeding of stains and residual contamination. Oil-based primers can dry for 24 hours, while quick-dry primers only take an hour.

 

Step #3. Repairing the plaster wall

Prepare a joint compound and apply thin coats to fill in the missing plaster on the wall. Level out the first coat to have a smooth surface. After that, let it sit until it becomes hard.

Use medium sandpaper to remove rough parts or ridges on the wall. However, this step will not require you to smoothen the plaster wall entirely. You only need to remove rough parts.

Brush off the dust and wipe it. After that, let it dry.

 

Step #4. Applying the second coat

Next, you need to apply thicker coats of joint compound on the plaster wall. If you put the thin coat horizontally, you need to spread the thick coat vertically. Ensure that the second coat is in a perpendicular direction to the first.

After that, repeat the latter part of step #4. Sand the surface and wipe the dust off.

 

Step #5. Sanding and painting

Lastly, use 120 sandpaper to smoothen the surface thoroughly. Wipe the dust off, and apply primer again. Ensure to use the same primer you applied earlier.

After that, please wait until the primer dries up before applying the finishing touches or painting it. Use the same color of paint your wall has to make the repair invisible. To ensure that you have done the entire process correctly, you can ask a skilled handyperson to check the plaster wall.

 

Why Is It Necessary To Stabilize Water Damaged Plaster Walls?

Water does affect not only the plaster itself but also the framing and the lath. It is advisable to stabilize your plaster walls immediately because water damages can make them fragile to further damage.

However, some DIY stabilization of water damaged plaster walls can cause damages after several months or years after stabilizing them. You are free to do it on your own, but ensure that you are doing things correctly.

If you are not very confident about it, you can hire experts to help you. Nonetheless, before hiring a handyperson, ensure that they have the license and insurance. Having a license proves their credibility, and their insurance coverage can ensure that they have protection when unwanted circumstances happen.

 

How Much Will It Cost You To Stabilize A Water Damaged Plaster Wall?

If you are going to stabilize a water damaged plaster wall all by yourself, you will spend up to $60 on materials. You do not need to pay for labor because you are going to do it on your own.

However, some water damaged plaster walls need plaster repairs from an experienced handyperson. Hiring a handyperson to do the job can be more expensive, costing up to $70 to $100 per sq. ft. However, the repair cost depends on the size of the damage.

If your plaster wall is still wet from the water damage, it needs to dry first. Drying a water leak from a plaster wall might require restoration services, such as plumbing. This service can cost you $2,000 to $5,000 for drying and repairs.

 

Conclusion

Now that we have already answered your question on “how to stabilize water damaged plaster walls”, you can now start working on yours! Ensure to do the steps correctly to achieve perfect stabilization. Otherwise, you can experience further damages from the failed stabilization process.

Leave a Comment