I spent $40 on a specific type of spackle for my plaster walls and it was a total waste.

The pre-mixed lightweight stuff just crumbled away after a week, so what's the right product for old horsehair plaster?

3 comments

3 Comments

Wait, was it a lightweight spackle you used? Those are mostly for small drywall dings. For old plaster, you need something that bonds better and moves with the wall. I've had good luck with a setting-type joint compound, like Durabond 90, for bigger patches. It dries hard and sticks to the old material way better.

the_faith1d ago

Actually, that setting compound is way too rigid for historic plaster. It dries like rock and can't handle the natural movement in an old house. You'll just get cracks around the edges of your patch. A high quality, flexible acrylic caulk mixed with plaster of paris makes a far better repair that moves with the wall.

anthony_campbell881d ago

Man, plaster repair always turns into a chemistry project. I just used regular joint compound on my old walls years ago and it's still fine (you know, the kind that comes in a bucket). Maybe some of these fixes are overthinking it a bit.