How to Repair Plaster Walls Over Concrete

A hole in a plaster wall may appear to be a daunting repair job, yet its not much harder than repairing a regular dryboard wall.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Silicon putty or plaster cement
• Drywall or plaster board
• Small jig saw or sharp knife
• Nails
• Plaster tape
• Several edging knives ranging from 4 to 10 inches
• Sand paper

1. Cut around the damage, making the hole perfectly square.

2. Examine the hole. If the drywall is right against the concrete, you are in luck. You can slap a replacement piece in. However, if the plaster was supported by wood beams (most likely) then you will have to run some tape behind the plaster so that it forms a "brace" behind the hole in the wall.

3. Cut a piece of dry wall to fit the square hole you cut and place it into the wall.

4. Spread some of the putty over the spaces where the new wall meets the old, using the four-inch knife. Make sure to make it as smooth as possible.

5. Place a long piece of tape across each of the spaces. Let it dry for 24 hours.

6. Sand away some of the excess and bumpy parts of the putty.

7. Cover the tape with putty (using the six-inch knife) and smooth it into the wall. Wait 24 hours and then sand again.

8. Cover all of the previous work with the plaster cement/putty using the ten-inch knife. Sand one final time and you should be ready to paint.

Tips & Warnings

• Use 400 grit sandpaper for the final application so you don't scratch the wall.
• Avoid peeling the tape off the wall while sanding.