Walls and Ceilings - Lath/Plaster or Sheet Rock?

Part of the beauty of buying an older home (1900) is that it comes with a lot of character right? Well, my kitchen has high ceilings and the walls were covered in this lovely :rolleyes: orange-pinstriped-with-strawberries wallpaper from 1974. I was able to pull the majority of it off, only to find wallpaper from the 40's underneath. Finally, after removing glue, wallpaper, more glue and more wallpaper, I was left with this funky cream colored enamel-looking surface. Not perfect, but salvageable. I imagine it's some kind of plaster. Anyway, that was on 5 walls. The last wall was covered with chintzy 70's thin paneling. When I pulled it off, I found... That the previous owners had nailed it directly onto the studs. To make matters worse, they had downsized what was once a huge window in the kitchen, but not repaired the old window area correctly. So, now, not only do I have gaps in the beams around the smaller window, there is also exposed insulation in my kitchen. Lovely. Does anyone out there have any idea where I should begin? What should I do if most of the walls appear to be solid lath/plaster, but the last wall appears to need sheetrock? Should I rip out everything and start over, or is there a way to make it all come together?

The real difference in the process used for repairing the wall, is time. However, the existing paint may contain lead, so use a transitional primer, such as KILZ or BIN.

I would definitely put sheetrock up where you have removed paneling. Make sure you insulate and if you are satisfied with the window then maybe put some great stuff foam in there. Are the walls in good shape?

I would definitely put sheetrock up where you have removed paneling. Make sure you insulate and if you are satisfied with the window then maybe put some great stuff foam in there. Are the walls in good shape?

Hi, Coops. Thanks for the response.

Yes, the walls DO appear to be in good shape, sans some older plaster patches that need some touchups (uneven). It was bizarre, I thought we'd end up with drywall underneath it all. Any idea what the cream-colored surface is? It's pretty hard and smooth, and obviously old, because there's been numerous electrical outlets cut out and patched, etc. It's not paint, at least I don't think so. If it is, I wish they'd make paint that hard and smooth nowadays.

My thoughts are to take you up on the drywall suggestion, at least on the paneled wall. For just one wall, should I hire someone? My boyfriend knows how to hang sheet rock, but I think a pro might be faster. lol.

The old yellow hard stuff is plaster. Back then they put wallpaper right over it, no paint. You can do the drywall yourself. Any questions we can talk you through it. Good luck :)

The old yellow hard stuff is plaster. Back then they put wallpaper right over it, no paint. You can do the drywall yourself. Any questions we can talk you through it. Good luck :)

Hi, Coops.

You rule. Thanks for your infinite knowledge and encouragement. I'll rip down what little is left and let you know the results.

Kinda funny, after you asked what shape the walls are in, I was like, "I'd better take a closer look at that last wall..." So, last night, I started poking around, and noticed that I could PUSH IN the wall surface, like there was absolutely nothing supporting it under the paneling. You see, about 1/3 of the wall is solid lath/plaster with a good surface, 1/3 has paneling directly nailed to the studs (just insulation under it), and the last 1/3 WAS paneled (I pulled it off) and the wall underneath is old crappy eroded sheet rock with about 3 inches of air between it and the lath. ?? This is getting weirder by the minute. One thing's for sure, it's got to go. What were these people THINKING??