Walls and Ceilings - Replacing plaster/lath walls with drywall

I've tried to locate a little info on this without any luck.

Some future projects I have in mind include removing/moving walls and opening up the kitchen (once I determine if the wall is load bearing or not).

Once I'm done cutting/moving I intend to redo the wall with normal drywall.

Is there any problems doing this? As I understand it, behind plaster walls is a tightly spaced layer of lath (wood typically right?). Is the lath the only thing holding everything up? Is that all there is in between a plaster wall?

If I wanted to replace the plaster does that mean I have to replace the lath with wall studs? Are there any problems doing this?

Depending on the installer, you may find metal mesh over the lath boards. One of my houses had this. Not sure if it was the original wall or a big (whole 5' long wall) patch job. Good luck.

Lath can be wood, metal, or gypsum. It is attached to 16 o.c. studs like drywall. To match up old and new, I would hire a pro who can blend them with blueboard and plaster. I've seen it done a few times and it came out pretty good. I cut the old plaster/lath with an angle grinder so it landed on half a stud, packed out the studs to the proper thickness, and then the plasterer did his thing. You'll want to cut all the edges [top and sides] before you smash out the middle out so you dont get long hairline cracks in the plaster you're keeping.

It is possible to mix/match drywall and plaster walls. If the whole "new" wall is bare studs, drywall is easy. If you are matching drywall patches into a plaster wall, you may need to shim out the studs or lathe to make a smooth transition from the plaster to the drywall, although it is done all the time.

(You could also replaster the "patch" areas as it was in the beginning)

I hope this helps

Lath can be wood, metal, or gypsum. It is attached to 16 o.c. studs like drywall.


This was really what I was looking for. I didn't know if the lath was all that was inside a plaster wall (thus, if I removed all the plaster/lath would I be left with nothing but the other side of the wall).


Thanks for all the advice folks!

I misunderstood... Oops!

Yes, that is what you would be left with (and the studs of course)