Old (assuming) water leak left damaged plaster

[Gavvvy]

Hi there,

Before I say anything, know that I'm not a handyman. I'm young and have yet to own any property that I feel deserves time spent repairing small things.

That said, I'm in an apartment now for a few months and I'm bothered by an unsightly damaged area of plaster in my bathroom. I'm not in the kind of building where I'd be able to convince the super to fix it without any trouble (and I'd much rather not have strangers wandering through my apartment).

Here's the area:
http://threebynine.com/diy/1.jpg
http://threebynine.com/diy/2.jpg

Now, that looks like water damage to me, and it is beneath where the bathtub would be in the apartment above me. I don't want to scrape anything off if it's going to be more work than planned to repair, though.

Can any safe assumptions be made on how hard it will be to fix? Any opinions are welcome!

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any help you can offer.

[marksr]

Welcome to the forums!

It shoudn't be overly hard to repair but first you need to scrape off what's loose and see what's left. If only the top portion [bubbles] come off - it's an easy fix. Where it gets complicated is if all/ most of the plaster comes off.

If only the paint and top layer of plaster come off all you need to do is add a coat of joint compound, sand, prime and paint. If the underlying plaster is chalky, you should prime prior to applying j/c.

If most of the plaster comes off and you still have something to attach the the mud to, you can use a setting compound like durabond to fill it in. Durabond/EasySand doesn't sand well so it's best to apply it neatly. I normally use durabond for any plaster repairs, it works well, just isn't as user friendly has ready mix joint compound.

If you are basically left with a hole in the wall [nothing for the mud to stick to] it would be easiest to insert a piece of drywall, smooth the transision with j/c, prime and paint.

Don't forget you are working on someonelse's property. It would be best to get their permission first! Also if they were to determine that you damaged the property by an improper or unsightly repair - they can hold you finacially responsible

[Gavvvy]

Thank you very much for the tips!

I did decide to go ahead and take off the top (bubbled) layer to see what's underneath. I'm not quite sure what I've found, though. Some plaster definitely came off , and beneath it is a very hard layer - it feels almost like concrete, but it's maybe 1/8" beneath the wall's surface at most, so it can't be - must be plaster, the stuff used when the building was constructed, '71.

Here's the revealed layer:
http://threebynine.com/diy/3.jpg
Edit: here are a couple possibly better ones.
http://threebynine.com/diy/4.jpg
http://threebynine.com/diy/5.jpg

Any idea what that might be? That picture might be useless, in which case I'll just try the j/c, sand, prime, paint method you mentioned. Only a small layer of plaster has come off, I imagine it would work.

Thanks again

Originally Posted by marksr

Welcome to the forums!

It shoudn't be overly hard to repair but first you need to scrape off what's loose and see what's left. If only the top portion [bubbles] come off - it's an easy fix. Where it gets complicated is if all/ most of the plaster comes off.

If only the paint and top layer of plaster come off all you need to do is add a coat of joint compound, sand, prime and paint. If the underlying plaster is chalky, you should prime prior to applying j/c.

If most of the plaster comes off and you still have something to attach the the mud to, you can use a setting compound like durabond to fill it in. Durabond/EasySand doesn't sand well so it's best to apply it neatly. I normally use durabond for any plaster repairs, it works well, just isn't as user friendly has ready mix joint compound.

If you are basically left with a hole in the wall [nothing for the mud to stick to] it would be easiest to insert a piece of drywall, smooth the transision with j/c, prime and paint.

Don't forget you are working on someonelse's property. It would be best to get their permission first! Also if they were to determine that you damaged the property by an improper or unsightly repair - they can hold you finacially responsible

[marksr]

I'm not well versed in plaster and hopefully one of our plaster guys will chime in later.

The hard coat is the plaster base coat. With the depth of the holes, I'd be leary of using the ready mix joint compound. Durabond is a good substitue for plaster - especially for those of use with no actual plaster experience. You need to make sure the area to patch is clean. If it is still dusty after cleaning/dusting it with an old brush, I like to prime it so the 'patch' has a better bond to the wall. I've heard the plaster guys recomend a product called 'plaster bond' [?] that might be better than just plain old primer.

Remember durabond is a bear to sand so the neater you apply it - the easier your job is
You can find durabond in the drywall section of most any big box store. It comes in a bag [powder - add water and mix] If they have more than 1 to choose from, the #s represent the working time. I like the 20 minute mud because of the fast turn around but you would be better off with the 90 minute mud - it dries slower = more time to work with it. Only mix up what you have time to use and throw away any left over mixed mud. Don't try to complete the job in 1 session. Do most of your filling the 1st time and then when dry, mix a smaller amount that you can use to dress/level it up.


BTW - no need to use the quote button. use either the post reply button or the icon on the far bottom right - to the right of quote. makes for a neater easier to read thread

[tightcoat]

I think you should stop now. You have more going on than you want to get into. The next thing is the tile are going to come loose and you don't want to get into that. Get your manager up there pronto and let them deal with it or you will be paying for a serious repair when you move out.