In most homes built before 1945, the interior walls were finished with plaster and lath. After WWII, drywall replaced plaster and lath, allowing for quicker and more uniform construction. Although the two products are different, repairs to plaster and drywall can be made in much the same manner.

One important caution – you should never use an electric sander to sand drywall or plaster unless it is made specifically for this purpose, as the fine plaster dust will be sucked into the motor and ruin the ball bearings. To limit the spread of dust during large-scale sanding of plaster and drywall, you can use a power drywall sander specially made for this purpose, with a sanding head surrounded by a shroud and attached to a vacuum. For smaller sanding jobs, use a hand-held pole sander, with clamps on the head that hold a piece of drywall screen. The head is attached to the pole in such a way that sanding can be done from any angle without gouging the plaster or drywall. (Read more….)