Lath and plaster is a wall construction technique using wood planks and plaster. It was popular in the early 20th century but was replaced by drywall after World War II. Lath and plaster can still be durable and is occasionally used in custom construction or renovations. The technique relies on the grip created between the wood planks and plaster, and the longevity varies depending on quality and maintenance. Some choose to keep lath and plaster for its natural texture or to fit a home’s character.
In house construction, lath and plaster is a technique for building interior walls that uses small planks of wood and plaster to form the wall. The term is used interchangeably with plaster and clapboard. Wooden planks, typically cedar, are known as laths and are attached to a 2×4 frame, with small nails and small gaps between the planks. Wet plaster is then applied, typically in one or three coats, where it hardens to form the wall.
Lath and plaster were a very common form of wall construction during the early part of the 20th century. Drywall became the technique to rival lath and plaster, but drywall didn’t catch on to the mass construction market until World War II. At that point, the economy began to favor drywall more, and eventually drywall became the dominant technique on the market.
However, despite the popularity of drywall in recent decades, laths and plasters can offer durability for many years and are still occasionally used in some custom construction or renovations. Typically, once materials start to break down or a wall needs to be opened, it is replaced with drywall. Many older homes still have plaster and clapboard walls and still offer usable wall area. In some cases simple plaster repairs can be made with a modern grout compound, but it depends on the extent of the damage.
One of the main stabilizing influences of this construction technique is the grip created between the batten. The plaster fits into the thin space, about one-quarter inch (6 millimeters), between the boards. Gravity forces the plaster to fall after it passes through the opening, thus creating a firm grip on the lath after it has hardened. As long as these hooks, or “keys,” as they’re called, stay in place, the wall will remain stable. Once they start to crack, the plaster will start to crack and need to be fixed.
The longevity of laths and plaster varies depending on the quality of the construction, the layers applied and what, if anything, has been applied over it. Wallpaper tends to protect the plaster, but it can also help hasten the decay of the material when it’s removed. Therefore, many who have wallpapered tend to keep the wallpaper or paint over the wallpaper instead of removing it. Some plaster and clapboard walls are known to last several hundred years.
The choice of lath and plaster is typically personal and is not generally chosen for new construction. Some may choose to keep the technique in place and repair existing walls, rather than replace them with drywall. They may do this because of the natural texture of the walls or because it better fits the character of a home.
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