House Built In 1930 But No Plaster?

8858 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by chrisn, Jun 30, 2011

linuxrunner

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2011

Our house was built in 1930 but there are absolutely no traces of any plaster on or in the walls, i have been inside about half of the walls now and there is no evidence that plaster walls ever existed in this house, not even plaster dust.

Our walls are this press board stuff, kind of light brown in color with no paint or wallpaper then covered with crappy 70's paneling.

So what gives, if the house was built in late 1929 wouldn't you expect it would have been built using lath and plaster?

Our kitchen had what was like double spaced lath with paneling nailed to it. No trace of plaster or white dust anywhere inside the walls though.

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Bud Cline

· #2 · Jun 28, 2011

if the house was built in late 1929 wouldn't you expect it would have been built using lath and plaster?

Nope, not necessarily. I've seen something like that before. Sort of a pressed cardboard-like product.:yes:

It's the "panelling" that is surprising if it is original equipment of the period.

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gregzoll

· #3 · Jun 28, 2011

It depends on who they purchased the home through. Also, since you are in Or., it would not surprise me that the home was built for workers for a nearby mill or such. Any stamp marks on any of the attic or timbers used for the joists? You can do a search on the style of the home with year through a search engine, or check local library, or even platt info on your taxes for the home, which could give light who built the neighborhood, and where homes were ordered through.

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kwikfishron

· #4 · Jun 28, 2011

Bud, what's a Trops?

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Bud Cline

· #5 · Jun 28, 2011

Well CRAP!!!

Beats the hell out of me.

Guess I'll go fix it.

Thank You:yes:

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Bud Cline

· #6 · Jun 28, 2011

There is that better?

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rusty baker

· #7 · Jun 29, 2011 (Edited)

Are you guys talking about celotex panels. Lightweight, kinda look like a fiberboard? My house is 100 years old. Sometime in the 40's they covered part of the walls with celotex.

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linuxrunner

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 29, 2011

gregzoll said:
It depends on who they purchased the home through. Also, since you are in Or., it would not surprise me that the home was built for workers for a nearby mill or such. Any stamp marks on any of the attic or timbers used for the joists? You can do a search on the style of the home with year through a search engine, or check local library, or even platt info on your taxes for the home, which could give light who built the neighborhood, and where homes were ordered through.

it's a stone house that was built by a family of stone masons (was their personal house), that immigrated to Portland to build some local stone structures (or at least that's what we were told).

Is it possible that since the walls are stone they were unable to use plaster? if i remove the pressed cardboard paneling you can see the stone walls.

So it sounds like various types of paneling were available prior to 1930? Any idea if these would have been cheaper or easer than lath and plaster?

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linuxrunner

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 29, 2011

Bud Cline said:
Nope, not necessarily. I've seen something like that before. Sort of a pressed cardboard-like product.:yes:

It's the "panelling" that is surprising if it is original equipment of the period.

Besides the pressed cardboard stuff the other paneling is like a thin plywood but very decretive kind of like beadboard but a totally different pattern. Even the ceiling is a type of rectangular panel that fits together.

Here are some pics of the other type of paneling (not the 70's stuff) and the ceiling. Do these look original?

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chrisn

· #10 · Jun 29, 2011

Is it possible that since the walls are stone they were unable to use plaster? if i remove the pressed cardboard paneling you can see the stone walls.

No, my house is stone and all lath and plaster( 1924). I think it is just some original form of "drywall" used back then to avoid the cost of "real" plastering.:yes:

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Gymschu

· #11 · Jun 30, 2011

In your pics, those panels look like marlite or masonite..........there were other trade names also. It has a smooth/glossy finish coated onto a black/brown type of pressboard. As for your lack of plaster, I have seen that stuff before on homes built in the 20's, and, yes it seemed to be a type of early drywall.

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chrisn

· #12 · Jun 30, 2011

Gymschu said:
In your pics, those panels look like marlite or masonite..........there were other trade names also. It has a smooth/glossy finish coated onto a black/brown type of pressboard. As for your lack of plaster, I have seen that stuff before on homes built in the 20's, and, yes it seemed to be a type of early drywall.[/quote]

Yes!:thumbsup:

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