How to Repair Plaster After Flood Damage
If your home has fallen victim to flood damage, you will find the plaster walls in the home are showing signs of damage. Many times, plaster walls will begin to crumble, fall apart or eventually pull away from the wall. Repairing these walls is possible, but it may take several coats of new repair compound to repair the wall completely.
What You'll Need
- Joint Compound
- Putty Knife
- Primer-Sealer
- Mud Pan
- Flat Piece of Wood
- Sandpaper at least 120 grit
- Primer
- Wall Paint
- Paint Roller
- Remove all of the damaged plaster, including the crumbling pieces. A clean hole should be left.
- Use a primer-sealer to seal the area surrounding the hole. This will prevent more water damage from occuring.
- Mix together the joint compound and spread over the holes left in the plaster with a putty knife. Fill in the hole completely, until the joint compound floats over the open hole.
- Use a flat piece of wood to spread over the complex unitl it is smooth against the wall. Then, take take the remaining joint compound and spread a thin layer over the surrounding wall so everything is smoothed out.
- Let the compound dry completely and then sand or scrape away any ridges or uneven areas of plaster on the wall.
- Mix another batch of joint compound and put another thin coat on the entire wall including the covered hole. This time, spread the compound in the opposite direction. Allow to dry. Continue doing this until the wall looks even.
- Sand away any imperfections in the wall with sandpaper.
- Wipe away any leftover pieces of plaster with a damp cloth and let dry for at least an hour. The wall is then ready for priming and painting.