Q. How important is it to repair plaster before repainting? Our ceilings have peeling paint that we’re pretty sure was caused by past water damage. Since the water problem is no longer an issue, can ...

A crack or a hole in a wall can be the result of numerous forms of abuse: a doorknob banging the back of the wall; a misguided hammer; a water leak in the ceiling or wall. While it’s fairly easy to ...

Q Am I right that when sections of plaster break away from the lath, an accepted repair technique is to roughly fill in those gaps with drywall and then drywall over the whole wall or ceiling? — M.H., ...