Dear James: I am planning a new room addition and have concerns about using drywall. I have heard some horror stories about ...

When it comes to building your walls, plastering is much more expensive than just hanging sheetrock or drywall. Plastering has many positive attributes. For one, it is a better sound barrier between ...

Dear James: My parents’ older house had plaster walls, but most builders now use drywall. I’m making a room addition. Which interior wall material is best to use?—Melanie N. Dear Melanie: From the ...

When it comes to finishing a wall, homeowners have a ton of options to choose from. Wood paneling, exposed brick, tile, wainscoting — the list goes on. However, two materials often dominate the ...

Dear James: We are planning a substantial room addition to our dream home. We aren’t on a tight budget, and we want everything done right. Should we use plaster walls or standard drywall walls?—Sheila ...

Q. We're buying a house that is probably close to 100 years old. It has been vacant for the past several years and needs a good amount of cleaning up and fixing up. One thing we're concerned about is ...

Q: The walls of our 1938 San Francisco home are lath and plaster, with a canvas-like fabric over the plaster. There are cracks in the plaster, which can be seen through the paint as raised creases in ...

Drywall started to replace plaster in the post-WWII building boom. It wasn’t stronger, longer lasting, more soundproof or a better insulator. It was quicker — by a mile. But it needed fasteners, and ...

I am planning a new room addition and have concerns about using drywall. I have heard some horror stories about having plaster walls, but will ...

Dear Melanie: From the standpoint of function and appearance, plaster is clearly the better interior wall surface material. Lucky for you, real plaster walls are making a strong, and even better ...