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[T. J. Albrecht]

Welcome!

It's interesting that your house went through such a radical transformation relatively early in its life. Have you tried researching its history to see if there was some event (storm, fire, tree trauma, or other) that may have preceded it?

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that a product very similar to modern sheetrock was available as early as 1906, possibly earlier. I've personally seen it in houses that were built for the workforce of a coal company in the 1910s and 1920s.

The radical transformation was because of the original owner's wife Sibyl Roth. My great-uncle lives around the corner (94 years young) and he remembers his mother coming home from church and complaining. Sibyl'd buy a new hat or something, "That Sybil Roth! She just thinks she's something..." Sybil's father was a carpenter and according to my uncle she did some of the remuddling work herself. Fancied herself a carpenter too. From the work she did she certainly wasn't, but she always had to have the best and the newest and tell EVERYONE about it.

The wall between the dining room and front parlor had been partially removed. According to a Neighbor, Sibyl wanted that wall removed to mimic the newer, more open floor plan. Chris, her husband, wasn't getting around to it, so one day when he came in from milking the cows the wall was GONE!

[awomanwithahammer]

The radical transformation was because of the original owner's wife Sibyl Roth. My great-uncle lives around the corner (94 years young) and he remembers his mother coming home from church and complaining. Sibyl'd buy a new hat or something, "That Sybil Roth! She just thinks she's something..." Sybil's father was a carpenter and according to my uncle she did some of the remuddling work herself. Fancied herself a carpenter too. From the work she did she certainly wasn't, but she always had to have the best and the newest and tell EVERYONE about it.

The wall between the dining room and front parlor had been partially removed. According to a Neighbor, Sibyl wanted that wall removed to mimic the newer, more open floor plan. Chris, her husband, wasn't getting around to it, so one day when he came in from milking the cows the wall was GONE!

How wonderful to have that personal history! And too funny!

[Gothichome]

Welcome!

It's interesting that your house went through such a radical transformation relatively early in its life. Have you tried researching its history to see if there was some event (storm, fire, tree trauma, or other) that may have preceded it?

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that a product very similar to modern sheetrock was available as early as 1906, possibly earlier. I've personally seen it in houses that were built for the workforce of a coal company in the 1910s and 1920s.

Yes, I to have seen this product, it came in four foot squares and had holes in it for keying a plaster skim coat.

[A.Fox]

While I was recently browsing though early 1920s house magazines, I also noticed there were a lot of advertisements for sheetrock.

By the time our last house was built in the mid 1940s (Gina is your house of similar age?) the entire house was a sheetrock type product, then covered in metal lathe, then a thin coat of finish plaster. The sheetrock was in roughly 20" wide sheets that were installed horizontally on the walls and perpendicular to the ceiling framing. Over the years both the walls and ceiling had sagged a little so that parallel lines were visible on every surface.

[awomanwithahammer]

My house was built 1941, and it has sheetrock over studs, no metal lath. Then a rough coat and plaster over the top. Yes, the sheetrock is 18 to 20 inches by about 4 feet, and since the seams aren't taped, there were cracks everywhere. I ended hanging thin drywall over all the ceilings because I didn't want to try to match the stomp texture that had been applied. And I like a smooth ceiling, anyway.

On the walls, I used a wide fiberglass mesh to cover all the seams and the spider cracks, and then skimmed with drywall mud. They look practically new, which may or may not be the look you're going for. Some folks here like the aged look.

[GinaC]

My house was built 1941, and it has sheetrock over studs, no metal lath. Then a rough coat and plaster over the top. Yes, the sheetrock is 18 to 20 inches by about 4 feet, and since the seams aren't taped, there were cracks everywhere. I ended hanging thin drywall over all the ceilings because I didn't want to try to match the stomp texture that had been applied. And I like a smooth ceiling, anyway.

On the walls, I used a wide fiberglass mesh to cover all the seams and the spider cracks, and then skimmed with drywall mud. They look practically new, which may or may not be the look you're going for. Some folks here like the aged look.

Yes, this is what my house has as well, but no texture on the ceilings. There are nail heads and small cracks and just general unevenness everywhere.

Thank you, Bonnie, for outlining your process. I wasn't sure that drywall mud would be resilient enough, since I'm still not sure my house isn't a boat (going up and down due to frost heaves). I've read that there are different kinds of drywall mud, but of course the names escape me. Did you use the kind of mud that has some sort of plastic binder in it?