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 ...

Q. After reading the Sunday comics, I have been reading your home repair consulting column for years. It has always been interesting and helpful. I hope you can help me with some suggestions for ...

Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

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 ...

Q: We live in an older home — say, built around 1905 — that has the old horsehair plaster on the walls and ceiling. We would like to do over the ceilings and paint the walls. Would it be best to just ...

Q:We have a small 1924 cottage in the El Cerrito flatlands a little east of the El Cerrito Mall. Our lot has a minor slope, and we have a high water table. Our house continues to shift and settle, ...

If you find yourself staring at damaged walls and ceilings in your home, it might be time for a little TLC and an update. The interiors of most homes are covered with gypsum wallboard, which is ...