Years ago, as a young man in training to do drywall finishing, I also learned how to repair plaster. And the nice thing was ...I found I could use the same tools to deal with plaster problems that I was already using to tape and finish the sheetrock panels we installed.



We’re talking about drywall hand tools like broad knives and mud pans, plaster hawks and trowels, taping knives of various widths, mixing tools and so on.

Using drywall finishing materials, our approach to dealing with plaster cracks and holes was very much like what we would do on drywall panels.

Just as drywall seams need to be taped and top coated, so plaster cracks need to be taped and top coated, if you want them to remain closed. You can repair plaster holes in much the same way you would repair holes in drywall. And for that, you need a utility knife to cut drywall for the patches in both drywall and plaster.

Let’s first look at taping knives. These comes in various widths, and kinds of metal.

At a minimum, the plaster repairman needs a couple of taping knives. At least one four inch knife, plus a five or six inch knife.. The four inch knife comes in handy when you are applying drywall tape in plaster corners where a crack has developed - both for laying in the tape, and later for top coating each side of the corner tape. The five or six inch knife is your best all-around tool for use on the regular seams - laying down the mud coat and wiping down the paper tape after you have laid it in place.

My personal preference is for taping knives with stainless steel blades. They don’t rust, and in general they are tougher than regular steel (although they may be a bit stiffer). If you are going to be doing a lot of plaster repair, go ahead and pay the extra money and get the stainless tools. They will serve you very well.

For putting on the top coats over your taped plaster cracks, you should have a couple of broad knives. The narrower one is for the first top coat; the wider one for the final top coat.

Here there may be a difference of opinion regarding these widths. I think it comes down to what is easiest to handle. Women often find the wider broad knives a little harder to handle - more tiring and stressful on the arm muscles. The four and six inch taping knives are small and light, even when loaded with mud, but the ten and twelve inch broad knives can be much more taxing.

For people who have trouble with the wider knives, there are ways to compensate and get the same results using an eight inch knife instead of the ten and twelve inch ones. It involves more steps and takes more time, however.

For those with the strength for wider knives, I recommend using a ten inch knife for the first top coat and a twelve inch for the second.

Mud pans. These come in plastic, galvanized metal, and stainless steel. The plastic pans are cheap but don’t hold up to long use. The galvanized metal pans are lighter than the stainless, but cost less. It might be good to have a couple of pans, a shorter one for the taping process, and the longer one for the top coating steps.

My favorite tool for top coating both drywall seams and taped plaster cracks is the plasterer’s hawk and trowel. These are wonderful tools, but require some practice to get good with them. Once you have mastered them, however, you can run circles around most people using a broad knife and pan.

In reality, it is a matter of personal preference. I can top coat just fine with broad knife and mud pan, but I much prefer the plasterer’s tools for speed and ease of use. I like the 13 or 14 inch long trowel, especially for hard to finish drywall butt joints and for dealing with irregularities in plaster repair.

One good thing about all these tools is that you are not facing with a big bucks outlay. Fifty to a hundred dollars (US - 2007) will just about cover everything, depending on what you choose to buy.

Drywall finishing tools are a delight to use, once you have worked through the learning curve. And when you have completed your plaster repair job, you have earned the right to stand back and admire your work. You won’t mind the money you spent on the right tools for a job well done.