For a 12 x 12-ft. room, the total materials bill will fall in the neighborhood of $160, including drywall, joint compound, paint and drywall lift rental. You can cover an average-size ceiling in ...

An alternative approach — and an especially good technique if both the plaster and the ceiling joists are sagging — is to screw 1-by-3 or 1-by-4 furring perpendicular to, and into, the joists.

Plaster walls and decorative details are high-quality, handmade finishes that give an old house character. They should not be replaced with inferior materials without a compelling reason. Plaster is ...

In the 1800s and before, interior finishes in higher-end buildings were plaster applied over horizontal strips of wood called lath. In some countries it was referred to as “wattle and daub.” ...

Mr. Jenkins achieved a similar look in a dining room with Venetian plaster burnished to a high gloss. “It almost looks like a pool of water on the ceiling, upside down,” he said.