Plaster, Drywall & Painting in Mountain Brook, AL
Plaster cracks in Mountain Brook’s period homes are normal. Patches that show are not. We repair, blend, and repaint so the wall looks like one wall again.
Why plaster walls need a different kind of repair
Many Mountain Brook homes from the 1920s to 1950s have plaster on wood or metal lath. Plaster is hard and durable, but it moves with the house and the seasons, and over decades it cracks above doors and windows, along ceilings, and where the keys holding it to the lath have broken. Loose plaster can sag before it falls, so the first step is to find what is cracked but solid and what has come loose.
Good plaster repair secures loose areas back to the lath, fills and tapes the crack, and feathers the patch wide enough that it disappears under paint. The common failure is a square of drywall screwed into a plaster wall with an edge you can see in raking light. Avoiding that takes more time, and we price it honestly.
Many homes here have also been renovated in stages, so one room may be plaster and the next drywall, each with its own texture and sheen. Matching across them is part of the job.
What the job usually covers in Mountain Brook
- Tap-and-look survey to separate sound plaster from loose plaster
- Re-securing loose plaster to the lath
- Crack filling, taping, and wide feathered patches
- Replacing failed sections and blending the transition
- Drywall repair matched to adjacent plaster or drywall texture
- Interior repaint with sheen matched room to room
Good to know before you call
- Cracks that keep coming back in the same place, or that are wider at one end, can point to structural movement; we will say so.
- Houses built before 1978 may have lead-based paint; ask us how that affects the prep on your walls.
- Ceiling repairs often take longer than wall repairs because of drying and access.
- We protect floors and furniture, but plaster work is dusty; plan which rooms will be out of use.
Plaster, Drywall & Painting in Mountain Brook: common questions
Can cracked plaster be repaired, or does it need to be replaced with drywall?
Most cracked plaster can be repaired if it is still attached to the lath, or can be re-attached. Replacement is for sections that have truly failed. We mark which is which before we price the job.
Why do the same cracks come back after painting?
Usually because they were filled with paint or caulk rather than repaired. A crack in plaster needs to be secured, filled, and taped so it can move without reopening. If a crack keeps returning after a proper repair, that can mean movement in the structure, and we will tell you if we think an engineer should look.
Can you match the texture between our plaster rooms and newer drywall rooms?
In most cases, closely. Smooth plaster can be matched with skim coats on drywall, and sheen differences are handled with paint choice. We show you a sample area before doing a whole room.
Do you paint ceilings and trim too?
Yes. Ceilings, walls, trim, and doors can all be in one scope. Older trim often has many coats of paint, so prep is priced separately so you can see what it costs.
Get a written plaster, drywall & painting quote for your Mountain Brook home
Free estimate and an itemized written scope. Call or send the form today.