When it comes to finishing a wall, homeowners have a ton of options to choose from. Wood paneling, exposed brick, tile, wainscoting — the list goes on. However, two materials often dominate the ...

Dear James: We are planning a substantial room addition to our dream home. We aren’t on a tight budget, and we want everything done right. Should we use plaster walls or standard drywall walls?—Sheila ...

Dear James: My parents’ older house had plaster walls, but most builders now use drywall. I’m making a room addition. Which interior wall material is best to use?—Melanie N. Dear Melanie: From the ...

Plaster walls were the universal standard in American homes before the 1950s, requiring skilled tradesmen and weeks of curing time to produce a surface far denser than modern drywall. The postwar ...

In nearly all American homes built in recent memory, you’re probably familiar with drywall, which is by far the most popular wall material in the nation. Quickly installed, solid, and with a ...

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 ...

A worker is applying a finishing coat to the drywall on a ceiling while standing on a platform. - Virrage Images/Shutterstock When it comes to finishing a wall, homeowners have a ton of options to ...

Dear James: We are planning a substantial room addition to our dream home. We are not on a tight budget, and we want everything done right. Should we use plaster walls or standard drywall walls? — ...