Ask three contractors about your plaster walls and you'll get three answers, two of them wrong: "rip it all out" (the fast-crew answer) and "save every inch" (the purist answer). The honest answer is wall by wall.
Why plaster is worth keeping when it's sound
Real plaster is harder, denser, and quieter than drywall. It takes paint beautifully, resists dings that would crater drywall, and its slight surface variation is part of why older rooms feel the way they do. Sound plaster in a 1920s Waco home has already lasted a century; new drywall will not match that record.
How to tell sound from failing
- Sound: Firm to the push, cracks that are hairline and stable, paint adhering well.
- Repairable: Localized cracking from settling, small delaminated patches, damage around old fixtures — all fixable by someone who knows plaster.
- Failing: Plaster that flexes or crunches when pushed (it has separated from its wood lath behind), bulging sections, widespread map cracking, or damage from a long-term leak. Pushing repairs onto a wall in this condition is money spent twice.
The wet-area exception
Around tubs and showers, modern waterproofing wants modern substrate — cement board behind tile. Even in a house where every other wall keeps its plaster, the shower surround is the honest exception. This comes up in nearly every older-home bathroom we touch — see the bathroom remodeling page.
What to ask a contractor
"Will you assess my plaster wall by wall, and can you repair it — not just demo it?" A contractor without a real plaster answer will always conclude demolition, because it's all they can do.
More: the historic and older home restoration page, what older-home work costs depend on, the older-home expectations guide, and our FAQ.