Serious question, how do you handle retrofit jobs in old plaster walls?

Honestly, I had a job last Tuesday in a 1920s house in St. Paul, Minnesota. The plaster was 2 inches thick in some spots and my drill barely got through it. I spent an extra hour and a half just trying to mount a panel and run wires without cracking the whole wall. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a bit or tool that actually works without blowing out the plaster?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_andrew27d ago

Yeah man, I feel your pain. I did a house in South Minneapolis built in 1910 and that plaster was like solid rock. What finally worked for me was a carbide tipped hole saw with a pilot bit. You gotta go real slow and let the bit do the work, don't push hard at all. I also started drilling from both sides when I could. Punch a hole from inside the wall first real small, then go from the outside so the plaster doesn't blow out. It takes more time but way less patching afterwards.

oscarmurray27d ago

A self-deprecating joke on the topic? Man, I swear my drill sounded like it was screaming for help when I hit three layers of horsehair plaster in a row. Ended up switching to a carbide tipped masonry bit and it chewed through like butter, but I still managed to crack a 6 inch chunk off the corner of the wall anyway. Now I keep a tube of spackle in my back pocket for those "whoops" moments.