How Do I Differentiate a Plaster Wall From Drywall?

Plaster was commonly used as a finished wall material for generations before drywall came along. Plaster was spread as a wet, doughy compound on a wooden or wire substructure called a lath and left to dry. Drywall consists of prefabricated sheets of gypsum sandwiched between paper. It comes in large sheets that are nailed onto studs. Tape and drywall compound are used to conceal the seams. Both plaster and drywall can be painted or covered in wallpaper or other wall treatments. Plaster and drywall can appear very similar but can be distinguished from one another with some simple tests.

Instructions

- 1
  Push a small pin into the wall in an unobtrusive location. It will push easily into drywall. However, plaster is so hard that the pin will be difficult to insert.
- 2
  Use your thumbnail and try to dent the wall in a hidden place. Drywall is softer, and you can make the mark easily. It will be hard to make a mark in plaster.
- 3
  Determine the age of the building. Structures built prior to approximately 1960 will usually have plaster walls.
- 4
  Tap the wall gently with your knuckle. Drywall will sound hollow. If it sounds solid, it is plaster.
- 5
  Place your palm flat against the wall. Plaster feels cool, almost damp, and hard. It has the feel of rock. Drywall will be rougher, drier and warmer than plaster.
- 6
  Disconnect the power to the room. Remove an outlet cover and observe the material of the inner wall. Do you see an inner lath and plaster oozing out between the wood or wire network, or do you see a sheet of drywall obviously cut out with a small saw?
- 7
  Look in the basement, attic or an unfinished closet space to see if there is a lath or wall studs behind the outer walls.
- 8
  Check for vertical tape seams and hammer marks for drywall nails beside them. Sloppily installed drywall will show this through wallpaper or paint.

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