Drywall vs Plaster: What Should Owners of Older New Orleans Homes Choose?

Drywall is the practical choice for most full renovations of older New Orleans homes because it costs less, installs faster, and takes repairs easily. Original plaster is worth keeping when it is still tight to the lath, since it blocks sound well and preserves historic character. Many owners do both: save the solid plaster, replace the failed sections with drywall, and blend the two with a skim coat.

Walk into a shotgun house in Mid-City or a Creole cottage in Marigny and you are probably looking at lath and plaster. Most New Orleans homes built before 1950 have it. Once a renovation starts, every owner faces the same question. Do you patch the old plaster or tear it out and hang drywall?

There is no single right answer. The best call depends on the condition of the walls, your budget, and how much of the original character you want to keep. This guide compares the two materials so you can decide with clear eyes.

As a drywall contractor working in these houses every week, TurnKey Sheetrock sees both sides of the debate. The crew serves New Orleans plus Metairie, Kenner, Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, and nearby communities, so the examples below come straight from local jobs.

What Is the Difference Between Lath and Plaster and Drywall?

Lath and plaster is a site-built wall. Carpenters nailed thin wood strips, called lath, across the studs with small gaps between them. Plasterers then troweled on three wet coats. The first coat squeezed through the gaps and hardened into “keys” that lock the wall to the lath.

Drywall is a factory-made panel of gypsum pressed between paper faces. United States Gypsum trademarked its Sheetrock brand in 1917, and panels took over home construction after World War II because they hang in hours instead of days. A finished plaster wall is usually about an inch thick, while standard drywall is a half inch.

That thickness difference matters during renovations. It affects how trim sits, how outlets mount, and how new sections meet old ones.

How Can You Tell Which Type of Wall Your Home Has?

Try the pushpin test first. A pin presses into drywall with light thumb pressure. Plaster resists the pin or chips instead of giving way.

A knock test helps too. Plaster sounds dense and dull, while drywall sounds hollow between studs. In an attic or under a staircase, look for rows of narrow wood strips with hardened plaster oozing between them. Those are the lath and keys.

Keep in mind that many older homes hold both materials. A 1920s double may have plaster in the front rooms and drywall in a kitchen remodeled in the 1990s. Checking each room separately saves surprises once demolition starts.

Ceilings deserve their own inspection. Plaster ceilings fail before walls do because gravity works against the keys around the clock. Sagging or cracked ceiling plaster is often the first section owners choose to replace.

Should You Repair Old Plaster or Replace It With Drywall?

Repair makes sense when the plaster is still bonded to the lath. Hairline cracks, small holes, and isolated loose spots can be fixed without losing the original wall. Plaster washers, setting compound, and mesh tape handle most of that work.

Replacement becomes the smarter move when the keys have broken and whole sections bulge or move under hand pressure. Widespread water staining after a roof leak or storm is another sign, and this guide to drywall repair warning signs applies to plaster damage as well. New Orleans houses also settle on soft soils, and that movement keeps reopening plaster cracks year after year.

Rewiring and insulation tip the scale too. Opening a wall for new electrical or ductwork often costs less overall if you switch that wall to drywall while it is open. A professional drywall repair service can assess which walls are worth saving before you commit either way.

How Do Cost, Weight, and Soundproofing Compare?

Cost is the biggest gap between the two. National cost guides put professionally installed drywall around one to three dollars per square foot, while new three-coat plaster can run ten dollars or more. Skilled plasterers are also scarce in most markets, which stretches project timelines.

Weight favors drywall. Plaster walls are heavy, and century-old framing already carries sagging loads in many local homes. Removing failed plaster and hanging lighter panels takes stress off old joists and studs.

Fire performance is closer than many owners expect. Hardened plaster resists flame well, which helped older homes earn their solid reputation. Modern gypsum panels are made for the same job, and Type X fire-rated drywall is the standard in code-required assemblies today.

Soundproofing is where plaster earns its reputation. The dense, thick coats block room-to-room noise better than a single sheet of half-inch drywall. You can close most of that gap with five-eighths panels, double layers, or sound-damping insulation. Once new walls are in, a little routine care goes a long way, and these home drywall maintenance tips cover the basics.

Can Drywall Match the Look of Original Plaster?

Yes, when it is finished correctly. A skim coat, which is a thin layer of joint compound troweled over the entire panel, gives drywall the smooth, monolithic look of a hand-finished plaster wall. Veneer plaster over special backing board gets even closer to the real thing.

Matching matters most where new work meets old. Wall thickness has to line up at baseboards, door casings, and picture rails, or the patch announces itself. Careful prep sets up that result, and this walkthrough on preparing a wall for drywall installation shows what good groundwork looks like.

Texture choices seal the illusion. A drywall finishes specialist can float new panels flush with surviving plaster so the room reads as one continuous surface after paint.

Do Historic District Rules Limit Interior Wall Choices in New Orleans?

Generally, no. The Historic District Landmarks Commission reviews exterior work in the local districts it oversees, and interior alterations are not subject to HDLC review. The French Quarter falls under a separate body, the Vieux Carre Commission. Standard building permits still apply for structural, electrical, and plumbing work, so confirm requirements with the city before demolition.

One exception is worth noting. Projects claiming historic rehabilitation tax credits get their interior plans reviewed as part of the credit program. If you are pursuing credits, talk to the State Historic Preservation Office before removing original plaster.

For everyone else, the choice is yours. Keep the plaster that still serves the house, replace what has failed, and protect the new work with smart habits like these tips for drywall longevity and durability. That balanced approach preserves character without pouring money into walls that are past saving.

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