brick walls vs. old plaster walls

[D.Williams]

I'm working on my studio. It's a converted old apartment, with nice high ceilings, (newly refinished) hardwood floors, and old plaster walls (the plaster is in fine shape. Underneath the plaster is brick.

Should I knock down the plaster?

Does plaster vs. brick make a whole hell of a difference, as far as reflections goes, or does exposed brick just look cooler?

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

[mikahanau]

When there is no airgap between the plaster and the brick, then leave the plaster in position, since more mass gives better isolation.
When there is a airgap between, you have to calculate if there is advantage in leaving the plaster in position based on the typical double-leave calculation.
cheers
mika

[nickynicknick]

Originally Posted by D.Williams

I'm working on my studio. It's a converted old apartment, with nice high ceilings, (newly refinished) hardwood floors, and old plaster walls (the plaster is in fine shape. Underneath the plaster is brick.

Should I knock down the plaster?

Does plaster vs. brick make a whole hell of a difference, as far as reflections goes, or does exposed brick just look cooler?

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

In my experience brick is 100 times better as a wall in a recording room....I haven't done any measurements but I find it (way) less reflective and the reflections you do get are "nicer" than plaster (I'm assuming a smooth plaster finsh)...that would be mid to high frequency reflections I'm talking about...I assume this is do to the uneven finish of brick and the very porous nature/density of the brick...although it would depend on the brick of course

Nick

[AnthonySpinali]

Don't assume it's just as easy as knocking the plaster down. The bricks that are used inside like that were never intended to be seen and the mortar will look terrible. Many people tear out the plaster and don't fix the brick wall. This can be bad because the mortar may be loose and start to fall out. If you like that it looks rough you can seal it. I've heard that old-timers sealed the walls with linseed oil but I would verify that before I tried it. If you want it to look like a nice brick wall, well........ I really don't know what to say. Maybe lay a new wall.

[D.Williams]

Anthony- I'd never considered that. Thanks for throwing that knowledge my way. I have seen exposed brick in various studios, and I agree that it does add a nice flavor, but it would be a huge disaster to pull the plaster down only to be faced with bad brick.

The building is 115 years old, so anything's possible. Though would it make a difference if it was an interior wall?

Thanks,
D.

[AnthonySpinali]

First off, I'm not a brick layer, so I don't know the history. But I came up in the construction business Renovating 100 year old Dutch Town houses on the South Side of St. Louis. I have tons of experience re-plastering those old walls. I can say with great deal of certainty that the builder never imagined anyone was gonna look at the brick job.

Having said that, just because it's ugly doesn't mean it won't sound awesome. And it will just look real rough. You can clean it up so that it doesn't look like it's falling down. In the St. Louis Lofts, people like that real rough look and expose all the brick they can. And these Lofts go for $300,000-$400,000 sometimes so it's not half-ass.

To do a professional job I would tear out all the plaster, then call a tuckpointer and have him repair any loose mortar joints. Then i would seal it (maybe the tuckpointer would know what to do), but remember that the reason you're exposing the brick is to get a certain sound. You don't want to use a sealer that could ruin the natural quality of the sound. I would do some serious research to find someone who has done it with your application in mind. (I don't think that if you had someone build a false brick wall for your studio you wouldn't need to seal it. That's why I'm so uncertain as to whether it would affect the sound. Maybe if it's properly tuckpointed sealing the brick is unnecesary.) You could also go to a local brick supplier. I find that those kind of people love to talk about bricks.

If you need advice on repairing plaster I can help with that too....

[AnthonySpinali]

Originally Posted by D.Williams

The building is 115 years old, so anything's possible. Though would it make a difference if it was an interior wall?

Well, interior walls in a house that old (It's a little older than houses here) are usually rough cut 2x4s with wood lats then plaster. Occasionally you'll find an interior wall that is brick. This usually means that, at one time, that was an exterior wall and they added on to the building. However, sometimes brick interior walls function as the "Load Bearing" walls. In a house that old all walls are "Load Bearing" but that's a different conversation. I've only seen that in basements but I'm sure it happens. It'll still be a rough back there but the mortar will probably be in better shape. Good luck!

[andrebrito]

When there is no airgap between the plaster and the brick, then leave the plaster in position, since more mass gives better isolation.

This is pratically the same. A brick is way more heavy than a plaster board. Sound insulation of a brick and brick+plaster is identical.

About the reflectivity of brick versus plaster, plaster is LESS reflective than brick.

[D.Williams]

Hahaha!

Anthony-

I too am in South St. Louis. near Jefferson and 44. It's an old 4-family, and I'm converting one of the apartments. That's why the interior all is brick; the building (looking at the front from the outside) would be apartments, then two sets of interior stairways, then apartments.

It's a tough call. While the exposed brick is definitely an aesthetic I enjoy, and my dad used to do tuckpointing, I certainly don't want to get in over my head...

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

-D

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by AnthonySpinali

Don't assume it's just as easy as knocking the plaster down. The bricks that are used inside like that were never intended to be seen and the mortar will look terrible. Many people tear out the plaster and don't fix the brick wall. This can be bad because the mortar may be loose and start to fall out. If you like that it looks rough you can seal it. I've heard that old-timers sealed the walls with linseed oil but I would verify that before I tried it. If you want it to look like a nice brick wall, well........ I really don't know what to say. Maybe lay a new wall.

Plus tearing out plaster (with the lathing, of course) SUCKS. It's messy and difficult. That said, the old brickwork underneath may have that kinda unfinished vibe that might look pretty cool.

Good to know that someone around here has this kind of experience...now I know who to go to for plaster questions.

Frank

[D.Williams]

Originally Posted by Weasel9992

Plus tearing out plaster (with the lathing, of course) SUCKS. It's messy and difficult. That said, the old brickwork underneath may have that kinda unfinished vibe that might look pretty cool.

Good to know that someone around here has this kind of experience...now I know who to go to for plaster questions.

Frank

Dear god yes. I've been tearing out old plaster and lathing since I moved in a year ago. It is AWFUL!

[stuntbutt]

Dang, we got South City all over this place.

[D.Williams]

Originally Posted by stuntbutt

Dang, we got South City all over this place.

Hell yes! Represent!

[AnthonySpinali]

Originally Posted by stuntbutt

Dang, we got South City all over this place.

If you need a contractor I'm always available! Just PM me!

[AnthonySpinali]

Originally Posted by andrebrito

This is pratically the same. A brick is way more heavy than a plaster board. Sound insulation of a brick and brick+plaster is identical.

About the reflectivity of brick versus plaster, plaster is LESS reflective than brick.

What about painted or stained plaster concerning reflectivity? Do you have any thoughts on the preferred studio application... I could feasibly plaster all my walls if that would give me some significant benefit over just drywall. Does it only work if it's solid to brick?