Flooring, Drywall & Interior Finishes in Sherman Oaks
Plaster kept where it is bonded, drywall where walls must open, and floors that meet at level doorways, for older houses in Sherman Oaks.
Does every wall with old wiring behind it have to come down to the studs? That is the question to settle first at a Sherman Oaks walk-through. Bonded plaster can often stay while a narrow channel is cut for new cable and patched flush. Drywall comes in only where a wall has to open wide for pipe or framing repairs, and its finish is matched to the rooms around it.
Testing the plaster first
Knuckles and a putty knife do the first test. A wall that sounds solid and holds firm under pressure is still bonded to its lath, and bonded plaster is worth keeping for its depth and its trim lines. Cutting a narrow channel for new cable leaves the rest standing. We patch the channel with setting-type compound and mesh tape, then skim past the repair so the surface reads as one plane under paint. Where plaster has let go of the lath, it comes off to the framing and drywall replaces it, finished to match the walls beside it.
Where floors come in
Flooring waits until the dust is finished. Boards are covered with paper and hardboard while walls are opened and closed, and any refinishing happens last so fresh coats are never scratched by ladders. Where new flooring is needed, we choose its thickness against the original floor in the next room and build up or trim back the underlayment until the doorway sits level. A short reducer strip is the fallback for a doorway where a small height difference remains. Planks are laid to run along the hall, so the eye follows the house.
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Flooring, Drywall & Interior Finishes in Sherman Oaks: common questions
Often, when the wear layer is deep enough to survive a machine pass. We lift a single board at the walk-through and read its cut edge. Damaged planks can be swapped for salvaged matches, and the whole floor is then refinished together so it reads as a continuous surface.
Wherever plaster stays bonded to its lath and shows no crumbling, it earns its place. It carries trim lines and a dense, quiet surface that thin board seldom matches. Drywall suits walls that open for new wiring or pipe anyway. At the meeting line we feather the joint wide so it disappears under paint.
Not until a sample is tested. Older tile and the black adhesive under it can contain asbestos, so a piece goes to a lab and the surface stays untouched while the report is pending. A clear result allows routine removal. A positive result changes the method and the handling rules before any work starts.
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