Dear James: My parents’ older house had plaster walls, but most builders now use drywall. I’m making a room addition. Which interior wall material is best to use?—Melanie N. Dear Melanie: From the ...

Plaster walls were the universal standard in American homes before the 1950s, requiring skilled tradesmen and weeks of curing time to produce a surface far denser than modern drywall. The postwar ...

Dear James: We are planning a substantial room addition to our dream home. We aren’t on a tight budget, and we want everything done right. Should we use plaster walls or standard drywall walls?—Sheila ...

When it comes to finishing a wall, homeowners have a ton of options to choose from. Wood paneling, exposed brick, tile, wainscoting — the list goes on. However, two materials often dominate the ...

In nearly all American homes built in recent memory, you’re probably familiar with drywall, which is by far the most popular wall material in the nation. Quickly installed, solid, and with a ...

Editor’s note: Welcome to the 62nd installment of Brownstone Boys Reno, a reader renovation diary about renovating a brownstone in Bed Stuy. See the first one here. They also blog at ...

Dear James: We are planning a substantial room addition to our dream home. We are not on a tight budget, and we want everything done right. Should we use plaster walls or standard drywall walls? — ...

A worker is applying a finishing coat to the drywall on a ceiling while standing on a platform. - Virrage Images/Shutterstock When it comes to finishing a wall, homeowners have a ton of options to ...

Dear Melanie: From the standpoint of function and appearance, plaster is clearly the better interior wall surface material. Lucky for you, real plaster walls are making a strong, and even better ...