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Visited a friend's renovated 1920s bungalow in Atlanta and finally understood why they kept the original plaster walls.
I always thought plaster was just a messy pain to repair, but seeing how it absorbed sound and gave the rooms a solid, quiet feel completely changed my mind on preserving original materials.
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milabutler19d ago
Wait, they actually absorbed SOUND? That's wild. I always figured old plaster was just a fancy way to have dust everywhere. But a quiet room is a total game changer, my apartment echoes like a cave. @blair_fox7, your crack comment is killing me, but maybe those little flaws are part of the charm? Like they give the walls some character instead of that boring, perfect drywall look.
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robinson.reese11d ago
Actually, plaster itself isn't the main sound absorber. It's the LATH behind it, that old wood or metal grid. The plaster soaks into it and they become this thick, solid, uneven mass that just kills vibrations. Modern drywall is thin and fixed flat to the studs, so it just acts like a big drum skin. That's why old places feel so hushed and solid.
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