Reveal block on inside

No
by No
built in 1950 I have a slump block home with plaster walls. I’ve been thinking of remov the plaster along the inner wall of my living by room to expose the block on the inside. Is this not a good idea? is this even possible?
  7 answers
  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Mar 12, 2018

    Its been my experience that block/brick homes such as yours are also stick built homes. Meaning: there is a wood wall built on the inside of your brick so you would have to tear not just the plaster off but the wall too from the brick. However, if that's not the case, you would just need to hack the plaster off the brick, it would be messy but probably turn out really cool!

  • Jcraw Jcraw on Mar 12, 2018

    Well, you’re in Santa Barbara so you probably don’t really need insulation, but I think I’d talk to a structural engineer, or look it up, to know that the block wall was sufficiently strong to hold up my roof or resist seismic shifts. They are just blocks after all.

    If you’re artistic, or energetic, take a great photo, borrow a projector, aim it at your plaster wall and paint the design. Wouldn’t that be a hoot!

  • Jlnatty Jlnatty on Mar 12, 2018

    Hmmmm. Problematic. Removing plaster isn't all that easy depending on how it was initially applied, and there's no telling what condition the "slump block" will be in underneath the plaster. You may be in for a TON of work for a not very satisfactory look afterwards. Then you'd probably want to cover it up again - additional expense. Are you looking to create a specific kind of look that you have seen done in other homes that are built with the same materials as yours?

  • Dianacirce70 Dianacirce70 on Mar 12, 2018

    Structurally it is the block holding up the wall, but Jlnatty makes a good point, the prep on the inner block may be pretty labor intensive, and there may still be a moisture issue once the inside of the block is exposed. I like the idea of using a projector to create a block look for your wall.


    • Sass2050 Sass2050 on Mar 15, 2018

      Paint the wall the base color of your "grout". Youtube how to tape a wall to paint like brick. Tape the wall and paint the "brick or block" the color your want. You can use several colors paint and dab it on to get variations in color. Peel the tape and you have a faux brick wall. You can then go back and messy up the grout lines so it's not so perfect, if thats the look you like. Try a sample board on a piece of poster board to see what you think.

      Good thing about this is if you decide you want a change in a couple of years you can paint over it.

  • No No on Mar 12, 2018

    Crrrazay. I ain’t in Santa Barbara no more! I’m in Mesa, AZ. so moisture isn’t an issue. Just a layer of plaster over the block.

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Mar 13, 2018

    From your picture, it looks like the inner wall is sheetrock. That means there's furring strips or 2 x 4's in the inside that will also have to be removed from the block. And then the holes will have to be filled in. You may also have insulation behind the sheetrock.

    Having lived in Phoenix, you really don't want to do this as you need as much insulation (even if it's a layer of sheetrock over the block) during the summer. What you have is called slump block and it's not a very effective insulation barrier against the summer heat.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Mar 16, 2018

    I am wondering what would be your goal in exposing the blocks on the interior side of the wall? What sort of look to the room would you be hoping to achieve by doing this?