Most homes built in the past 50 years have interiors made with drywall-large, thin sheets of paper-covered gypsum nailed directly to wall studs and ceiling joists. Drywall is inexpensive to buy and install, and easy to repair. Although durable, it is also easy to damage--doors bang into it as they open, furniture scuffs and marks it, water damages it. Occasionally, drywall nails pop into view; this happens most often in new homes because of settling or framing shrinkage. Drywall screws tend not to pop out. The areas between wood framing members are unsupported and particularly vulnerable.

Before drywall, most homes had plaster interiors. Plaster work is still done in new construction, but it requires more skill and is usually found in higher-priced homes today. Working with plaster requires practice--when mixed, it has a very brief "open" time when the material is liquid and pliable, but it sets quickly and becomes rock-hard in an instant. Premixed drywall joint compound can be used to make minor repairs in both drywall and plaster. Plaster applied to wood lath is held in place by the keys that form when it squishes through the lath. Over time, these keys can disintegrate; this causes plaster to crack, crumble, and fall away from the lath. Settling of a house or the occasional earthquake can speed this process.

Some plaster is of poor quality, and this may cause the plaster to crack and crumble. In addition, water damage from roof or plumbing leaks discolor plaster and cause peeling or efflorescence, the leaching of salts and minerals to the surface.

Plaster can be damaged from the normal stresses and strains of people living in a house: holes from artwork hung on the wall, scratches from furniture, spilled liquids. Fortunately, most of these simple problems can be easily fixed. Cracks leading from windows and doors or along seams in the ceiling can signal more significant structural damage or deterioration of the keys in the plaster throughout, so you may want to call a contractor to take a look.

Although all of these problems can be prevented, they are also part of the normal wear and tear of living in a house or an apartment. If you have a particularly lively household, it wouldn't hurt to keep some spackling compound, patching plaster, and a putty knife, hammer, and sandpaper in your toolkit.

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