First time poster here and a newbie inspector. I recently inspected a four story apartment building and the walls on the top floor of the building appear mildly damaged. I can figure out if it is just the paint or if it is a structural problem? I attached a picture. Thanks!
Looks like a poor repair job to me …
If it’s an older building then it could be that the plaster needs hacking off and re plastered…
Looks like walls beaten up by repeated moving of furniture or other types of repair with piss poor plaster repairs.
Did you push on it softly? Is it loose?
It looks like old plaster that has been falling off and been patched over the years, poorly, I might add. I had a house built around 1890 that had plaster walls similarly patched on the stairwell. The old horse hair plaster was not as strong as today’s plaster.
It doesn’t look structural from here.
Thanks guys, that’s what I figured. I put in a rec to plaster and paint the walls.
Tip of the day for repairing old wooden lath walls .
Use a skill type rotary saw.
Do not use a saws all or a jig saw to cut the lath.
These can vibrate the wooden lath and break the plaster key that holds the plaster to the lath .
Angle grinder with a diamond dry blade is best (with a vacuum system). You don’t need to cut into the wood lath.
Added: Don’t forget to test for lead paint…
Don’t forget about arsenic either. 