It is surprising how many walls have been damaged by doorknobs and latches hitting against them. To protect against that problem, install a doorstop. A standard doorstop is a wood screw attached to a brass rod with a rubber head. For more formal rooms, you can install a more decorative one. You can also use a hinge pin, a small adjustable arm that attaches directly to the hinge.
Protect the outside corners of plaster walls by covering them with wooden corner beads. You can find decorated ones and they are made for drywall too. Those thin wooden strips of molding about three feet above the floor in many rooms is called chair rail. They are actually useful for guarding wallpaper and plaster against chops and tears from the backs of moving chairs. If you have a room that might benefit from a chair rail, consider installing one yourself. If your plaster walls show small cracks and rough, irregular surfaces, prolong its life by wallpapering over it. The paper helps support the plaster.
To smooth and repair gouges in a plaster wall, patch with drywall joint tape and joint compound, just as you would finish the joints and nail heads when hanging drywall. If your plaster wall shows a large crack or small holes, use the same technique only use fiberglass tape instead.
To stop stress cracks from appearing in your plaster wall, especially in areas that have been recently repaired, consider spraying the walls with one of the new elastic coatings. Do this before painting or wallpapering.
If you have wallpaper in areas like the bathroom or above the kitchen stove, be sure to use an exhaust fan when cooking or taking a shower. Alternatively, you can crack a window to help reduce the moisture in the air. Moisture is the biggest threat to wallpaper’s long life. Keep an eye out for water stains in places that are not easy to see. Places to look include, ceiling edges, behind large pieces of furniture, along the tops of baseboards, below windowsills, behind radiators and on the walls below bathrooms. If you catch the problem causing the leaking soon enough, you may be able to prevent further damage.
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