BrickCharmer wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:47 pmI'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get back to y'all! Most of the holes are now filled, and I started to skim coat today! It was an incredible feeling!
Folks that have been here long enough are a patient lot because they know how easy it is get wrapped up in house projects on top of other day to day things.
I personally love progress reports even if they take a while because they inspire me; I often learn new things; I like to see repairs being done in general; and I get to see more pictures of different bits of old houses.
BrickCharmer wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:47 pmI initially considered reusing those pucks but (my inexperienced) logic made me think it would not be very strong if we later tried to drill a hole in that spot. I felt like my solid patch would hold up better in the future. Am I wrong?
It depends on the weight of whatever the hole was for, really. It is good to be steward minded about future residents that may own the home and would have no idea such a repair had been done because your finish was flawless, but if someone is going to mount something heavy like a very large flatscreen on a wall and there's no already existing vertical framing behind the wall they can use, they should reinforce said wall even if it is sturdy lathe and plaster that hasn't started to pull away from the keys. If only because over time, that same flatscreen could cause the keys to start to pull away. (You can always scribble a memento of your work on the back of one of the pucks too that a later homeowner might find during repairs.)
FWIW, this is why some folks keep house records in various forms of work they've done that they intend to leave behind with the house, either when they pass away or sell it. That way future home owners would know "Oh, in the living room, x work was done" which might influence their own decisions about what they want to do in their home or don't need to do because it's already been done.
Depending on a home's era (this part is important), the strictest historical-minded folks will not make any hole in a wall except for purposes such as you did for rewiring, blown-in insulation, or reinstating likely/definitely original details like wall sconces. They'd rather use existing or install picture rail if there is evidence there was some before and hang things that way, or bring in wooden easels to display works if that was also the fashion in the era of the home.
The thickness of the pucks does help to an extent so long as the edge bond is good, however the backing suggested both mimics the lathe I think you said was already there, plus the vertical support in general. I've also seen videos of folks doing something similar to what you did (a string or wire to keep the patch taught in place) but with cut out sections they'd also backed with an old piece of screen, burlap, or what-have-you and before pulling it in, they'd apply either a glue or their skim material to help the edges of the backing stick once the wire/string was pulled forward. They'd snip the string or wire they had fished through the center before skim coating after the piece had "set" in place from whatever they used on the edges.
