Introduction: Preserving Historic Ornamental Plaster
Like flat walls and ceilings, historic ornamental plaster is made of gypsum and lime which are stable and durable materials. An extremely versatile material, plaster can be modeled, cast, incised, colored, stamped, or stencilled. However, as an ... [... more]
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Need to hang a picture on plaster walls?
Studs are around 3/4 inch behind plaster walls. Some electronic stud finders work, but many don't. Pretty much the most accurate way to find the stud behind plaster is to drill about a one-inch hole close to where you want to hang a picture. Feel ... [... more]
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Wallpaper repairs
Lift loose wallpaper carefully. It may be necessary to wet with water. Note: For newer plastic-coated papers, ask wallpaper store for correctpaste. Cut across blister with a very sharp razor blade, cut along a line in the pattern. Lift edges ... [... more]
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Plastering
Parts of this story: Intro ~~ Preparing the house~~ The plastering begins ~~ The finalwhite coat Ask around among old-house aficionados in Annapolis, Maryland, for a quality plasterer, and chances are Wally Lerner's name will emerge. Wally owns ... [... more]
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Concealing Uneven Walls
Home Improvement Topics Insulation Doors Tile Porch Columns Corbels Storm Doors Catalogs Aluminum Siding Contractors Countertops Cabinetry Lighting Barn Doors Products Fireplace Inserts Windows Roofs Remodeling Pellet Stoves Stoves Suppliers ... [... more]
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How to install a tin ceiling
Pressed metal ceilings can restore the history of an old house or give old-world charm to a new house. For all their ornate detail, tin ceilings are surprisingly easy to install. In this article, I'll take you step by step through painting and ... [... more]
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Stabilizing Deteriorating Plaster
Plumbing for an automatic sprinkler system, for example, can be run above new and existing coffering so that the sprinkler heads barely protrude from the rosette centers in the coffered design. Access should be provided for future system ... [... more]
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Repairing and Replacing
First a scratch coat consisting of sand, lime, and cattle hair was troweled on the lath and pressed through the slots so as to slump over and form "keys." Next, a brown coat was applied to establish flat and plumb surfaces. The earliest ... [... more]
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Ceiling fans
To operate your air conditioner unit more efficiently, turn on your ceiling fans. These fans create air movement across the skin, lowering skin temperature through evaporation. The homeowner can thus raise the A/C thermostat setting up to 4 ... [... more]
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Stripping wallpaper
I feel like I'll be working forever stripping oldwallpaper. Isn't there a quicker way? A quick and cheap method of removing wallpaper is to turnoff the power to the room's outlets and light switches at the breaker panel orfuse box. Then cover the ... [... more]
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Plastering Final White Coat
Parts of this story: Intro ~~ Preparing the house ~~ Theplastering begins ~~ The final white coat Wally first takes a load of lime and works it into a circle. The lime has been mixed with water, but it won't set up by itself. He shapes the lime ... [... more]
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Falling Plaster
Possibly, but this is a good time for a thorough inspection to make sure you're not surprised a second time. Although plaster is now applied over a substrate that looks a lot like gypsum drywall, it was once troweled over wood lath that had been ... [... more]
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