Forum Archive: Plaster

Fitzroy of Absolute Plastering Inc. just finished up a job in my flood damaged dining room, recreating the rough textured walls just like the original, now in better shape than before the accident. He is conscientious and careful and does a terrific job. Although my case didn’t require it, he tells me he does ornamental plastering such as moldings and brackets. He works out of brooklyn and can be reached at 1 718-495-5262 and 1 917-412-5593.

I am looking for someone to skimcoat, prime and paint the common hallway in my building. The building is four stories. Can anyone recommend a contractor for this job? And how much can I expect to pay for such a project? (There will probably be some scaffolding needed.)

We live in an 1865 victorian and the ceiling plaster in one of our rooms is sagging and cracking. By looking at it it seems that it has been patched up multiple times and this go around will require that the whole thing be removed. Is there any chance there might be any asbestos issues? I recall hearing somewhere that on occasion there was asbestos mixed in plaster. Is this fact or fiction?

We have a plastering question and would like your opinion on the subject (I hope I used the correct terminology).

We decided to remove the finishing plaster (top layer) off the wall going down to the cellar.

The top layer came off fairly easy in spots and the bottom layer(rendering layer) was not attached well to the brick at the bottom of the wall, so I removed it.

My question is….

Should I put a new rendering coat over the exposed brick then a new layer of finishing plaster over the entire wall?

Or Clean up the brick, seal it, keep it exposed and put a finishing coat over the exposed rendering coat (brown upper wall)?

Also do you think this is a DIY project or should I request the experience of a professional?

I never did any type of plaster work before, but I’m willing to learn.

Thank you very much for all your help.

Can anyone recommend a plaster artist that can do work like the supplied image. I’m looking to restore and do gold leafing in the parlor.
Dane

I was wondering if a Brownstoner could give me some guidance. I live in a pre-war co-op that has a typical steam pipe in the bathroom that runs through the entire building. Due do major construction taking place in the bathroom above, where debris was coming down behind the walls and hitting my ceiling, it caused a small gap around the steam pipe in the ceiling. This allows bits of dust and debris to come through and sit on my bathroom floor on a regular basis.

My super has tried to be helpful, and twice plastered the hole. But either due to the heat being on and cracking the plaster or some other reason it does not hold. Is there some other material(or method) that I can use to patch up the hole that will withstand the heat from the steam pipe, or am I just going to need to wait until the heat is turned off in the spring?

Thank you in advance for your guidance.

I have heard that there are many different definitions of “skim coating” for plaster walls. I am meeting with contractors and I would like to know (from somebody with experience) what the correct way to skim coat plaster walls is so that superficial cracks will not re-appear. I know it is very expensive so I want to make sure it is done properly. Any tips on what to ask the contractors are most appreciated. Thanks!

We recently bought a row house and all the walls are textured. We originally thought of having the walls skim coated, but after speaking to a couple of contractors we are reconsidering it. Beside the expense the contractors said that after the walls are skim coated they would be flush or very close to flush with the molding. We don’t love the look of the textured walls, but we don’t hate it either.

I’m curious to know if anyone can recommend a plaster who has done this type of textured plastering in their house?

Also do you think a DIYer would be able to handle this technique or is it too complicated for us mortals?

We are putting in new electrical sockets and switches so part of the walls will be open and have to be patched. Cracks in a couple of the walls and bad patch work from the previous owner in different locations.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I recommend Junior’s work. I hired him to scrape and re-plaster all my ceilings, and not only has the work progressed somewhat quickly, but the price was right.

Junior’s technique is to use a different plaster than plaster-of-paris, which dries faster and harder. He also skim coated my walls, and they look very smooth and clean. My across the hall neighbors have commented favorably and asked for his contact information, since apparently everyone in my building has a ceiling problem.

He and Aida were very upfront about the work to be done, price and payment options. I made sure to be upfront as well, and I drew up my own contract to make sure I was protected as well.

I inspect the work progress at least once each day. My architect has also inspected the work several times and whatever quibbles he had were remedied posthaste.

My project is almost finished, and I will update this post with my final thoughts once it is complete.