When Getting Plastered is a Good Thing

Newly plastered walls and ceiling

If you haven't had work done to your home in a while, you may be surprised to learn that the dominance of sheetrock with mud and tape has slipped as many builders and homeowners choose blue board with a plaster veneer as their finish of choice for walls and ceilings.  This is especially good news for old house owners whose plaster is damaged or was removed and replaced with sheetrock.
If you do have original plaster, it is worth noting that in many cases it can be restored and resurfaced for less cost and better quality than replacing with newer materials.  Original plaster has a flexibility that modern replacements lack. Properly maintained it can last many years and have the added benefits of mold inhibiting characteristics and an unparalleled authenticity.

Though our house has much of its original plaster on lathe, the original plaster was removed on the ceiling and badly damaged on the front interior wall.  We felt that smooth modern sheetrock with mud and tape would stand in stark contrast to the subtle texture and visual movement of the original plaster.  So, we turned to Leigh Draper, a local plasterer with many years experience to help us with our restoration.  (Leigh services the Southern Massachusetts and Cape Cod area.  His phone number is 508-264-3497).

Though Leigh seemed a bit surprised by our request to leave the surface of the plaster less than perfect (he could make it as smooth as a mirror), he used his ample skills and talent to match the original plaster in our living room, dining room and entry.

Applying veneer plaster requires both knowledge and skill.  The plaster must be mixed and applied before it becomes too hard and unworkable.  Ambient temperature and humidity also play a large role in the success of the plaster finish.

Living room wall original plaster and blue board on right wall
and ceiling.

The top of the original plaster was badly damaged where
it met the ceiling.  Leigh filled the gap with plaster prior to the finish coat.

Mesh tape covers the joints on the new blue board on
the ceiling and right wall.

The plaster is mixed when ready to apply.

Detail of infilled area at top of wall where
it meets the ceiling.

First coat is put on seems

Finish coat turns a light grayish white when dry.
Ready for primer!

The ceiling reflects the light.  Plaster can be left
without paint and pigments can be added
to the plaster.

Painted with Farrow and Ball Slipper Satin on walls,
Elephant's Breath on trim, and Off White on floors

Dining room painted with Farrow and Ball Slipper Satin on walls,
Old White on trim and Off White on floors

For more information on the history of plaster and restoration of plaster:

Article on benefits of old plaster in Period Homes Magazine article "Plaster Perfect", March 2007.

The National Park Service has created this brief on the history and maintenance of plaster walls: "Repairing Historic Plaster Walls and Ceilings"

Farrow and Ball paint on Cape Cod

Photo from Farrow and Ball Inspiration page

If you like the beautiful historic paint collections from Benjamin Moore and California paints, you're going to love the new Farrow and Ball showroom in Hyannis.  The showroom, housed at the Toby Leary Fine Woodworking location, 135 Barnstable Road, is painted in gorgeous Farrow and Ball chalky shades.

Photo from Farrow and Ball Inspiration page

I have several books by Ross Byam Shaw that include character filled homes in the English countryside.  I always sigh at the soft quality of the paint and am not surprised to check the resources and find that it is another Farrow and Ball confection.  She has also written two inspiring books that specifically highlight Farrow and Ball paint, Farrow and Ball Decorating with Colour and Farrow and Ball Living with Colour.  Pure eye candy.

Photo from Farrow and Ball Inspiration page

If you would like to see customer's uploaded photos, check out their Inspiration Gallery - full of photos of real life rooms.  You can even sort by the particular paint color that you are interested in to see how it looks in different applications.

Stop by the Hyannis showroom and take a look.  They even have these itty bitty paint can samples for $7 of all 132 color (or should I say colours?) so that you can try one on for size in your own home.

For a historic home enthusiast, you'll appreciate that many of the colors are derived from historic samples.  I love the names of these colors too - Elephant's breath, mouse's back, Mizzle…

The website and facebook page offer advice, from current trends to considering the direction of light in your color choice.  

Photo from Farrow and Ball colour trends 2015

Photo from Farrow and Ball website

I'll be using some of these lovely colors in my own house - Do you have any favorites?

Vive La Victorian!

From Houzz tour - Eoin Lyons Interiors

Why do Victorian's get such a bad rap?

For a long time, the housing market has viewed Victorians as being stuffy dark places where ghosts and mice like to dwell.  Oh sure, there have been the hold outs, the purists who love a curvy Queen Anne Victorian parlor and whose mantra is "more is more"!  But for many, Victorians spell formality and fussiness.  But that attitude is changing, as evidenced by some recent tours on Houzz and Apartment Therapy featuring Victorians in a fresh modern light. 

Houzz tours:

Victorian Home With a Modern Outlook

Victorian Home Takes On a Colorful Personality  

From Houzz tour - Eoin Lyons Interiors

These homes are graced with high ceilings, deep moldings and warm wood floors - a perfect foil for contemporary lighting and furnishings.  They transport the ordinary into the extraordinary.  Stripped of the layers of competing patterns, the Victorian's woodwork becomes the star.

From Houzz look book - Lisa K Tharp Design

Apartment Therapy tour: Nyakinyua & Ivan's Bohemian ChicVictorian Home

I lived in a Queen Anne Victorian as a child and I still remember the intricate molded plaster that decorated the dining room in a fanciful collection of fruit and cherubs.  That house sparked my passion for historic homes.

Here on the cape, our historic homes date as far back as the 17th century, but there are pockets of Victorians.  The Cape became a popular tourist destination during the Victorian period.  You may be familiar with the charming painted cottages on Martha's Vineyard.

Here is one of our listings for a Victorian period house in Harwich Port that is for sale at $699,900, well below appraised value:

232 Bank Street, Harwich Port

232 Bank Street, Harwich Port

Would you like to see other Victorian homes on the Cape? click here

If you can't beat em', join em' decorating

Ahhhhh, the joys of renovating an old house…

I thought I'd share with you a bit about my old house.  We moved into our little old cape cod cottage 9 years ago.  I remember that I told my husband that as soon as we move in, I'm ripping up the worn fake brick sheet vinyl floor with my bare hands.  And that goes for the dark brown 70's paneling too!  Well, we discovered that ripping out these items would set off a domino effect of high $$$ projects that we weren't prepared for.

My old, and I mean old, kitchen floor

70's textured paneling and
earthy wallpaper

I was a kitchen designer at the time and I swore that every time I came home to that dreary kitchen, the angels wept for me.  So I took stock of what I did like in the kitchen.  It had a great old 1930's cast iron sink, 1930's cabinetry with an old wooden countertop and backsplash, and a vintage schoolhouse style light fixture.  These were my cues for a low cost face lift.

I replaced the 1970's brown appliances with a 1951 range and a 1939 GE refrigerator.   I was lucky to find them in NY at a reasonable price from a gentleman who bought them up and cleaned and serviced them.  Ok, truth be told, I do have a second little 24" wide LG refrigerator in my pantry.

Next, I covered over the old '70's heavily textured paneling with embossed, paintable, bead board wallpaper.  I still can't believe it covered so well!  I stripped the orange and brown wallpaper (apologies to those of you who love wallpaper) and painted everything Benjamin Moore's "Crisp Linen", except the ceiling which I painted Benjamin Moore's Woodlawn Blue.

Lastly, it was time to say goodbye to my arch nemesis, the very worn floor (Did I mention that it had dirt imprinted into the design of the floor!)  We purchased some plank vinyl self stick faux antique wood floor and covered over the old floor in a day.  I love the way it came out.  Not my dream floor, but its clean, neat and well, not the old brick floor.

Then the fun stuff!  I added some of my favorite things...

1940's Hull Little Red Riding Hood Cookie Jar

Hand woven 1920's table cloth

Cow salt and pepper shakers that my husband and
I bought shortly after we were married.

Burleigh ware (birthday gifts)

Cost to give my kitchen a face lift:

1951 Bengal range:  $1500
GE Refrigerator:       $ 800
Paint, bead board wallpaper and self stick flooring:  $800
New knobs/hardware for cabinets:  $150

Total:  $3250

Now, when I walk into my cheery, albeit itty bitty kitchen, I smile.  Are you living with an eyesore in your old home?  Are there any redeeming qualities to the space?  Share your solutions!