Tag Archives: horsehair plaster repair

horsehair plaster can be repaired and restored better than new

References

Here’s just a few of the comments some of my customers have sent me over the years…

I was going to type up all the thank you notes I’ve received and add them here as testimonials, but every website does that, and how do you know if they’re for real or just made up?

So instead I photocopied some of them for you to read.

There’s a whole lot more where these came from, but I didn’t want this page to take 20 minutes just to load, so I grabbed a dozen off the top and scanned them to this page for you…

painting references-1painting references-2painting references-3

If you’d like to see more, just let me know. I’ve got another hundred or so I can show you.

Serving Southern New Hampshire and surrounding areas since 1995
Now Serving Martinsville Virginia and Surrounding Areas

For A Quality Interior House Painter Call

(603) 864-9783

 

Horsehair plaster repair

Antique horsehair plaster has a historical charm that you just don’t find in newer buildings.

Most painters and craftsmen will take one look at crumbling horsehair plaster and tell you it can’t be restored, and you should just drywall over it.

Personally, I love the charm of historical plaster with it’s uneven character and hand tooled craftsmanship. That’s why I’ve spent the better part of 2 decades fixing and restoring horsehair plaster in homes across southern NH.

The first thing we need to consider is that horsehair plaster does not react like most other surfaces. As older houses move and breathe with the changing temperatures and humidity, old school plaster needs to remain strong, while still moving with the building.

So before you let anyone come in to restore your old horsehair plaster, make sure they know what they’re doing. Because there’s a big difference between something that looks good for a couple months (before it starts cracking) and something that will last for another 10 or 20 years, or more.

Here’s a few pictures for you to look at of some old plaster I’ve fixed. If you have old horsehair plaster in your home call me before you tear it down, cover it with sheetrock, or let some hack come in and just start slinging joint compound all over your walls.

Before and after pictures of horsehair plaster repair…

This first ceiling had seen better days. Now it’s seeing better days again…

This next room is about 150 years old, and it was showing its age…
Now it should last for another generation…

When the roof leaked on this next house, the homeowner saw a bulge in his horsehair plaster ceiling. He poked it with a stick and a section of ceiling came crashing down at his feet. The roofer fixed the leaky roof, then I fixed the ceiling and painted the room.

In this next room the walls were pretty solid. A few areas needed some extra attention (a few settling cracks and a some broken keys here and there) but mostly the walls just had the look of pock marked concrete, and the homeowner wanted the walls to be smooth. So all that was needed was some minor repairs and a resurfacing skim coat (and some paint)…

Here’s another one where I discovered an old chimney hidden behind the wallpaper
it had a hole in it that used to be for a wood stove in the room. The homeowner decided to leave access to the chimney (just in case they ever wanted to put a wood stove back in the room) so I left the hole open and covered it with a decorative tin plate

This next ceiling had been neglected for a while. It was finally time to fix it.
Now it will last for many years to come…

I’ve got a lot more pictures where these came from, and I’ll try to add some more to this page when I get a chance, but right now I have to get back to work.

Serving Southern New Hampshire since 1995
Now Serving Martinsville Virginia and Surrounding Areas

For A Quality Interior House Painter Call

(603) 864-9783

 

Hire me for a day

Do you want to paint a room by yourself, but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you’ve already started your project and ran into something you didn’t count on?

Help is on the way!

Whether it’s crumbling horsehair plaster, water damage, smoke damage, basic drywall repair, or many other situations that require a professional… if you don’t want to pay someone else to do the entire job, or you simply want to take pride in doing it yourself, and just need a little help, give me a call.

For a low, low fee, I’ll come to you and give you step-by-step instructions on how to repair your ceilings, walls, and/or trim. And I’ll work with you for a half day, or a full day to get your job moving along in the right direction.

Once your project is professionally finished, you’ll be able to take pride in honestly telling everyone “you had a little help from a friend, but did most of the work yourself.”

It will only cost you $175 for a half day (up to 5 hours),
In return you’ll get…
– A professional craftsman with an eye for detail and nearly 3 decades of experience…
– A half day of professional labor to get your job moving along in the right direction…
– Step-by-step instructions to finish the job once I’m gone…
– My personal cell phone number so you can call me if you run into something else you didn’t count on.

That price is dirt cheap for having an expert come to you… show you, teach you, and work with you… to get the best possible results for your interior home project.

Why would a professional like myself offer to do all that for such a low price, 
when I could easily charge more (and usually do charge more) for my services?

- Because I really like what I do, and I really like helping people 
turn their houses into homes. And you'll be doing much of the work.

So if you want to save money by doing it yourself, or if you’re just a real do-it-yourselfer and simply need a little help getting high quality results, give me a call or use the contact us form and drop me a line.

If your project is something I can help you with, then for just a few dollars you’ll get high quality results that will last for years, and pride in knowing that you did it yourself (with a little help from a friend).

Serving Southern New Hampshire and surrounding areas since 1995
Now Serving Martinsville Virginia and Surrounding Areas

For A Quality Interior House Painter Call

(603) 864-9783