An urgent question from an OHJ staffer: “How hard would it be to get rid of my hideous popcorn ceiling?” (If you don’t remember, this is a heavily textured, spray-on finish, sometimes with glitter, popular from the postwar years through the 1970s.) I looked through our archive and found little encouragement. Then I trolled the internet and YouTube. Still not encouraging but certainly entertaining. Here’s my take on the options.
By using modern materials and a traditional technique, it is possible to repair plaster ceilings that are cracking and delaminating. Here is a step-by-step guide to how to fix plaster ceilings in your old house.
Scenic wallpapers are on the comeback! Here’s a curated collection of some of our favorite places to find the perfect scenic wallpaper or panoramas for your classic home.
Calcimine, old papers, peeling paint! Preparing the plaster substrate is the key to a good paint or wallpaper finish. In an old house, it’s not always an easy job: surprises likely lurk behind the recent latex and that floral vinyl upstairs.
Faux finishing once was practiced by every house painter and many householders, who used inexpensive materials and simple techniques involving glazes, sponges, rags, and crumpled paper.