Keeping Old School Plastering Alive for 4 Generations
Services
Drywall Finish
After you hang your board, and the rooms are defined, you have to decide if you are going to put a finish on your walls that you will need to paint and maintain.
First: You add drywall joint tape to the seams of the board which has been embedded in joint compound. .
Secondly: You have to skim a thin coat of joint compound over the tape and covered the drywall screw holes. You can stop at this level if you intend to cover with tile.
Third: For this stage, you apply a coat of joint compound to the tape and screws. Walls that will receive a heavy texture, such as knockdown texture, can end at this level.
Fourth: This is the classic drywall finish. Here, you apply another coat of joint compound to the tape and screws and sand the dried compound.
Lastly: The highest possible level of drywall finishing involves applying a skim coat, if applicable
There are three ways to apply a skim coat:
- Use a Roller: Thin out the mud and roll onto the wall with a thick-nap roller. Scrape off immediately.
- With a Taping Knife: Apply a series of six or eight dabs of mud, each about three to four inches in diameter. Immediately smooth the mixture across the surface, then scrape the mud off.
- Spraying It: Professionals have spray equipment to allow them to spray on drywall compound.
If this process seems overwhelms you, you are not alone. Just call Truitt Erickson Plastering. They can come in and take care of it for you in a couple days - and then you can have your life back quicker.
Plaster Finish
Plastering is a process by which coarse surfaces of wall or ceilings are changed or rendered to provide smoothness. At the beginning, wet materials are spread over the block or brick or wood works and then suitable equipment is used to make the surface smooth level. The prime purpose of plastering is to obtain hard and smooth surface that could be painted and provide nice aesthetic appearances.
Repairing of plaster is needed from time to time as the building ages. The plaster repair work includes cutting the patch and preparing the wall surface. Procedures involved in repair of plaster are:
1. Setting up Scaffolding: Scaffolding if required for the proper execution of the repair work should be erected. Ladder can also be used in case of scaffolding if the work can be done safely.
2. Cutting of Old Plaster: The mortar of the patch, where the existing plaster has cracked, crumbled or sounds hollow when gently tapped on the surface, is first removed. The patch is to be cut out to a square or rectangular shape at position where repairing is needed. The edges of the cut plaster is made under cut to provide a neat joint.
3. Preparation of Surface: The masonry joints which become exposed after removal of old plaster is raked out to a minimum depth of 10 mm in the case of brick work and 20 mm in the case of stone work. The raking is carried out uniformly with a raking tool, and loose mortar is dusted off. The surface is then thoroughly washed with water, and kept wet till plastering is commenced. In case of concrete surfaces, the old plaster is thoroughly scrubbed with wire brushes after the plaster had been cut out and pock marked the surface is roughened by wire brushing and all the resulting dust and loose particles cleaned off. The surface is washed and cleaned and kept wet till plastering is commenced.
4. Application of Plaster: Mortar of specific mix such as CM 1:4 or CM 1:6 with the good quality plaster sand is used. After the plaster has been applied to the surface, finishing of plaster is done to match with the old surrounding plaster. All dismantled mortar & rubbish etc.
5. Protective Measure: Doors, windows, floors, articles of furniture etc. and such other parts of the building should be protected from being splashed by mortar.
6. Curing of plaster: Curing of plaster is necessary to prevent cracking. It should be done for at least 3 days at regular interval.
7. Finishing of plaster: After the plaster is thoroughly cured and dried the surface is then painted with the colour of the surrounding area.
If this seems like a daunting task to you, why don't you let the professionals at Truitt Erickson Plastering Professionals do tthe wok for you!r
Stucco
Stucco is applied either by hand or machine to exterior and interior wall surfaces in two or three coats. It may be applied directly to a solid base such as masonry or concrete walls, or it can be applied to metal lath attached to frame construction, solid masonry, or concrete construction. Applied directly to concrete masonry, stucco provides a tough ½-inch thick facing that is integrally bonded to the masonry substrate. When applied to metal lath, three coats of plaster form a 7/8-inch total thickness. A vapor permeable, water-resistant building paper separates the plaster and lath from water-sensitive sheathing or framing. Stucco has high impact resistance and sheds water, but breathes, allowing water vapor to escape. It’s a proven system that works in all climates.
If you are interested in Stucco in your house or on the exterior of your home, please contact Truitt Erickson Plastering, they can help decide if it would be a good fit for your lifestyle.
Textures
Textured plaster is just that – any plastered surface which has a complex, non-polished texture. There are nearly unlimited options when it comes to texturing a plaster wall. The simple fact is that a smooth surface is, generally, a boring surface. We are creatures of detail. Tactile creatures. The rough surface of a cut stone is infinitely more pleasing that a painted plasterboard panel. That is why one of the first decorative elements to be developed for plaster as a building material was simple texturing. Merely varying the pressure of the trowel as the surface is applied or using a variegated material can be enough to change the entire personality of a wall. But, like any decorating technique, the devil is in the details. Choosing the right texture is a much longer-term commitment than the right colour, after all.
Simply put, people need to love the spaces they are in. Whether you are designing a living space, a work space, or any other space that a person might need to interact with, the texture of the walls is important. Seamless textured walls are both visually and tactilely appealing and are not difficult to achieve with the right tools, techniques and materials. Better still, they are enduring. A well-designed and well-applied textured plaster finish is easy to clean and maintain, but adds depth and life to any room.
There are, of course, a wide range of textured plaster wall finishes to choose from. Here, we’ve listed a few of our most popular options. Please don’t hesitate to ask about any kind of texturing – we can handle almost anything!
Directional texture - This class of textures includes any pattern with elements pointing in the same direction. Often this is accomplished with a trowel or specialty tool when the plaster is first applied.
Contrasting texture - A contrasting plaster texture is not directional – it may have many scattered elements, or it may have a variety of forms without any particular bias. Contrasting textures are typically applied after the plaster is applied, but before it can dry.
Stone effect - Stone effect plaster work got a bit of a bad reputation due to some questionable techniques that were popular in the 1980s. However, the technology hasn’t been standing still. Some really amazing cast stone and stone effect plaster work is possible today.
Woodgrain texture - Woodgrain texture is usually not about pretending to be wood, but using the natural grain of wood to give plaster a pleasing texture. This can often be accomplished by pressing large, heavily textured boards to the plaster.
Please Contact Truitt Erickson Plastering, if you would like to see different texture samples.
Cornish Trim
Decorative Moulding for either interior or exterior of your home. Don't just settle for blah, puts some personality into your home.