Ceiling Build Out For New Electrical 10065

ceiling complete

The heart of a home is often its kitchen, a place not only for cooking but for gathering, sharing, and creating memories. When a client approached us with the challenge of rejuvenating their Upper East Side kitchen, we were excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work, knowing the potential that lay within those four walls.

The kitchen's original state was a tapestry of past decades, adorned with wallpaper that had seen better days and fixtures that whispered tales of the past. Our task was to bring this culinary space into the present with a seamless blend of functionality and style.

Building a drop ceiling requires framing with metal studs first. Since the ceiling is concrete, the building doesn’t allow new lights directly in the ceiling. It doesn’t want any cutting into the ceiling. As the framing took shape, so too did the vision of a kitchen reborn.

Before we started

The installation of drywall came next, a meticulous process where our expertise in creating smooth, seamless surfaces came into play. We then moved onto the removal of the old, peeling wallpaper—an exercise in patience and precision. The walls were treated to a careful plastering, sanding down any rough edges, and preparing them for their final act.

Framing and drywalling. Taping the new drywall. Plaster with 3 coats. Prime and paint.

Mid way

The result? A kitchen is not merely updated but reborn, ready to play its part as the center of the home. This Upper East Side renovation is a testament to what can be achieved when expertise meets aspiration.

Manhattan Custom Built-ins

Many of the older apartment and condo-converted buildings in New York City offer beaucoup charm with handsome hardwood floors, abundant and exquisite trim and glamourous light fixtures. Much of the electrical has been updated in kitchen and bathrooms with GFCI outlets, and window glass that no longer contains ripples offers city, skyline and river views. But it’s simply not possible to retrofit the HVAC systems, and thus, many of these enchanting abodes contain somewhat unsightly heat registers.

 When faced with what to do about camouflaging the registers while still receiving the glorious warmth in winter, call on us. We offer classic, custom, built-in solutions that not only hide the register, but also provide you with additional storage space and attractive custom grates and escape holes for heat. In this recent project, we replaced the window sill as well to make everything flush and beautiful. We’ll work with you on a plan for style, size and color – we can paint your new register cabinet any color under the sun. It becomes yet another charming component of your overall décor. We’ve done this before, and we’ll do again. And again. And again. Custom cabinet register covers are the way to go, and we are ones to craft precisely what you want.

The Pinterest inspiration- a restaurant booth

Starting the the project

The end result in client’s home - beautiful chic reading nook

Pinterest To Reality - Building a Reading Nook With Custom Wall Paneling

Pinterest serves as the visual discovery engine for everything from interior décor to slogans, recipes, fashion, front doors, curb appeal and pretty much everything under the sun. It was here that clients found a charming corner seating space in a restaurant that they wanted to replicate at home. “Make it Happen” was our marching order. Initially, we engaged all our math, measuring and geometry skills to evaluate the space, the bench, bookcases, walls and angles to craft a precision plan with mitered corners, ell seating with back support and custom wood trim on the lower walls.

 The triple-layer paneling projects a 3-dimensional look and feel, and the entire project melded our sketching, measuring, planning, cutting, building, installation, priming and painting skills. The back cushion offers a huge ergonomic benefit, and bench legs make cleaning under it a breeze. Our Paintworks team can make your Pinterest idea come to life as well. Show us a photo, provide specifics and colors and boom, we make it happen!

NYC Skim Coating and Baseboard Installation

Before - Crumbling walls

Skim coating - After 3 coats of compound plaster

The finished living room! Complete with smooth walls and new baseboards!

When this couple called us they were about to purchase their dream home and were about 2 months away from having their first baby. This residence was in dire need of some serious wall fixing from floor to ceiling. The walls were splotchy with paint and damaged wallboard, and plaster was loose, chipped and falling out at the floor. The home was showing major wear and tear and needed a seriously make over. It was the kind of mess we at Paintworks & Decorating are trained and experienced to remedy. 

We started by scraping all failing paint and plaster. Then we removed the old ragged baseboards. Once everything was fully scraped we applied bonding primer and began skim coating. After 3 coats of compound plaster we carefully sanded to make sure all walls and ceilings had a smooth even texture. We installed new baseboards and then painted everything with Benjamin Moore. This Manhattan historic apartment renovation was quite the challenge but looking at the home with furniture made it all worth it. The client is happy and we are grateful they trusted us to complete this project.

The Finished Product

Before starting

Yorkville Manhattan Skim Coating, Carpentry, and Painting

When this client contacted us they just purchased beautiful apartment in the Upper East Side. They were moving back into Manhattan after spending a few years in Nassau County. They were excited to be back in the Big City and looking to create an apartment that matched this excitement. The apartment needed a lot of work. Luckily the owners has an amazing eye for detail and design and was not afraid to go bold. The crowning touch was his choice of black for new crown molding and the ceiling. Talk about interior elegance! Black has always been associated with strength and power with splashes of mystique and rebellion.

The vacant rectangular room had an awesome rustic clay brick floor-to-ceiling wall and fireplace, dull floors, 2 vertical windows and common white walls in need of a good paint job. The ceiling met the wall in undecorated 90-degree angles. Embedding crown molding into this unadorned space instantly enhanced the room. Sanding and refinishing the floors brought luster and sheen back to them. We then skim coated the walls for an even texture and to make it possible to install crown molding. Once the crown molding was installed we moved to painting. We expertly painted both the ceiling and the new crown molding in jet black. Adding gold drapes and a charcoal gray sofa created a uniquely gracious space which evokes a cozy tranquility amidst the dazzling excitement of city life. We were thrilled to participate in this transformation that embraces the natural world in wood and brick and refined lifestyle statement of exquisite black, pristine white and regal gold