Ceiling like brand new after being taken apart for HVAC work.

Tribeca Drywall Repair

An air handler, well, it handles air and is an important component of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system. It looks a bit like a furnace, and its main function is regulating and circulating air throughout a home or building’s duct system. Like much of the unseen HVAC equipment, the air handler is largely unnoticed until it ceases to function properly. While lots of air handlers are in basements or crawl spaces beneath houses, they are often found in multi-story buildings in New York City tucked in between floors and behind walls.

Here in Tribeca, we opened up a large enough part of a ceiling for the HVAC repair company to work. They removed the old unit and installed a new one, leaving the ceiling repair to us. This entailed challenging tasks like working upside down to put up new drywall, while making sure the rest of the ceiling was sufficiently supported during the whole project. Once positioned and fastened securely, we taped and plastered the drywall seams.

And then, when all was dry and smooth, our team once again climbed up the ladders or scaffolding which we had carted to the job site and primed and painted the new drywall. We worked around the embedded ceiling lights and also patched and painted a hallway column which had been opened up to install new HVAC lines. We work closely with lots of contractors, homeowners and property management companies. For us, it’s all in a day’s work, but for others, it can be overwhelming. We don’t hold their hands per se, but we do reassure them that everything will look nice and new when it’s done. And it does. Every time.

Ceiling open for HVAC work.

Column waiting final sanding and painting.

Column open for HVAC work.

Finished Ceiling Restoration

Making progress

Manhattan Townhouse Plaster Restoration 

Coffered ceilings are an elegant architectural feature which have stood the test of time. They may have originally been designed as a more lightweight option to stone, while evoking a measure of formality. Some speculate they also hide ceiling imperfections while adding perceived height and drama overhead. They are indeed beautiful. When water damaged the stunning ceiling in this Manhattan townhouse, we came in to remove the old plaster, clean, scrape and prep for a new surface.

Not only did we patch and paint the ceiling, but also we recreated some of the molding in our shop. It’s intricate work crafting the wood for the coffered effect, even before transporting, installing, priming and painting it. There’s a great deal of satisfaction at the end of the project like this, and the outcome was an historic plaster ceiling restored to its former glory.

After partial ceiling collapsed.

NYC painters

More than two centuries ago, Rose Hill was a farm on the banks of the East River with 260 apple trees and 9,000 young fruit trees. The owners had a thriving nursery across 92 acres when it was listed for sale in 1790. Today, the neighborhood boasts world-class dining, museums, architecture, entertainment and homes. REALTOR® extraordinaire Heather Cooper (https://heathersellsnyc.com/) called us to paint a residence before listing it for sale. She found the walls and ceilings a bit dingy and sporting some kids’ early attempts at artistic expression.

Fresh paint is the most easy, inexpensive way to brighten a home going on the market, and our professional tradesmen excel in precision painting. Reluctantly, they completely repaired and painted the walls with no more hint of a budding Van Gogh or Wyeth as a previous young resident. Wickham Gray is a reliable neutral, along with timeless Chantilly Lace white on ceilings, trim and doors. Both provide the perfect color complement with hardwood floors and perhaps a new canvas for another youngster with an artistic bent.

Professional skim coater plying his craft

Skim coating ceiling in process

Left - room ceiling complete. Right - closet ceiling patiently waiting for its skim coats.

Downtown Manhattan Skim Coating Contractors

Popcorn is one of six types of maize or corn and the only one of these whole grains which pops. Popcorn sales top $1 billion per year and more than 17 billion quarts are consumed. Its popularity is undisputed, but the appeal of popcorn ceilings waned a couple decades ago. Their attraction in the late 1970s was in hiding imperfections and absorbing sound, thereby reducing noise. But now, customers are requesting skim coatings that offer a smooth appearance. We do this, often. Multiple coats – applying, drying, sanding, applying again and so on.

 For this downtown Manhattan job, the ceiling tested positive for asbestos. Bet you didn’t know we even do that! Thus, we had to prime the ceiling first to eliminate releasing any dust into the room. Then we skim coated some 4 coats before it could all be smoothed like the client wanted. We delivered a beautifully crafted new ceiling, and skim coating is definitely both an art and a craft, finely tuned only by professional experience. Take a break and watch this video below of the process, and you’ll know just want to expect from our expert skim coaters and painters.