Painting a Multi-Building Co-op in Queens

Fresh coats of paint set the stage for a classy kind of co-op lifestyle in Queens. This largest of the Big Apple boroughs geographically boasts an uber diverse population hovering around 2.4 million. Home to both JFK and LaGuardia airports, the sky space is one of the busiest in the country. Those with a window seat cannot see inside buildings as they ascend or descend in a jet airplane, but if they could, their eyes and smiles would widen gazing at one of Paintworks & Decorating’s recent jobs.

We tackled everything from stairwells, stair spindles and hand rails to doors and door frames in a multi-building co-op property. The advantage of being a shareholder resident is having a say in everything including maintenance, and it was obvious from the get-go that these co-op dwellers take seriously having professionally painted spaces. The buildings in this complex are connected, and our work in the common spaces and lobbies lends continuity to the property. We at Paintworks were especially honored to arrive on site with our paints, rollers, brushes, buckets, ladders and all the stuff that jobs like this requires. In an orderly fashion, we proceeded, giving particular attention to stair spindles and hand rails, keeping paint where paint belongs and then skim coating walls for a smooth finish. And that’s also what we wish for everyone in those airplanes over Queens, a smooth finish as in a safe landing.

After - Skim Coating to near perfect smoothness

Skim Coating Co-op Lobbies In Queens NY

The popcorn ceiling has gone the way of dot matrix printers, landlines and fax machines for no longer being needed or especially appealing. The bright white attraction can easily be satiated with today's wonderfully-formulated ceiling paints, and the sleek look of a smooth surface over your head modernizes the proverbial loft, condo, house, lobby, work place and office space throughout all the boroughs of New York City. Popcorn ceilings are a little infamous for covering poor workmanship or sloppy installation, akin to heavy Hollandaise sauce on eggs Benedict when the yolks have already begun to drool. Additionally, they were touted for acoustical properties, but we can raise the bar on that by completely sealing your popcorn nuggets in plaster and then smoothing everything with a skim coat to a contemporary, lustrous finish.

The job we recently completed in a co-op condo building lobby and hallways involved adding skim coat plastering over the popcorn component. Sometimes when a popcorn ceiling has been painted over many times it is more cost effective and dust/mess reducing to skim coat over the popcorn ceiling. With a steady hand and smooth-sided trowel, the Paintworks & Decorating experts crafted a beautiful, unwrinkled ceiling surface. Not only does this smooth ceiling contribute to property value and interior aesthetics, but also it will be super easy to repair. One major drawback of the ol' popcorn ceiling is that it can never be repaired to look the same as the original. A patch job will always be evident, and water leaks from above as well as unintentional ceiling damage are all possible, even for ceilings on a top floor.  We enjoyed renovating and transforming the ceiling, and the residents now enter and move through a much more contemporary environment.  

Before - Mid Skim coating