Grand piano parlor, aka living room, with newly repaired and painted walls and ceiling

Freshly plastered and painted after mega scraping and prepping

New plaster, skim coat and paint - no more unsightly peeling, flaking, cracking walls and ceiling

Lower East Side Scraping and Plastering 

What do sneakers, paint, heat pumps, teddy bears, plaster and wood fences have in common? They all experience significant wear and tear across 25 years. Some need replacing. Some can be fixed. And in the case of paint and plaster, all can be made like new! This apartment in Manhattan was ready for the “make-it-new” outcome. Protecting furniture, fixtures and floors is imperative in our line work, and here we had a grand piano in the mix.

Once things were wrapped and covered, we scraped and scraped and scraped some more. Ceilings are always a challenge, but our arms are strong, our eyes are keen, and our experience is vast. The whole place, walls included, needed work, and when working with plaster, using the correct plaster weld product ensures that new plaster will bond well and hold a long time – ideally another 25 years. We skim coated ceilings and walls before applying final coats of paint. The client was thrilled with the results. We were thrilled with the whole project, especially not to have gotten a flake or spot of anything on the grand piano.

Flaking paint on your pillow, anyone? We fixed this ceiling like new.

Not exactly what you want to come home to, right? Right. We made it all new again.

Finished with bar counter base, cabinets and new counters

Bar counter prep for smooth plaster, prime and paint

Inwood Kitchen Remodel 

The Hudson and Harlem rivers border much of Inwood, enveloping the neighborhood like arms of a benevolent giant. Parks and river views are abundant at this northern tip of Manhattan, a comfortable 30-35 minute commute back into Midtown. It was in this enchanting setting that we remodeled a kitchen, elevating it from dark to light, old to new, dated to contemporary. Cabinet painting is but one of our many specialties. We replaced the counters and lowered the bar counter for a one-level countertop as well.

The walls and edge under the bar counter needed drywall and all new plaster to render it smooth and ready for soft sage green paint. The cupboards are now creamy white, and the homeowner asked us to remove one cabinet and install floating shelves. We did it. We work diligently and intently, looking from all angles, using leveling tools, anchors, metal framing corners, fresh plaster and the best primer and paints. The end results glowed for being newly rejuvenated.  

Kitchen floating shelves where one cabinet used to be

Kitchen floating shelves in process

Beautiful new counters complete with snack and berry boxes

Where it all began, kind of dark, dated and dingy, huh?

The lovely, smooth, ceiling completely repaired

The unlovely, peeling ceiling upon arrival

Our plastic protection before any work commences

Our work at the halfway point professionally restoring this ceiling

Tudor City Plastering and Painting

 Ceiling space is the largest expanse in any room. It may be equal to the floor in square feet, but it is not interrupted with furniture and rugs. And while you may not gaze at the ceiling, peripheral vision takes it all in – the big space with possibly one central chandelier or fan or recessing lighting. When your ceiling is in disrepair, then the entire room takes on a dull, crummy appearance. This Tudor City apartment’s ceiling had been peeling for a couple years, and it was time to fix it.

 Our team rolled in with copious plastic sheets to protect furnishings, floor coverings and electronics from debris that was sure to come down in pieces, flakes and dust. Once scraped, we applied a bonding primer to attach firmly to the subsequent coats of plaster. After sanding it flat and smooth, up went a high quality primer ahead of the finish coats. Ceiling work is challenging for the overhead position and working with arms raised on ladders and scaffolding that we haul along with all the tools and supplies. This entire room can now be seen, peripheral vision included, as a warm, inviting, home space.

Plastering and Painting To Revive A Home In Manhattan

When this client called us her apartment was in bad shape. After not painting or repairing the plaster in her home for over 40 years everything started to fail. Paint was falling from everywhere. Adding to the situation was water damage from the apartment above. We spent multiple days scraping and carefully disposing off all the failing paint and plaster. We were surprised to discover wallpaper underneath the paint (seen in the 2nd picture below). The client didn’t know there was wallpaper there! We then spent multiple days priming and plastering the entire apartment to return it to it’s former glory. You can see the dramatic transformation, especially in the bathroom picture below. These pictures were taken at the 70% mark of the project. While we always recommend addressing paint issues as they arise, it is never too late to save your home.

The half way point after 2 coats of plaster

After scraping off the failing paint we discovered wallpaper!

After plastering and priming

The scary bathroom before we started

Plastering and Painting In The Upper West Side

Back in May we had the opportunity to help a new homeowner refresh their apartment before moving in. The beautiful historic building in the Upper West Side was starting to show its age. Much of the ceiling plaster was cracking and failing. We carefully scraped all damaged and failing areas of the ceiling. We then primed the surfaces, re plastered and painted the entire apartment. The client chose a great wall color that goes well with the white soffits throughout the apartment.