Living in an older home comes with many things you can see as "charm" or "obstacles" depending on the situation at hand. You have less-than-stellar plumbing and electrical, uneven floors, creepy crawl spaces, dank and dark basements, inefficient windows, doors that don't hang straight, mismatched millwork, etc. One of those situations in my home is our plaster walls.
As our home has aged and settled (and actually been moved from one location about a mile away to where it is now) over its 112 years of life, our walls have been worse for the wear. Cracks are apparent everywhere, and seem to be reproducing and spreading at an alarming rate. Dents become huge dusty messes to repair and camouflage. And in the case of two of our rooms, just began falling off in sheets due to fire and water damage and general rot. So while we've torn down and drywalled in its stead what was necessary, we're not keen on creating that kind of mess any time soon again.
However, our foyer-stairwell-upstairs landing area leaves much to be aesthetically desired. Removing a broken banister and plastic wainscoting (that was GLUED to PLASTER WALLS for added angst) caused us to partially repair with drywall and partially ... just cover it with paint. Unfortunately, the color isn't what I had hoped for, and our first foray into drywalling isn't pretty. (Mental note, if your spouse tries to convince you that spackle and wall mud are the same thing, STOP THEM. It's not, and I have the unsightly wall to show for it.)
Here's a great do-it-yourself room divider idea I spotted over at Remodelista from Australia design studio Alwill.
The divider was made with rope, tied to two wooden dowels, one attached to the ceiling and one attached to the floor. For another twist, try using a thick ribbon or colored twine in place of rope.
My friend Marc (of the demolished kitchen fame) asked me one day if I knew of any "backwoods" methods of removing wallpaper from plaster walls as to prevent damage from being done. I didn't - we just tore down the walls that had wallpaper on them (but regretfully so - the paper was gorgeous and vintage, but the plaster behind was as rotten as a jack o'lantern at Thanksgiving).
However, as someone with a house still 80% full of plaster walls and dreams of wallpapering, I figured it was something worth researching.
So after putting my sociology degree to good fact-finding use, I present you with the Internet's best resources on removing wallpaper from plaster walls:
Hands down, this eHow article is the most direct with information, making it a winner in my book. It describes the process in painstaking step-by-step detail, and it gets bonus points for first using vinegar - a non-toxic, enviro-friendly and cheap solution to a messy problem.
If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that we are big-time advocates of Twitter. It's been an incredible channel to share, meet and learn from our readers, friends and industry folks.
One such industry contact that we've taken notice too is Mike Hines of eXapath. Mike is the co-founder of Homepath Products which promotes eXapath, an in-wall media cable routing system.
Traditional home wiring consists of power for lighting and outlets and phone lines. With the proliferation of broadband home computing and home theater, homeowners must pay for expensive retrofitting and also make choices based on how far cables can reach after a wall is already up.
By installing an eXapath in-wall cabling system you can run all of your new media cables such as ethernet and HDMI in wall channels throughout the house.
In the film Thomas Crown Affair, we loved how Pierce Brosnan hid stolen paintings behind an electronically controlled faux piece of art that would raise and lower which provided him access to his secret stash.
The Art Screen from Vutec works in a similar way and instead of hiding contraband it will conceal your big screen TV.
There are numerous pieces of "art" to choose from and they will even do a custom piece of your choosing but that could be costly. The frame styles are also customized by the homeowner and everything is controlled by IR remote.
MSRP is $1,099 and you can install the unit yourself.
The siding you choose has a big impact on how your home looks. When you consider your siding options, also take into consideration your personal taste as well as lifestyle.
When you choose a siding, consider the following:
Stucco siding is probably the most common type of stucco, because of its durability. If a quality stucco is tinted, you may never need to repaint.
Vinyl siding is another popular option. It is made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic, so it won't rot or flake like wood, but it can crack, fade, or grow dingy over time. Because it is plastic, it is also not considered an environmentally friendly option.
Aluminum siding is another option, although it is considered old fashioned. It is durable, but it can dent and fade.
You need more than just duct tape to fix a hole in the ceiling.
To properly repair ceiling holes:
+ No matter how big the whole, be careful and look out for wires for ceiling fans and lighting fixtures.
+ For drywall holes that are very small, use a spackling compound and drywall knife to prevent them from turning into bigger holes.
+ Larger holes, up to about a foot can be repaired using the same materials, plus a plastic mesh patch.
+ Very large holes are harder, as they may require replacing the entire sheet of drywall with a new sheet.
While at one time wainscoting was necessary, it has more recently become a more of style than a function.
Wainscoting can lend an antique look and help it appear more formal. It can be a great accent for a historical house, helping to restore it to its original appearance.
Wainscoting is wood slats placed on the bottom half of a wall, providing a contrasting appearance from the top of the wall, which is generally wallpapered or painted.
Lime mortar has been used for over 3,000 years and was an adhesive for almost every old brick building in the United States. These buildings continue to work best of repointed using the same lime mortar and this video shows how and why.
Ivy covered buildings and homes may be pleasant to look at but the damage they can cause by trapping moisture, harboring insects and averting exterior maintenance.
Vines not only spread out but they grow in girth and can continue to grow unabated for years.
Old House Web shares the basics to removing ivy and vines before you end up with much more damage that will cost you more in the long run.
Simply cut the ivy and vines at the base of the trunks, as close to the roots as possible. Let it die, dry out, begin to decay and crumble. It should be fairly easy to remove the main trunks and branches, but take care not to remove house parts with it. Remember, the walls that have been covered are possibly compromised.
