DIY Network

Dining-Room Makeover: Walls and Ceiling From "Restoration Realities" episode DRTR-104

	The historic West Village district in Detroit is the setting for this episode's restoration project -- renovating a dining room in a 1907 home.
	The dining room BEFORE the renovation.

In this episode, DIY's Restoration Realities helps with the renovation of the dining room in a 1907 Queen-Anne in a working-class area of the historic West Village district in Detroit. In this third segment, work continues on ceiling repairs, then priming and painting gets underway.

Materials used in this episode:

Two 5-gallon buckets of gypsum drywall mud
Wallpaper stripper
Two 2-1/2-gallon garden sprayers
Plenty of hot water
Plaster
Gallon of bonding primer
Paper tiger (wallpaper-removal tool)
Cordless screw gun or drywall gun
Shop-vac
Several 1-gallon and 5-gallon buckets
Putty knives or five-way painters tools
Utility knife
6" and 10" to 12"-wide taping knife
Rubber base grout float
Large cellulose sponges
Scouring pads
1 bag of lime-based finish plaster
Drywall-sanding paper
Gel stain to touch up the base trim
Rags
Plaster washers
2" drywall screws
Paper drywall tape
Ladders and walk boards (or mobile scaffolding)
Drop-cloths and sheet-plastic
Paint poles
Roller frames and roller covers
2" and 3" paint brushes
Angle-sash paintbrush

Safety Alert: Parts of this project require the use of eye protection and dust masks.

advertisement

Walls and Ceiling Repair, Continued

Since it was discovered that some of the original ceiling had brown brittle beyond repair, and released from the lath, it had to be removed. After taking out the crumbling plaster, Chris removed the cove molding. The lath appeared to be in good shape. Chris opted to replace the missing plaster with drywall cut to size (figure A).
• The drywall was attached using drywall screws and a screw gun (figure B).

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

• Once the wallpaper was removed from the walls, it was found that the plaster walls were in very good shape (figure C).

• All that was required to get them ready for priming and painting was a light skim coat with gypsum compound to seal them.

• Application Tip: Place a small amount of compound on the application paddle, then scrape the compound off the edges of the blade before applying compound to the wall. In that way, excess compound doesn't "bleed" over the edges of the blade as you apply it. Apply the compound to the wall in light, straight strokes (figure D).

• The skim coat needs to dry for about 20 minutes before can be sanded and painted.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

• With the ceiling plaster secured with plaster washers (and the severely damaged areas repaired by installing with drywall), and a bonding primer applied, a thin layer of gypsum compound can be applied. This will provide a smooth surface and help conceal the areas where the old paint was chipped (figure E).

• Whether you're using gypsum compound or plaster, the application technique is similar. Apply a thin coat of compound with the wide blade (figure F).

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

  Apply the compound in long, even strokes and filling in any low spots (figure G).

• Then go back with a wide-blade scraper to level the surface (figure H).

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

  	Figure I
  	Figure J

• With the walls coated with a skim coat, and the coat dried, sand the surface using a sanding block (figure I).

  Sanding Tip: When sanding walls with existing horizontal or vertical seams, sand across the seam -- rather than directly right on top of it -- to avoid gouges or uneven spots. You'll know you've sanded sufficiently when you can run the palm of your hand across the seam, and you can't feel a difference from the rest of the smooth wall.

  Safety Alert: Sanding the walls generates lots of extremely fine dust. Be sure to wear a dust mask when sanding.

• After sanding, cover the freshly patched areas with new construction primer to seal the new gypsum compound. This is sometimes termed "spot priming" or "flash priming" (figure J). You'll only need to apply this primer to the areas where gypsum compound or drywall compound has been applied.
  

  Figure K

• Finally, after sanding of the walls and ceiling is complete, application of primer can begin (figure K). One application technique is to load the roller with paint, then roll a large "W" pattern on the wall, to spread the paint evenly across the surface. Then, go back and fill in the remaining areas for a solid coat.

  Priming Tip: To save time and money, rather than using plain white primer, you can tint the primer to the same color as your finish-coat color

• Once the primer has dried, the walls and ceiling can be given a fresh coat of paint.
  

  
  

  
  

  RESOURCES :
  

  Victorian: American Restoration Style
  Model: 0879058870
  Author: Joan M. Brierton
  Publisher: Gibbs Smith Publishers
  Order this title from Amazon.com.

  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes
  Author: George Nash
  Publisher: Taunton Press
  ISBN: 1561585351
  Order this title from Amazon.com.
  

  Renovating and Restyling Older Homes: The Professional's Guide to Maximum Value Remodeling
  Author: Lawrence Dworin
  Publisher: Craftsman Book Company
  ISBN: 1572180293
  Order this title from Amazon.com.
  

  Selecting and Renovating an Old House: A Complete Guide
  Author: United States Department of Agriculture
  July 2000
  Publisher: Dover Publications
  ISBN: 0486409562
  Order this title from Amazon.com.

  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	Dining-Room Makeover: Introduction
  	Dining-Room Makeover: Removing Old Paint and Wallpaper
  	Dining-Room Makeover: Walls and Ceiling
  	Dining-Room Makeover: Finishing Touches