I'm not sure if you have noticed, but the plaster cornice throughout the house is covered in gloss paint. Traditionally in a house of our age, it would have been painted with a lime wash, which definitely wouldn't have been shiny and glossy. We are also aiming for a more contemporary finish and gloss paint just wouldn't go with the look we are trying to achieve. This is what the cornice was like when we moved in. We tried stripping the cornice with a chemical stripper and in parts ... Read the Post
Search Results for: painting 101
How To Restore A Cast Iron Edwardian Fireplace
This was the fireplace in the dining room when we moved in. We had the gas disconnected straight away as it really wasn't safe to use, but rather than having a huge hole in the wall, we left the fireplace and surround in place until we could find something to replace it with. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long, as one of our lovely neighbours had an original Edwardian fireplace that he no longer needed, and we were able to buy off him. We removed the ugly fireplace and surround and ... Read the Post
How To Stain A Handrail
Two years ago our hallway was - what we can only describe as – brown. As you have already seen, we have painted everything white, restored the front door and replaced the missing stained glass panel. We have also started restoring the staircase, handrail and balustrades. This was the upstairs landing when we viewed the house. The first task was to remove the boards that were covering up the original balusters. (We removed the awful carpet in the hallway, too) Although we are ... Read the Post