Something New…In The Bathroom
I am planning to recreate the lost plaster in most of the rooms in the Cross House. But…in my bathroom, I made an executive decision, based on a lack of time and current low energy levels, to move forward on the room with…oh, dear…sheetrock.
The plaster ceiling in the room was a mess. For years now, I spent many hours staring at it and thinking: can this ceiling be saved?
The final answer? Sure, but by somebody else!
So, in the end, I decided to, ahh, encapsulate it. Meaning that, as of today, while now covered over with sheetrock, the 1894 plaster is still there, as is the plaster from the circa-1929 changes to the room, and plaster from the circa-1950 changes to the room. Maybe, 80-years from now, somebody will take down the sheetrock and think: What idiot covered over all this historic plaster?
That idiot, of course, would be me. A 64-year-old man suffering from a blood clot, reduced energy levels from the blood clot medicine, and now…geez…geez…an attack of gout on my right foot.
Yes, dear readers, I am falling apart, live.
The ceiling. A good chunk was missing. About 2/3 of what remains dates from 1894. The other 1/3 dates from circa-1929 and circa-1950. The 1×4 pine strips are part, I believe, of the circa-1950 renovation, and they held (recently departed) 12×12 acoustical ceiling tiles. I decided to retain the 1×4 pine strips to hang new sheetrock.
With Justin doing most of the work, ably aided by Scott, and with Ross limping along, a new ceiling was installed today.
For seven years I have looked at the mess of a ceiling in this room.
And today?
The ceiling looks a lot better. It is not my ideal solution, true, but…it is better. And the historic ceiling remains in situ. What I have done can later be reversed with no loss to the historic integrity of the house.
Thus, Ross, no matter how much he is falling apart, has not dropped the integrity ball.
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Yay “Keep the historic integrity” Ross!
Good for you!
I will send. $ to you as you are suffering several maladies and don’t have insurance.
Hugs to you!
Baby steps!
Much improved look, while keeping future options open. Well done sir!
Oy vey, gout. I hope it clears up soon.
You always make good choices when it comes to the historical integrity of your home. And this blog will serve as a testament to what was done, and when, and why.
And I meant to add: The gout sounds painful. I’m sending good vibes and healing thoughts your way.
A practical solution which destroys nothing and keeps options open. Good on you, Ross for keeping it simple & clean. 🌻 Nothing lost, much gained.
Something to keep in mind, even the smallest physical or mental “trauma” releases cortisol into the system, which can cause a myriad of new concerns to spring up. Let’s all agree, Ross – you’ve recently had an extra, heaping helping of trauma. It’s time to pay extra attention to health concerns. 💜 Self care is in order.
Hey Ross,
I recommend printing out your documentation of what you are doing, or have done to the house and soring it with the house, and donating a copy to the Emporia library to help preserve the notes any future owner may need.
I do this with every house I own and repair or modify so people don’t make any unnecessary damage while servicing something that may not be obvious.
I may have already said this to you at some point.
That is a really cool idea!
Good idea. I take photos of before, after and sometimes work in progress. I have the bathroom and kitchen on my private website and the hardscape in the yard. But I’ve never made any sort of journal or scrapbook of the work done. It would probably be a good idea. I’ve gone through the photos checking for where studs and electrical were and such. I do have blueprints from the 1949 remodel. Found them on the top shelf of a closet when I moved in. Have always intended to get them framed. Maybe I finally will. They will stay with the house.
Hi Ross, I know what you are doing with the house etc. But please keep in mind, this is your house!! You can do whatever you want. Plastering walls is one thing, but ceilings can not be fun. Once you spackle the screws and paint no one is really going to know. Do what is best for you.
Yes to everyone above, especially Blair; while this blog will hopefully be available in some form 100 years hence, I think that working with local libraries and historical societies to archive it for future access is a wonderful idea!
One of the best things about paper is that it still works if the power goes down. Putting copies in the hands of society’s keepers will endure you are blessed by the future. And the rules of conservation say that as long as it’s reversible, it’s legit. If it falls down it’s much harder to reverse. So carry on!
Wow! R your above readers awesome? Great decision by you – necessary and logical. Gout – I picture you in an English manner with your hounds and rich foods! Take care – I’m sorry you have that – I hear it’s painful. As Mother Teresa said: God doesn’t give me anything that I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much! I am reminded of that as ‘1 more thing’ happens that I can’t handle. Hugs… 🙂
I know this is a compromise you don’t like making but you have preserved what is underneath and it can always be undone. Who knows? Maybe in five years after so much of the rest of the house is done, you may decide to revisit the bathroom ceiling. Or if you hire a plasterer, you can decide to take the drywall down and add the bathroom ceiling to his scope of work. In the meantime, it’s a bathroom. You need a bathroom. The bathroom needs a ceiling. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Maybe once it’s mud and taped and painted you can do some sort of finish on it as a nod to what was underneath.
I’ve started to put the bricks back in my patio after the gas line replacement. I can’t find my bench brush to brush the sand and I need at least two more bags of course sand for the underlayment in order to move on. But it is some progress. It’s 78 and humid so feels like 84. I’ve come in for lunch. I know my limitations and heat is one of them.
I’m sorry you have to add gout to your list of maladies Ross. This is temporary, but oh so painful and discouraging. The solution to the bathroom ceiling is a good one. It’s not like you took the plaster down, it was already gone, so sheetrock and a skim coat of plaster is a good alternative. As all the comments above have said, it can be revisited by you or a new owner decades from now and done the correct way to preserve the integrity of the house. The main thing is you have a finished bathroom and can move in by the end of the year. Number one right now is to take care of yourself.
Good decision. No qualms in doing that. Winter will be here in 6 months and those gaping holes in the ceilings need to go no matter how! IMHO
Medicine will clear up the gout in no time. Lay off red meat and booze for now.
I’m just glad I won’t have to be creeped out about being able to see through the holes in the ceiling all the way up into the third floor while using the facilities next time I visit. It was certainly an…interesting vibe.
Cody-Approved!
Sending lots of love, happy thoughts and prayers for quick recovery, return of energy and end of horrid gout!!!
The thing that I don’t like about drywall in old houses is that it is so often put on top of old plaster and lath. This often covers or obscures moldings. I just don’t like seeing trim moldings on windows and doors that have no sides, because the drywall, with mudding, is too high. I agree with your philosophy that restoring old plaster is far superior to either drywalling on top or taking a wall down to the studs to drywall, when the plaster is restorable.
Morning, Stewart!
The only place I’ve put drywall over plaster is on the ceiling. This impacts zero trim.
If one is going to use drywall, there are specific types of drywall for different applications. Here is a link to a site that tells about them.https://www.thespruce.com/types-of-drywall-845079