| Location | Phoenix (21131), MD |
|---|---|
| Service | Plaster skim coat |
| Property | Cape Cod-style house |
The situation
This homeowner in Phoenix, in northern Baltimore County, took the chair rail off two plaster walls in a bedroom. A chair rail comes off in an afternoon, but it leaves a mess: nail holes every couple of feet, a strip where the paint stops or changes color, and often torn paper or chipped plaster where the rail was glued as well as nailed. The owner wanted the two walls to look like they had never had a rail at all.
Why a skim coat and not spot patching
You could fill each nail hole and sand the edge of the old paint line, but on a plaster wall that almost never disappears. The filled spots absorb paint differently, and the band where the rail sat stays slightly proud of or below the rest of the wall. Under a lamp or side light from a window, you can still read exactly where the rail was.
A skim coat covers the full width and height of each wall with a thin layer of plaster, trowelled flat. That gives the whole wall the same surface and the same porosity, so the finish paint goes on evenly.
What we did
- Prepped both walls: filled the deeper holes and gouges left by the rail fasteners and removed anything loose along the old rail line.
- Hand-trowelled a skim coat across each wall from corner to corner and from ceiling to baseboard.
- Left the walls smooth and ready for paint.
The bigger project behind it
While we were there, the homeowner also asked about a much larger job: new insulation going into the top floor of the house. That floor is two bedrooms of roughly 12 by 14 feet with sloped Cape Cod ceilings, plus a hallway and landing. Sloped ceilings in a Cape Cod are where plaster often takes the most abuse, from heat and cold in the attic space directly behind them. A skim coat job like this one is a good way for a homeowner to see our work before deciding on the bigger one.
Have a similar problem?
Call or text (443) 806-8077 for a written estimate. We will look at the job, explain what is going on and give you a clear price before any work starts.
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