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• REPAIR PLASTER ART S PATCH

The top surface of this scratch coat is then scored to prepare it to receive the second or brown coat. The plasterer forces the wet mixture thickly through gaps in the lath to form “keys” that harden and lock the coat in place as it cures. Three coats of wet plaster are applied in layers to the lath: the scratch coat, the brown coat, and the finish coat. Illustration by Rob Leanna based on Kathy Bray What is a 3-Coat Plaster System?Ī traditional multi-coat plaster system begins with a substructure of lath-thin wood slats or metal mesh-that’s attached to the wall framing.

Three-coat plaster is a system of multiple layers that work together to form a strong, sound-dampening, fire-resistant wall. About 150 years ago, a new component, gypsum, was added to the sand and lime mixture to enable the plaster to cure more quickly and allow for faster working times. Historically, plaster consists of dry components including sand, lime, and cattle hair (or straw or manure) mixed with water to create a wet, plastic medium that cures and hardens as it dries. More serious repair problems include delamination, bulging walls, and key failure, where plaster has broken loose from its grip on the lath substructure.Īpplied with craft and skill, interior plaster is a near-magical building material for creating and coating walls and ceilings. The most common type of damage to plaster is cracking, progressing from the superficial and easily repaired to deeper and wider cracks that require multiple repair techniques.

REPAIR PLASTER ART S PATCH

It’s much easier to repair cracks or patch holes with this versatile material than with drywall. In many cases, problems with plaster can be fixed. If sections or entire walls need attention, don’t let the idea of working with old plaster intimidate you. The result was a shinier, more vibrant gold trim than before Joseph’s accident.Many houses built before about 1950 retain at least some of their original plaster walls. Painting on the trim was painstaking, and the metallic paint took two or three layers in some sections. I was glad I’d thought ahead to build up a new neckline in the sections where I’d layered up the Bondo. The final step involved adding gold trim to both the robe and tunic. Then I applied the colors quickly so I could feather the colors while they were wet on the statue. I used plastic cups, which I would fill with the base color, then add a splurt of either white or darker green (with a squirt of black) and do a quick pre-mix on the side of the cup. The green color(s) I chose turned out to be slightly less olive-tinted than the original, but it was still pretty close.īuilding up the shadows and highlights was a gradual process. I painted the brown robe first, giving it two coats before starting to lay in highlights and shadows. In the end, though, I just relied on memory and photos from my phone. I’d actually considered hauling Joseph to Home Depot so I could compare paint cards/samples to the actual statue. I assumed all along that I wouldn’t be able to match the original paint colors exactly. It took me about a week to get the torso to the point where the statue’s base was solid enough to reattach the head. Bondo cures quite quickly, so I would slap on a coat, let it sit for a couple of hours, then smooth out the jaggies with my shoe rasp before applying another layer. The jagged surface of the dried Bondo compound and the rough interior tended to rip open the gloves, so I had to wash my hands a lot.Īfter the cracks were patched from the inside, I started the repairs to the outside. It took three layers to get the interior repairs good and solid. I taped the gaps from the outside, mixed up the Bondo, put on a double layer of plastic gloves and slopped on the bondo with my fingers. Since Joseph’s head was off, I began the repair by patching the major cracks from the inside.

It’s an epoxy-like substance that contains fiberglass fibers, making it stronger than just about anything else I could’ve used. Bondo is usually used for automotive bodywork. After doing some research online, I decided to use Bondo for the main repairs to the plaster statue.