Where's Norm Abram when I need him? Actually, I suspect if the "This Old House" crew ever got a look at our home improvement projects, they would run screaming.
Exhibit A: The blurry picture to the right. This is what the walls in our bedroom look like. I don't know when they were last painted. They make me feel like I'm sleeping in a cell in Alcatraz. These are lath and plaster walls. Know what's stuffed into the walls? Horse hair. Oh yes. I'm sure it goes without saying they are original walls.
It also goes without saying that they are in beyond terrible condition. I will eventually paint the room, but the amount of prep work before I can do that is ridiculous. A normal person would have just ripped the whole wall out and replaced it with drywall. But we're not normal. We like our horse hair, and spackle is a lot cheaper. Plus, A. is a self-proclaimed artist in spackling and plastering. Good thing. He very tactfully informed me that I am not "well-schooled in the ways of old houses." Indeed. I rely heavily on his artistry.
So please excuse me. As the photographic evidence clearly demonstrates, we have a lot of work to do.
Maybe you could get Bob Vila to help you, since he's no longer busy with This Old House.
ReplyDeleteI recognize these walls! I have had several like that in my time (however, none containing anything as interesting as horsehair though). And it is really tedious, but spakle is doable....Horsehair makes excellent insulation though I would think, and probably better for your health than tyvek and drywall! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteRemind me sometime to tell you about our bathroom ceiling debacle, installing a bathroom fan through said horsehair. And joint compounding and painting the ceiling only to discover that old horsehair plaster hold A LOT of moisture when, two days later, the entire ceiling started to peel. It was very, very, very sad.
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