Replies

1. 
   RW | Aug 20, 2005 07:53pm | #1

   Yes. Basically first assess what look the plaster you have gives. Then do whatever turns your crank to match it. If your plaster has a sand finish (which was originally done with a float) you can replicate that. No I can't give an exact formula. You'll have to mess with some scraps and see what strikes you. I suspect cutting the mud with plenty of water to make up for what the sand sucks up.

   The only time I was asked to "replicate" the old plaster look, I had to ask several times if they were serious. They were. So for that house, after the DW was up, the whole wall got troweled, mostly smooth, with durabond. The original walls weren't dead flat anymore. Patches were visible, but not necessarily eyesores. They liked the character. So I picked a couple of areas that looked like likely candidates for areas that might sag over time, and humped those out a little with more mud. One place on the ceiling I spent a good deal of time making a slight ridge that ran about six feet to look like a patch. Then it got very thin mud, rolled on with a paint roller, which added a slight stipple which thankfully matched very well with the original plaster + 100 years of paint. Then painted. Worst looking drywall from one perspective. Customer just tickled.

   "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain

2. 
   Huck | Aug 20, 2005 08:54pm | #2

   skip-trowel texture is very popular here in Calif. Looks like a plaster finish, easy to patch. Takes a skilled hand to do it, 'tho.

3. 
   Taylor | Aug 24, 2005 03:29pm | #3

   Do a search (here) on D-mix.