Cornice & ceiling rose restoration

I’ve been posed one question often recently which is; do you use a chemical paint remover or steam machine to remove paint from a cornice/ceiling rose. In this post I’ll explain my preferred choice, and a brief summary of the two options.

I use a chemical paint remover; however, I can easily argue for and against in this debate. For one, I’ve never encountered a problem myself using a chemical (although I’ve heard many others have). The chemical I prefer to use must be applied and left for a minimum of 24 hours to take effect which can seem time consuming and costly to the client. Once the chemical has been removed, the distemper and general build-up of dirt must be removed with lots of clean water, various brushes and ‘picking tools’. On average, one would hope to apply and remove 3 metres of paints per day, including the cleaning with water. There must be strong health and safety measures adhered to when carrying out this method as the chemical is extremely potent – I have the scars to prove this! As long as the chemical isn’t left on the plaster for more than the recommend maximum allowance of 72 hours, then there is no reason for the plaster to be damaged. A test patch is always recommended before carrying out any extensive work to determine the suitability of the chemical for the job (there are lots of chemicals available for use).

The steam method is an interesting one which I’ve seen used to good effect. There are two reasons I choose not to use it which are as follows:

1)    I don’t like to pressure water into old plasterwork for obvious reasons. Although you can debate that you may only need to use the same amount as required in the chemical method, I don’t like the fact it is forced in with a pressure gun.

2)    Adding water is one thing, but boiling hot water puts me off even more. Although I haven’t tested this in a lab, my gut instinct tells me that this method brings more risk and therefore more chance of damaging the existing plasterwork.

As previously mentioned, I’ve seen other companies use the steam method correctly with an equally fantastic outcome, and I’m sure that I could find bad attempts on both options. Perhaps I’m just a one trick dinosaur who likes what he knows and knows what he likes!

Listed Buildings

There can be some confusion with regards to listed buildings – so I thought id write a short explanation to highlight the important bits which I hope you’ll find useful.

So, what is a listed building? A building is listed when it is deemed to be of important architectural or historical importance and therefore is worth protecting.

How many categories are there for listed buildings? 3. Grade I Grade II* and II with grade I buildings being the most significant. Over 90% of listed buildings are Grade II.

How do I know if my property is listed? Here is a link from Historic England’s website. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/ type in your post code or address to see if the proposed building is highlighted.

What does purchasing a listed building mean regarding future works, such as extensions or renovations? When a building is listed it simply means that there are extra measures in place to control what changes can be made both internally and externally. It is often the case that you will need to apply for consent before carrying out any works. The person you need to contact is often a conservation officer who works for your local authority.

I own a listed building in need of major renovation, where do I begin to start getting advice on how I can renovate it? The first person you should contact is a relevant experienced trade/craftsperson. For example, I have been tasked with writing several plaster reports to assess the current state of the plasterwork in listed buildings. My report which includes necessary and advisory information is relayed to a conservation officer who will liaise with the client to decide the best course of action. It is often the case that damaged plasterwork must be reinstated using the same materials as were originally used – although the method of course is down to the craftsperson.