It may not have come across in earlier photos, but the ceiling in Living Room 1 was a complete disaster, the structural integrity of which Steven spent all spare time over a three week period to repair. First hundreds of small holes were drilled into the ceiling, following cracks closely.
Then those holes were filled with sizing to prepare the plaster and lathe to respond well to a specialized adhesive. Adhesive was added with a syringe, and the whole thing screwed into tight contact with a flexing, purpose-specific washer to prevent pressure damage.
After several days of carefully monitored drying, all of the hundreds of holes were filled with joint compound, then the entire ceiling meticulously plastered over, effectively covering all sins. Then I spent a stupid number of hours sanding the entire thing by hand so that none of the irregularities created by the repairs would catch the light.
Ceiling primed -- it look even better now with the finish paint, but this is the primer:
Then to cover the appalling red on the walls! This took 3 coats of primer:
This is to be a rich, complex white, which you'll get to see next. But in the image above, note the holly tree through the left window, and the rhododendron in the two right windows. The dead-looking branch in the room is a dormant fig tree.
And that's what we've been doing the last month. Fun, right? I can tell you that the light in this room is downright delicious, and I'm thinking of bringing a lovely grand tour Apollo here from storage in Chicago -- our own private classical wing.
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