Archive Record
Images
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Metadata
Collection |
George Douglass |
Archive Number |
GDHRPT8 |
Title |
George Douglass House Restoration Report for the quarter ending March 31, 2019 |
Description |
The Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County, PA., Project ME Number 16709 George Douglass House Project work Accomplished January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019 During the 1st quarter of 2019, our project plasterer (working on his 20th National Register structure) made substantial progress in the interior work, restoring wall integrity in the 2d floor chambers and hallway. This work continued during this quarter with the sensitive removal of later coatings and accretions of lime wash, paint, wallpaper adhesive, coal-soot, and soiling from original finish plaster that was sufficiently stable and well-anchored on the masonry wall substrate [photo #25, 2/15/19]. The original lime-plaster, exposed by this process for the first time in over two centuries, appears to express a soft off-white or light ivory/grey tint, possibly from a small component of local clay, which is a light amber-brown. Under consideration is the application of similarly tinted lime wash to the new plaster finish on walls in the same chamber in order to conform all surfaces to original tonal qualities of surviving intact plaster as much as possible, and to preserve and exhibit historically authentic original surfaces in proximity to new plasterwork. Unstable, de-laminated, and deflected plaster was restored to the proper ceiling-plane with recessed washers where necessary, and missing plaster was infilled with lime plaster base ["scratch"] and finish coatings. Paint and other accretions were scraped off early plaster surfaces, which were then washed with clear water and air-dried with the aid of shop heaters that also provided effective curing temperatures. Fractures were bridged with base and finish coatings after taping. The large area of missing plaster [photo#52, 11/9/18] in the NW chamber ceiling was re-plastered with a brown-coat lime plaster mix [photo # 6, 3/14/19] , and a thin finish coat applied after the base coat had adequately set-up. Platform-scaffolding was erected in each room as work progressed [photo# 21, 4/6/19], and the room temperature consistently maintained above 50 degrees F. during the curing ["setting up"] period for applications of plaster. Defective or missing lath was replaced or stabilized in-place. Historically authentic lime plaster was employed for the base and finish coatings, reinforced with animal hair as found in the original 1765 plaster composition. Each chamber was warmed to 50 degrees+ throughout the curing period for new plaster. Later coatings of paint, wallpaper glue, and fossil-fuel accretions have been removed from several hundred square feet of stable and intact original plasterwork on chamber walls. These wall ranges, fine specimens of pre-Revolutionary War American vernacular craftsmanship, will be preserved as a permanent in-situ exhibit demonstrating undisturbed architectural fabric and un-coated original plaster surface. A segment of original early lath will remain exposed behind Plexiglas in the NW back-chamber as an exhibit of authentic 1765 hand-hewn lath and hand-wrought "rose-head" nail fasteners. A doorway between the two northern chambers was determined to be not original to the pre-Revolution period and was closed up with planking and lath [photo # 62, 11/9/18] and plastered over. Chair railing conforming to the surviving 1765 profile was applied across the former doorway opening [photo #25, 4/6/19]. "Blind" partitions, lacking passage doorways and providing privacy and separation of domestic from mercantile functions in adjacent spaces, were installed between the two northern chambers on the 2d floor, and between the kitchen and southwestern front ("store") room on the first floor [photo # 33, 4/6/19, showing planking ready for lath]. By the end of March, 2019, plaster restoration on the 2d floor of the George Douglass House, both in terms of preservation of original plaster and stabilizing and re-coating compromised segments, had progressed through the majority of plaster walling in the chambers. In addition, 3 of the 4 ceilings had been stabilized, leveled, and re-plastered. All stable original plaster wall segments on 2d floor were restored by removal of non-period coatings and preserving un-compromised plaster on original lath in acceptably uniform plane. Larry Ward |
Date |
April 2019 |
Object Name |
Report |
Catalog Number |
1006.01.054 |
Search Terms |
George Douglass George Douglass House Restoration GDHPRT accretions crack repair original fabric rose-head nail blind partition |
People |
George Douglass |