Plaster Cornice Reconstruction

Project: Federal-Style Home, Episode 2, Part 2



Bob gets a look at how the newly framed addition will blend gracefully into the back of the old house, adding a considerable amount of expanded living space. Restoration contractor Richard Marks explains how they're reproducing damaged sections of the elaborate, early 19th-century plaster cornice in the dining room. And Bob takes a tour of the spectacular home of Nathaniel Russell, one of Charleston's wealthiest merchants of the Colonial period.
Part 1: Federal-Style Home Layout
Part 2: Plaster Cornice Reconstruction
Bob surveys the plaster cornice in the project home. Water damage has ruined a large section and much of the remaining plaster needs repair. Bob and restoration contractor Richard Sparks discuss the different elements of the reconstruction process.
Part 3: Nathaniel Russell House Tour
Bob Vila tackles the revitalization of an exquisite Federal-style home, built in the early 1800s, which survived the Civil War but barely survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989. A major aspect of the project is the painstaking process of restoring the original plaster ornamentation and woodwork to their original detail.

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