Who-da thunk? Historically wallpaper paste, known commonly as "sizing," is made from Wheat Flour! Well, now doesn't that just pose a bit of a dilemma.
See, I have this ceiling that I want to paper with a neat-o blown acrylic tin-look wallpaper.
Here's the ceiling:
So, I'm reading instructions all over the webs and stuff. Like, yeah, that's plaster. Actually, I think it's horse hair lath. My house took it's form somewhere between 1886 and 1900; the census data, deed, and city maps all disagree. The deed says 1903, the maps give range from 1886-1908 since they weren't produced regularly, the census shows 13 people aged 2 - 52 living in this tiny 4 room dewlling during 1900. So it appears to have been here by 1900, at least to some extent. More research needed. Regardless, though, the original wall stuff is still what composes the interior throughout. I stripped these walls of their many many layers of paint and old paper, and primed, but that's just normal primer sealer. Not wallcovering primer sealer. I didn't know, when I painted, that there was a difference. But it's sounding like that's less of a quandary when there's plaster in question than there would be with dry wall. Outside of the redone bath, there is no drywall in this house. So I'm pondering, because I wasn't really considering doing more priming. I have to read the primer bottle again, from the primer I did get, need to find out exactly what I do have slathered up there.
Got the primer at Construction Junction when they still sold paint for $5 a gallon. Oh how I miss that paint selection. They say it was too costly to them to continue their salvaged paint sales. My version of being low VOC and saving the earth stemmed from wanting to save money. But when I thought about it more I realized that the used paint was going to give off it's VOC anyways, and then land in a landfill, so the fact that I was using it was decreasing the ecological foot print, and I was saving money too. That's a good oops. Did you know that if you take a sealable container to Home Depot, they will put paint tint in it for you for free? So I can touch up the colors I have with paint tint at no cost. The clerk looked at me really weird, but he handed it right over, with the blessing "if you really want it?" They did the same for my mom on a distinctly separate occasion, and for a friend of my mom's whom she learned of this from, so there is a pattern of behavior here.
Except for the bad sound quality and goofy looking person, this is a pretty darned good tutorial. However I bet he's just plain crazy for using sissors to trim the edges; I like the way lowes demonstrates trimming, instead. So I need a straight edge trim guide. Yes, you heard me! There actually is a tool I don't already have. OH MY! (I also still don't own a monkey wrench. I think I'm afraid of attracting monkeys.)
To re-prime or not to re-prime. That is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to... rely on the non-pourous nature of historic plaster, or to oppose the work I've thus far endeavored to bring more paint and risk ruining the painted surfaces I've created with new primer splatter.
Yup. That is indeed the question.
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