09/16/2024
For the cornice painting, we removed and replaced any damaged wood, scraped off loose paint, lightly sanded the surface, nailed down any loose sections, and caulked around all openings. We then applied primer and finished with a full coat of paint across the entire cornice. For the front facade brownstone restoration, we cut back the surface by hand from top to bottom, including all front window moldings, headers, and sills, using a toothed power chisel to reach a sound base and create a rough texture. The surface was cleaned with water and a soft brush before applying a slurry coat made of white Portland cement, type S lime, sand, and water, which was brushed and rubbed into the base. A scratch coat was then pressed into the slurry while still wet, scored for bonding, and kept under 3/8” thick, with a four-hour drying period between coats. Once dry, a finish coat was applied, made of Portland cement, type S lime, sand, crushed stone, and water, with added dry pigments to match the original brownstone color. After curing, we used a diluted hydrofluoric acid wash, and all architectural details and decorative elements were carefully rebuilt to match the original designs, including flowers and column details.
