Today was the day we plastered the first of the curved ceilings in the new house. To eliminate any seams we needed to complete the whole room in one day - no small task. There was only one way to do the job. We imported some experienced help. Phoenix and Annie, both former employees joined us for the day. Phoenix now has his own business and Annie works with him. They also brought with them some specialized equipment and some wonderful additives for the concrete mix that would make the task easier and quicker.
We started first thing in the morning, with big Matt mixing the concrete in our machine which we affectionately call the 'purple people eater' out where the deck will be and then used Phoenix's concrete pump to transport it to the top floor. It sure was a lot easier and faster than carrying the heavy buckets up the stairs! Then, Phoenix, Annie and I troweled it on to the upside down and concave curved surfaces - no easy task.
After a quick lunch it was time to use sponges to smooth things out and give it all a uniform texture. Everyone helped with the task of sponging as it has to be done quickly, before it hardens (forever!). Little Matt joined us when he got home from his job. We were going for the hand done look - slightly humpy bumpy but smooth so it is easy to care for down the road.
Here's a pic of today's fine crew.
The finished ceiling looked great! It has an old fashioned, antique feel to it. With the traditional wainscoting on the lower portion of the walls, plus a dark wood floor this area should be really cool. Things will look really different once the bare, hanging light bulbs are changed out for the proper pot lights that will shine down instead of across the ceilings.
Today was a great day! Tomorrow we'll do it one more time.
-grampa dan
