The wall
Wednesday • February 04 • 11:44 PM • Filed under: Casco Viejo
"They don't build them like this anymore" aptly describes these old buildings in Casco Viejo. Sometime that's good, sometime not so good. Our apartment is quite typical in that it has exterior walls that are at least two FEET thick and a lot can be happening inside those walls. Damp, sometimes wet, walls are one of those bad things and we had a couple problem areas. We had considered a couple of different solutions and decided to . . .
Bring in the experts. Alfredo came highly recommended by a company that does a lot of renovation work in Casco Viejo. He explained the options and we decided to try two different approaches. At the head of the stairs one of his guys has been working for two days, chipping away the multiple layers of plaster (cement) that cover the old stone walls. When he finishes he'll apply a clear coating that let's the walls breath and we will have another nice section of exposed stone.
The first picture shows the area plastered. The second shows Jose about half done with the eight foot problem area. In places the plaster was four inches thick and this was one of those jobs where watching is much better than doing.
In a bedroom we are trying a more traditional method, a waterproof coating over the plaster, to give us an idea of which method is better. Alfredo also had a carpenter come in an put a wood cap on the metal railing that goes to the second floor. Everything is "lookin" good. They will probably finish up on Friday.
Kitchen next week (we hope), stay tuned. Take care.