Finishes and matching
Finishes and matching, so a repair is hard to find afterward
A repair is only good if the wall around it looks the same. Matching means reading the existing finish, making a sample and getting your approval before it goes on the wall.
Old finishes are rarely perfect. A trowelled wall has slight waves, a float finish has its own grain, and ceilings dry differently from walls. We copy what is there, flaws included, rather than make the repair better than the wall.
Paint color matching is your painter's work. We prepare the surface and leave it ready.
What is included
Reading the existing finish under raking light
Sample boards of one or more finishes, shown to you before the work
Smooth trowel, sand and float finishes
Feathering a repair into the surrounding plaster
Priming so your painter can match the color across the wall
What changes the job
What shapes the scope
Cost follows scope, so the written survey names each of these before you see a figure.
The existing finish
A smooth wall is harder to match than a textured one, because every flaw shows.
The size of the area
A small patch can be blended in a day. A whole wall has to be finished in one pass to avoid joins.
Light in the room
A wall lit from a window across it shows every wave. We check the finish under that light before we start.
Number of sample boards
More than two rounds of samples adds time, and we say so in the scope.
How it goes
Four steps, in order
- 01
Step 1: Read the finish
We look at the wall under raking light and note the tool, the texture and the sheen.
- 02
Step 2: Make samples
One or two sample boards are made at the shop or on site, dried and shown to you.
- 03
Step 3: Approve
You choose a sample. For a house under review, the board sees it first.
- 04
Step 4: Apply and blend
The finish goes on in one pass across the repair and is feathered into the wall.
Rules
Permits and rules
Interior finishes don't need a permit. In a local historic district or a building with design rules, an association or commission may want to see the sample before the work. We supply a photograph and a note with each sample.
Examples
Sample scopes
Written the way a survey writes them. Your own scope will name your own rooms.
- Sample
Hall wall
A trowelled finish matched across a 6-foot repair, with a sample board approved first.
- Sample
Front-room ceiling
A sand finish matched where a cornice had been replaced.
- Sample
Stair wall
A repair feathered into the old wall and primed for the painter.
Sample content.
Before you call
Questions about finishes and matching
Can you match any texture?
Most. We make a sample and you decide. A few heavy textures take more than one try, and we say so up front.
Will I see the patch?
In normal light you should not. In raking light across a smooth wall, you may see slight waves, as you can on the original wall.
Do you finish with lime wash?
We prepare the wall for it, and we can recommend a painter who applies it.
Why does a skim coat look different?
A skim coat is flatter than most old walls. We use it only where the wall needs leveling, and we blend it at the edges.
Book a wall survey
Tell us what the wall is doing. We will come and read it, then write down what we found.