Westchester county, NY

specialist finishes, restoration, decorative painting

Context

I was originally brought in to address water staining on the timber ceiling of a large former outbuilding that had been converted into a living space. Once on site, it became clear that the ceiling had previously been finished using a translucent faux finish over pine boards, and that the water stains were only part of a wider patchwork of repairs and mismatched finishes.

My involvement

My role evolved from fixing a couple of damaged areas into understanding and reconstructing the evolution of the existing finishes across the space.

Areas of rotten timber had already been replaced, and the new boards needed to tie in with the surrounding ceiling. Other areas had been painted solid in unsuccessful attempts to blend previous work. Rather than treating each issue individually, I developed a series of finishing approaches to restore continuity across the room while preserving the character of the original space.

While on the project I also woodgrained windows to relate to an adjacent feature wall and developed a lighter whitewashed finish for the brick after unsuccessful sample attempt by another.

Before – water staining, new wood, old patched repairs, solid paint color rather than woodgrain finish

After – blended wood finish and white washed brickwork

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Key Moments

• Identifying that the existing ceiling was not natural aged timber but a decorative faux finish built over visible pine boards
• Matching replacement pine by rebuilding color and recreating the combed grain effect rather than simply staining the wood
• Correcting earlier repair attempts where solid paint had interrupted the continuity of the finish
• Developing a softer whitewash to retain the texture of the brick while removing evidence of earlier sample areas
• Creating the illusion of spacing and shadow in newly installed boards where construction details differed from the original ceiling
• Extending finishing techniques across windows and surrounding surfaces so the room read as one cohesive space

Outcome

What began as a ceiling repair became a wider restoration of the room’s character. By rebuilding and reconnecting the various finishes, the space retained the atmosphere and age of the original structure while feeling intentional and resolved rather than patched together.

unsuccessful “lime wash” attempts by another

Approved whitewash finish – I had to “disappear” the prior attempts and reintroduce some mortar lines first

The ceiling in the adjacent room was to be painted white but I could see that the new boards had been incorrectly spaced to match the gap between the original boards opposite, and I knew this would become apparent once the ceiling was painted.

Simple black lines, taped and painted, allowed the new side to mirror the existing