Greetings From Scenic Oakland!

[lisascenic]

I'd be happy to post photos. I'm heading out of town today, to go bird watching, but I'll try to get photos this weekend.

If it is any consolation, consider this: Here in California, we only get rain in the winter months. So far, we've had rain *once* and are in a severe state of drought. The bulk of the state's water comes from the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada. And, well, there isn't any.

[lisascenic]

[img=center]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3672/11659091884_1fc204e4fa.jpg[/img]

I know you wish you had my life.

http://howsrobb.blogspot.com/2013/12/st ... lways.html

[lisascenic]

[img=center]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/11762653344_cf682def98.jpg[/img]

We're scraping the peeling paint off of the scored-plaster "tile" in our bathroom. This is dreary work, and it's hard to keep a sunny attitude when you've got your face shoved next to the toilet.

http://howsrobb.blogspot.com/2014/01/th ... oject.html

[img=center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjV9bAjCatk/Ur4dz_Hj-jI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/t0wGQ1puJHI/s640/Bathroom+Sketch.jpg[/img]

[Kansas.1911]

Would you talk about your vision for the scored plaster tile? I spent part of the winter break pulling wallpaper from around a toilet. And elsewhere.

Our adult daughter purchased a house infested with wallpaper so my husband and I wanted to give her some help. We got the wallpaper pulled from two baths and a laundry. There's only a three season porch to go, and it has wallpaper on the ceiling if you can picture that.

To get all the wallpaper out of the house, she pulled one room, hired professionals for some, and left some for us (nice of her). I feel great knowing we gave her a boost.

So I've been there with you in the bathroom. Carry on.

[lisascenic]

My plan is to paint it a pale terra cotta. And then when I have a bit more time, I'll paint a glaze over that with a more saturated glossier paint, to make it look more ceramic-y. Essentially, we're doing a base coat. And letting it cure for the next six months.

This current flurry of activity is to get the bathroom into a less-disgusting condition, in time for house guests later this month.

I've got a crazy idea for the bathtub, but that's for the future.

[Kansas.1911]

Ah, yes, the "deadline" approach to home improvement.

I love the idea of hand-painted terra cotta. A base coat that cures for six months is new to me, but if anybody knows painting, you do.

[lisascenic]

In truth, "curing" is a fancy way of saying "is totally ignored for the next six months."

[lisascenic]

[img=center]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/11954820163_9ebbf8890f.jpg[/img]

I've started re-surfacing the damaged plaster tile board. I'm using a mixture of joint compound, white latex paint, and white glue. We use variations on this recipe all the time in theater.

[img=center]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2878/11954665795_c1c1f71734.jpg[/img]

[Gothichome]

Lisa, what am I looking at? The top pic is that an after pic or what you started out with? The concoction sounds like a great mixture for maybe minor repairs of plaster. Not the gaping crack tyle but the the fine spider web ( for lack of a better word)type cracks. I'd be interested in the final outcome.

[lisascenic]

I wrote a blog post about this. What you're seeing is my "spa treatment" for my plaster tile board. I'm just doing a bit of filling in. And I rather liked the patterns the masking made.

http://howsrobb.blogspot.com/2014/01/re ... board.html