Ceiling Complete

NYC Ceiling Water Damage Restoration

Imagine you are moving. Soon. You are excited. You have chosen your new Big Apple abode with care to meet your location preferences, lifestyle and budget. Your other lease is over, your stuff is packed in boxes, furniture and electronics are ready to relocate. Then you receive a phone call, not from Chicken Little telling you the sky is falling, but from another source telling you the ceiling has fallen. There was a flood in the residence above which ruined the entire ceiling in one large room, leaving ceiling pieces, insulation and all manner of debris on the floor of your new place. And no real ceiling above.

The best plan is to call us at Paintworks and go find an extra large latte, or a big martini, and give us the weekend to fix it all. We did it - for an early-next-week move-in! Our skilled tradesmen removed all the ceiling pieces which had not fallen on their own, then determined what was needed for new framing, insulation and drywall. Ceiling work is quite challenging and requires the same attention to measurements and installation procedures as walls and floors, but it will test one’s biceps strength and blood pressure to the max, working upside down much of the time. Then there’s cutting out precise spaces for recessed lights and ceiling speakers.

For a smooth finish [pun intended], we taped, plastered and primed the new drywall, covering the new insulation, connected to the new framework. Then, we painted it bright white for maximum natural daylight reflection and packed up our floor coverings, brushes, rollers, tools and equipment. We like to think the next call to the new tenant was the happy news that the ceiling was repaired over the weekend. It was again stable and secure, and the time to move in is now.

Starting the work

Installing the Mold Tough Fire Code Drywall

Priming after taping and plastering

Ceiling like brand new after being taken apart for HVAC work.

Tribeca Drywall Repair

An air handler, well, it handles air and is an important component of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system. It looks a bit like a furnace, and its main function is regulating and circulating air throughout a home or building’s duct system. Like much of the unseen HVAC equipment, the air handler is largely unnoticed until it ceases to function properly. While lots of air handlers are in basements or crawl spaces beneath houses, they are often found in multi-story buildings in New York City tucked in between floors and behind walls.

Here in Tribeca, we opened up a large enough part of a ceiling for the HVAC repair company to work. They removed the old unit and installed a new one, leaving the ceiling repair to us. This entailed challenging tasks like working upside down to put up new drywall, while making sure the rest of the ceiling was sufficiently supported during the whole project. Once positioned and fastened securely, we taped and plastered the drywall seams.

And then, when all was dry and smooth, our team once again climbed up the ladders or scaffolding which we had carted to the job site and primed and painted the new drywall. We worked around the embedded ceiling lights and also patched and painted a hallway column which had been opened up to install new HVAC lines. We work closely with lots of contractors, homeowners and property management companies. For us, it’s all in a day’s work, but for others, it can be overwhelming. We don’t hold their hands per se, but we do reassure them that everything will look nice and new when it’s done. And it does. Every time.

Ceiling open for HVAC work.

Column waiting final sanding and painting.

Column open for HVAC work.

Finished with bar counter base, cabinets and new counters

Bar counter prep for smooth plaster, prime and paint

Inwood Kitchen Remodel 

The Hudson and Harlem rivers border much of Inwood, enveloping the neighborhood like arms of a benevolent giant. Parks and river views are abundant at this northern tip of Manhattan, a comfortable 30-35 minute commute back into Midtown. It was in this enchanting setting that we remodeled a kitchen, elevating it from dark to light, old to new, dated to contemporary. Cabinet painting is but one of our many specialties. We replaced the counters and lowered the bar counter for a one-level countertop as well.

The walls and edge under the bar counter needed drywall and all new plaster to render it smooth and ready for soft sage green paint. The cupboards are now creamy white, and the homeowner asked us to remove one cabinet and install floating shelves. We did it. We work diligently and intently, looking from all angles, using leveling tools, anchors, metal framing corners, fresh plaster and the best primer and paints. The end results glowed for being newly rejuvenated.  

Kitchen floating shelves where one cabinet used to be

Kitchen floating shelves in process

Beautiful new counters complete with snack and berry boxes

Where it all began, kind of dark, dated and dingy, huh?