After Demo, Then What?

If you've never had a remodel or renovation in your home, the steps can be a little vague. Often I find it valuable to let clients know what they can expect in terms of work and, consequentially, how long it all takes.

Let's start with a simple remodel of a space. Nearly all of my projects consist of "going down to the studs" as it is called in the industry. This step is referred to as "demo," as in demolition...it is when all the elements of your old space are removed and demolished, often in a delightful flurry of sledge hammers and crow bars, to create a blank slate and make way for your new space! However, if I am dealing with new construction, that leads to the same result: the studs.

And this is where we start this phase of the journey. Studs are what make up the framing of a room. A residential room is typically framed with 2" x 4" or 2" x 6" pieces of wood spaced 16" apart, on their center lines. These pieces of wood are the studs.

Below is a photo of a master bathroom suite I designed. The 2" x 4" framing you see is outlining what will become a new bathroom and master closet.

But here is where things can get a little vague. Mostly of my clients know that the next step is for the walls to go up and then they assume it is done. But there are many time consuming steps in between, performed by skilled, master craftsmen, to achieve walls that are ready to be painted.

The first step is to put up the drywall. This is generally a gypsum board product in a sheet form with paper on the back and front. They typically come in 4' widths with a length ranging between 8' and 16'. The drywall is affixed--normally in a horizontal orientation--to the wood studs and held in place with drywall screws.

Once this is done, the next step is to apply drywall compound (a thick, plaster-y substance sometimes called joint compound or, euphemistically, "mud") to all joints (where two pieces of drywall come together) and over the heads of the drywall screws. Sometimes this is done by a different team. I have seen drywall installers come to affix the drywall only and then pass these next steps to plasterers.

Then over all the joints comes a material called drywall tape. This joint tape gets embedded into the joint compound itself using a trowel blade so the finish is smooth.

This is left to dry for 24 hours.

A 2nd coat of mud is applied on all taped joints and this is left to dry for yet another 24 hours!

Next comes a sanding to knock down all uneven spots or areas where there might be some excess mud. It should look something like the photo below.

Steven Puetzer/Photographer's Choice/Getty Images

The 3rd and final coat of joint compound is often called a skim coat. A smooth skim coat is almost universally desired but it is possible at this point to do what is called a "knockdown" coat which consists of giving the mud a texture. There are many textures with many names. You may have heard people talk about a "popcorn" ceiling, a kind of ceiling finish (usually containing asbestos!) that was popular in the 70s and 80s with a very bumpy surface resembling a layer of popcorn or millions of tiny stalactites. That is an extreme example (it was generally sprayed on instead of applying by a trowel), but there is also "orange peel" texture, a wall version of the popcorn ceiling. And one of the more subtle textures is called a skip trowel texture. While there will still be a few low peaks here and there, it is not as offensive as orange peel or popcorn. But in this day and age, a smooth finish is what everyone agrees looks best.

After the skim coat is applied it must--you guessed it--dry for another 24 hours. You can see how this process takes time and patience. Once a client sees the steps necessary, they have a newfound respect for their home!

To prepare the walls for painting, they are given a final sanding, and are then wiped down with a sponge to remove all the loose dust. Now the wall is ready for a drywall primer. Why a drywall primer? Haven't we reached the end of what could possibly be put on the walls? Well, the drywall primer is made of a PVA or shellac/alcohol-based primer and is applied to seal the porous drywall and joint compound. When you or your painter comes to apply paint, whether latex or water-based, the drywall primer will prevent the paint from soaking into your drywall and joint compound.

It's quite a process...one that surprises those unfamiliar with construction. But your home is important. Think of it as protecting the integrity of your investment as well as enriching the quality of your life within it.

Happy designing!

Three Patterns of Africa: Kuba, Kente, and Mud Cloth

Using ethnic cloth as an accent in interiors is a wonderful way to add character, texture, and pattern. The following three cloths, all hailing from Africa, are beautifully earthy and graphic, and would lend tremendous panache to any space.

Kuba (KOO-buh) cloth is made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, out of raffia. Men grow, harvest, and weave the raffia into a coarse material which is then given to the women who pound the cloth in a mortar to soften it. Once it becomes supple, the women then appliqué geometric patterns to the yardage of the base cloth. The result is a fabric that bears a resemblance to cut velvet. The patterns traditionally vary in a single piece, abruptly shifting from one repetitive pattern to another.

Because of the nature of the raffia, this material is better suited for smaller, decorative items like pillows or displayed as wall hangings and art, but one does see it used on seating and chairs. The first photo below shows a bench upholstered in kuba cloth from West Elm (now discontinued).

Native to the Akan people of South Ghana, kente (KEN-tay) cloth is unique in that it is actually comprised of many individual strips of tightly woven cloth. These strips are woven into a bigger piece of fabric, much like the strapping of lawn chairs, in an "over-under" pattern, creating rich layers of stripes and lines. A hallmark of kente cloth is its bright colors of orange, green, blue, and black.

Below we see it used as a pillow cover for a bright sitting area by Glenn Gissler.

Mud cloth from Mali, also called bògòlanfini (bow-hoe-lan-FEE-nee), is dyed and patterned using fermented mud high in iron content which lends the rich rusts, browns, and blacks characteristic of this fabric. The room below uses mud cloth and kuba cloth! Like kuba and kente cloth, mud cloth also features highly geometric patterns with, generally speaking, extra thick lines.

Mud cloth is perfect for using in upholstery because of its thicker, near-burlap-like texture which holds up well on chairs and sofas. It looks good on simple pieces of furniture as seen in the desk chair in the first photo below, but it also looks amazing on antique or European pieces like the Louis XV chair in the second photo below. Remember Design Mantra #1: "Contrast brings interest!"

I used a piece of authentic mud cloth as a tree skirt under an African themed holiday tree I created a few years ago for a charity called The Holiday Designer Showhouse, here in Northern California. You can read the original post here.

I have access to many sources of fabric which invoke kuba, kente, and mud cloth, but also know where to get the original versions of these cloths. If you would like to reupholster a chair, or create some custom pieces of furniture utilizing these stunning fabrics, give me a call!

Happy designing!