An 1870s Mid-Cambridge brick townhouse — 4 narrow floors connected by a steep staircase, original lath-and-plaster walls, deep Victorian crown moldings throughout. The owners wanted a contemporary warm-neutral palette that didn't fight the historic detail.
The challenge
Plaster walls in 150-year-old townhouses have settling cracks that show through fresh paint unless you skim-coat them. The narrow staircase meant no room for sprayers, scaffolds, or even two painters side-by-side — all 4 floors done by hand. Plus moving paint and materials up four flights of stairs every morning is the kind of detail that makes a quote come in higher than ground-floor work.
What we did
- Skim-coat 25+ plaster cracks across 4 floors
- Spot-prime patches with drywall primer to even out porosity
- BM Regal Select in Monroe Bisque on walls — warm but soft enough not to compete with the moldings
- BM Advance Decorator's White on all trim, hand-brushed for clean cut-lines
- Original windows protected with daily masking — no scraped sash glass
- Day-by-day staging to minimize stair-traffic with paint buckets
The result
Historic character preserved, plaster crisp, the staircase finally a focal point rather than a transit zone. Owners moved books and art back in the day we left.