I have a unique problem I hope someone can help me with. We have an Art Deco bungalow built around 1925 in Mount Holly, NJ. All the interior walls were hand painted with lovely art deco designs. The living room and dining room even have specific designs pressed into the plaster walls. A large amount of these have been painted over...sigh...with flat latex paint. Is there a way to remove these layers of paint without destroying the hand painting underneath? I would love to be able to restorr the walls to their original beauty. Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated.

-- Linda O'Neill (operaghost666nj@hotmail.com), August 08, 2001

Answers

Dear Ms. O'Neil, A competent restorer can remove the latex paint layer safely and restore any losses. If you like we can provide an on-site consultation. www.naplesstudio.com.

C Naples

-- Christopher naples (cn@naplesstudio.com), February 12, 2002.

I had a girlfriend in art college that was a historic preservationist and she would first take a sample off the wall to see how many layers of paint there were. The process is long to safely remove each layer of paint but they have the knowhow and the materials to do so. My suggestion is to contact the nearest historic preservation branch through the net.

-- Mike Moon (mm@m360.com), June 24, 2004.