I just bought a 1925 home that I am restoring. Both the exterior and inteior wall surfaces look like stucco, but I’ve been told by a neighbor, whose grandfather built the home used a technique called “pebble-dash”, and I’d like to learn more about it.
I would like to know how it was done so I can repair the surfaces to their original condition.
The interior is plaster on lath, and the finish is like a fine stucco, a really beautiful texture that we will probably glaze when repairs are done. (Nice old stained pine trim too, just refinished all of it. ) So far I’ve tried stippling wet drywall compound with a sponge, then rounding it over just before it hardens, we tried adding a little bit of fine gravel in the mud, and that’s close. My next attempt will involve using a wet popcorn mix and trowling it on.
It almost looks like they originally applied the plaster with gravel or something in the mix, then wiped it with a wet brush to round over the texture before it dried. There aren’t any brush marks in the plaster, just a nice even nubbly stucco look.
Thanks for the help!
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I'm not exactly sure but I think its blown on.... out of a gun which gives it that pebble look. Wouldnt swear to it though. I could be wrong. Its known to have happened.
a
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Hey 3pin, Welcome to breaktime.
Was curious if the texture looks like it was placed originally with the plaster or looks as if it was a later applied covering during a remodeling phase.
Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
The other...proper application of risk.
The pebbles are blown on to a wet sand and cement mix 'plastered' (or rendered might be the right term) on to the wall. I've never seen it here on the US Gulf Coast, but it's common in the UK.
If noone here is familiar with the process, you might try searching around some British builders forums or maybe websites for more information. Slainte.
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The poster formerly known as Sgian Dubh
typically it is still ####stucco finish, though I've mostly seen it used on the exterior.
It could be a wet dash or a dry dash. The dry dash invloved using a paddle and tossing pebbles or maybe crushed brick, I've also seen them with pieces of glass, onto a wet base already applied to the wall. In the wet dash, the pebbles are mixed into the stucco on the whole thing is tossed, with some sort of scoop, much messier. <g>
Maybe you can find an old stucco or plaster contractor in your area that could do it or show you how.
Barry
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The pebble dash is put on with a hand held hopper,load it from
the top,turn the handle and use a spraying motion.
Render about a sq yrd at a time and pebble dash,overlap the next
sq yrd by a couple of inches.
good luck.
So I assume that my wife would not approve of me doing this with furniture in the house eh?
After looking closely, I do see some rough brush marks in the plaster, so it seems that it might be blown on, then maybe hit with a wet brush to even out the texture. It's not as pronounced as a popcorn ceiling. I'll fool with it and post back with the results-----BEFORE we move in!
Pinhead, hey great name! ;)
The stuff you're talking about is something I've only seen on the exterior. I've also heard it called "marblecrete", although I'm sure there's dozens of names for it.
A friend of mine had some of it replaced on his 1912 house, and the work was done by some Irish guys. For whatever reason, a lot of them seem to get involved with traditional plaster work.
Whatever it's called, just remember that the work was done in 1925, so they didn't use any high tech tools for the application. From what my friend told me, the Irish guys just tossed the pebbles into the wet finish coat by hand. An almost infinite number of effects may be produced by applying the pebbles in different patterns, and using different sizes and shapes of pebbles.
I would imagine you should start with something along the lines of mortar or whatever it is that stucco is made out of. Call a stucco supplier and ask them to suggest a product. I don't think that drywall compound is the same beast.
Ragnar
Thanks for the suggestions!
3pinhead refers to my other life dodging trees in WVa. on telemark skis. The mantra is "ski good---- or eat wood".
I'm going to try both methods, I'd really like to learn the technique, and as the request for pictures from another post, I'll do that sometime this week, still running back & forth to finish 2 jobs.
Another question and some ideas on the stucco and plaster. Has the stucco been painted or can you still see the indivdual pieces of gravel? If you can then it will be hard to match the mix of the original pebbles. The way this was done in the old days was to use a coal scuttle and coal scoop and throw with force the pebbles into the wet brown coat. The brown coat was often made with white Portland in order to provide more contrast. Canvases were spread to catch the pebbles that did not stick so they could be reused. They were pressed in with a trowel or maybe a wood float.
The interior plaster sounds like an ordinary sand finish The finish plaster was either whitecoat or Keenes cement or plain gypsum plaster. The finish was achieved with a carpet float. The wet float was rubbed around the finish before it set and this raised the aggregate to the surface. The modern replacement of the carpet float is a sponge float. In a house as old as yours it has been painted numerous times. Look under a molding or a door casing and see what the finish looked like before it was painted. For patching very small areas you can probabaly achieve the same look with a quick setting drywall joint compound with some sand in it. If it is larger than a few square feet you should use plaster. float the finish with a sponge float and see how close you come to the original.
Let us know what you do and how it turns out. We like to learn here.
Thanks for the tips. I'll be fooling with it in the next couple of days, but will be offline until I get moved & set back up again. I will post with results as soon as I get moved in.
There is "Pebbledash" and "Slapdash" (true)
With pebbledash a coat of cement/sand/lime render is put over the brickwork -- or whatever and it is scratched to form a key.
The next coat is applied and while it is still wet crushed gravel, about 1/4", is 'dashed' into the surface. The guy who showed me used a small trowel to 'dash' the gravel into the plaster (he also showed me a few new words when it poured down half an hour later and washed it all off)
With "Slapdash" it's basically the same principle but instead of crushed gravel you use about 1/2" dia. pebbles and the render all mixed together -- but wetter than you would use to plaster with -- and 'slap' it on to the base coat.
-- and describing that takes me back about 50 years!!
IanDG
How about some PIctures. You all have got my curiousity going now. I would love to see what this type of texture is. I do alot of SHeet rock patching so any new texture is worth my while.