Replies

1. 
   motek999 | Apr 07, 2003 07:45pm | #1

   Pip,

   I'm building a house and I have the same question. I was just thinking paint but stucco would be nice. It will be interesting to see what others think.

2. 
   CAGIV | Apr 07, 2003 09:31pm | #2

   Just a wild thought from a guy with to little sleep this monday morning/afternoon.

   What about some form of stone/ tile etc.  You'd only loose about an inch and the concrete is good substrate for tile or stone.

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3. 
   RussellAssoc | Apr 07, 2003 09:32pm | #3

     Plaster

1. 
   RW | Apr 12, 2003 05:45am | #8

   I think you'd dig the plaster. You don't have to do it an inch thick. You can do a veneer -- a thin coat of base and a thin coat of top. Each is designed to be applied 1/8" thick, so you're only losing 1/4" each side. No sanding when you're done. Between mixing and cleanup a stairway of the size you describe could take you all of three hours with a coffee break between coats while the first is setting up. "The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb "      lyrics by Roger Waters

1. 
   Pip | Apr 13, 2003 05:13pm | #9

   Thanks RW. I think I'll give that a try. Anything special I have to use for that application?

4. 
   Zano | Apr 07, 2003 11:05pm | #4

   Another way, get any type of drywall and do not furr it.  Just get all purpose joint compound or Durabond, slap it in lumps on the back of the drywall  and slap the drywall on the wall till it's even and brace it with wood strips over night till the compound dries.  You will onyl loose from 1/2" to tops 1" - depending on how rough the conrete is.

1. 
   Pip | Apr 08, 2003 04:15pm | #5

   Zano,

   Although I think I'd get a better finish around each individual stair by coating the concrete with something directly. Plaster sounds like a good idea.

   On a side note. In the summer I get a musty smell from warm moist garage air settling in the stairwell and cooling/ condensing. The steel door into the basement is at the bottom. Might be a topic for another thread.

1. 
   Zano | Apr 12, 2003 12:55am | #6

   Although I think I'd get a better finish around each individual stair by coating the concrete with something directly. Plaster sounds like a good idea.

   It all depends on how smooth you want the concrete to be.  If you really want it smooth, you will have to use many coats of plaster, but if you use Durabond with a layer of 1/4" rock, that will the smootest and you will only loose tops 3/8".

5. 
   Piffin | Apr 12, 2003 03:48am | #7

   bonding agent, then plaster. Lose maybe 3/8" at most.

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