Plaster Molds

The Ultimate Handyman can reproduce any kind of carved wood on resin and we are renowned for our plaster molds. We reproduce existing carved work or old trim with exact replicas by any techniques that work, including plaster molding. One customer called us because his dog had gnawed on his antique door frame. Instead of hand-carving the replacement piece, which would have been extremely costly, we made a mold of an intact section, poured resin on the mold, built a reproduction of that part to install at the missing part, and replaced it.

After a little touch-up paint, no one could tell the difference – except the dog, who just didn’t have the same taste for resin and gave up chewing on the doors.

The ultimate handyman can repair it and also knows how to make the door trim unappetizing to you pets.

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We are a Construction Company that also provides professionals of every construction trades to perform handyman work. We serve Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and many other adjacent cities and we do what we know best for an hourly rate.

What ornamental plaster is, and why it cannot be bought

Decorative plaster, crown mouldings, ceiling medallions, corbels and cornices, was cast and run in place in older Los Angeles houses. It is not a catalog item, and the profile in your house frequently does not exist anywhere else.

Which is why a damaged run cannot simply be replaced with something from a supplier. Either the profile is reproduced, or the repair will always read as a repair.

How a missing profile gets reproduced

1. Find an intact section. Even a few inches is enough, and it is often in a closet or behind something

2. Take a mould from it, using a flexible compound that captures the detail without damaging the original

3. Cast replacement sections from that mould

4. Install, fit and blend the joints so the run reads continuous

5. Match the finish, because new plaster and hundred-year-old plaster do not take paint the same way

For a running profile rather than a cast element, a knife is cut to the profile and the moulding is run in place, which is the same way it was made originally.

Repair or replace

• Cracking along a line is usually movement rather than material failure, and filling it repeatedly treats a symptom

• A section that has come loose but is intact can frequently be re-anchored rather than replaced, which is always the better outcome

• Water-damaged plaster has to be traced to the source first, or the repair fails the same way

• Previously repaired sections in the wrong material are the most common reason a run looks wrong, and correcting those is usually the largest share of the work

Where the damage is water, the source comes first and the plaster second: water damage restoration.

Flat wall and ceiling repair in the same houses is a related but different skill: patching holes in drywall and plaster.

A caution for houses in a preservation zone

Interior ornamental plaster is generally outside the scope of a preservation overlay, which is concerned with the exterior. It is still worth confirming before significant work, particularly on a designated landmark: HPOZ in Los Angeles.

Start with a free 15-minute call

Tell us roughly when the house was built, what is damaged, whether an intact section of the same profile still exists somewhere in the house, and whether there has been water. In fifteen minutes we can usually tell you whether this is a repair, a recast, or a run made from scratch.

Call (323) 707-4979 to book the free 15-minute consultation.

The Ultimate Pro, Inc. CA License 831700, Class B General Building. Serving Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties since 1996.

Water problems rarely stay where they start, and the longer the diagnosis waits the more of the structure it reaches. Book a free 15-minute call or call (323) 707-4979 and describe what you are seeing. We will tell you whether this is a repair or something that has to be opened up.

Prefer to watch before you call? X Plan Nation is The Ultimate Pro's YouTube channel, where we take construction apart step by step so you can tell good work from work that will come back.

The Ultimate Pro, Inc. · California contractor license 831700 · Class B general building · 18481 Grand Avenue, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 · Serving the Inland Empire — Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Orange County and San Bernardino County — since 1996.