Smooth Finish

I am pretty excited.  The plaster work came out great.  In the small before and after pics below, you get an idea of the dramatic change that has happened in just a couple days. 

BEFORE

AFTER

It is hard to depict how smooth the new plaster is.  I asked the guy if I needed to sand it and he looked at me funny - as if I just called his mother a dirty name or something.  But now that I am looking at it closely, the walls are like glass.  Very smooth and almost shiny.  It is difficult to capture on camera.   

I can't wait to start cleaning and finishing the wood so that I can paint.  I have three finishes I am going to try out and then move from there.  I know the original finish had a dark, almost reddish, tint to it and a pretty high sheen.  This isn't typical of most Arts & Crafts bungalows but it seemed like it would have been typical in a place like ours.  A less expensive wood, birch, was used on all of the woodwork and the finish would have tried to approximate the look of mahogany or some other expensive finish.