Q. We're buying a house that is probably close to 100 years old. It has been vacant for the past several years and needs a good amount of cleaning up and fixing up. One thing we're concerned about is ...

Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

What is a drop ceiling? Are there options for replacing one? Drop ceilings consist of a metal grid that hangs from the ceiling joists and holds panels of various shapes, sizes and materials. They’re ...

Dear James: One room has recurring cracks in the plaster ceiling. Instead of more repairs, is it wise to add a dropped tile ceiling to use it as a home theater? Dear Gary: Once cracks start to develop ...

Editor’s note: Welcome to the 17th installment of Brownstone Boys Reno, a reader renovation diary about renovating a brownstone in Bed Stuy. See the first one here. They also blog at ...

This story has been updated. Q: Our plumber had to cut two holes in our dining room ceiling and remove a section of original cast-plaster crown molding to assess, access and make repairs to the second ...

Plaster latticework frames the main ceiling design, which consists of layer upon layer of ornate moldings repeated in a symmetrical pattern. Acanthus leaves, roses, hummingbirds, fluting, bundles of ...