Wall Progress over the 4th of July

As of this evening, I'd estimate I'm about 1/4 of the way complete with getting the plaster off the brick.  Chances are that I just repressed past memories of this task, but this seems a lot more slow going than when I did it before.  I attribute this to two things (in addition to probably repression).  1) Only the bottom part of the wall seems to have the proper base code + top coat that actually came away pretty easily.  The rest of the wall so far is horse hair plaster - no lath - that is seriously stuck on there.  2)  The brick isn't in amazing shape, and I don't want to further damage it with a bunch of sledge hammer whacks.  So, most of what I've gotten off so far has been chisel and hammer work.  All in all, very meticulous and slow.

One the plaster is all removed, I'll have several more steps:

• Scrubbing the wall several times with wire brushes (should be the last very messy and dusty step).
• Repairing cracks and missing mortar.
• Sponging the wall several times.
• Sealing the wall.

The good news is that the dust containment system continues to work well, and so I think even if the project takes me quite a while to do, I won't have to live with dust all over the house.  The plaster stripping tasks will likely have to be restricted to weekend afternoons, since it is very noisy, and neighbors share that wall.  The other steps aren't very noisy, so I can work on those after work, if need be.

I've also been making a concerted effort to keep all of my tools and my work area clean each day - even if that means stopping a little earlier so I have time to thoroughly sweep up everything, take the bags of plaster out back, and vacuum with the shop vac.  I wash all of my work clothes - including my sneakers - each time, and I clean my glasses and respirator each night.  I'm hoping that these things and keeping my projects small will allow me to handle things without getting overwhelmed with dust or the feeling of being too much in construction.

Here is the progress on 7/4 and 7/5 from this weekend.  I'll pick this up again next weekend!

Progress on 7/4 and 7/5