# I'll be taking another look at 1893 Theater



## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Notice the paint colors:thumbsup: Here's the outside of that wall above the Organ area:no:


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Here's what I did I had float the inset


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Didn't get much done today cause they have shows tonight, along with Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I was planning on set up scaffolding in Theater on Saturday but that has to wait cause they are having rehearsals in the big Theater so I can't work  I'll have a short day again tomorrow I hope to get the soffit skim coated, but we will see. well heres how the other edge is coming out so far.


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## Resta (Feb 11, 2009)

Frank, I know how you feel. We worked in the theater around stage and side balconies where they have performances every night. We were setting scaffolding every morning at 6am and taking out at 5pm. Covering seats with canvas and cleaning floors. Every day for 8 weeks.


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Resta, I hear you, it hasn't got that bad, besides all I hear about is costs. I gave the bid for fixing the Crown Cornice moldings now they are saying we may have to wait a couple of years:w00t: Oh Yeah that's what I wanted to hear:no: unreal Well I have to get over to the Theater gonna be another short day, another show tonight:clap:


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Well I think I should have this done tomorrow Ihave a few edges to clean up and it will be ready for the skim coat, which I hope to apply in the morning.


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## rogerhattman (Jul 6, 2008)

Frank,
That place is quite a gem. It is shame it has apparently been abused over the years. It is a good thing it is finally getting some good work.
What do you use for basecoats?


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Roger, I used Durabond 45 as my base, then I build it up after I'll skim coat it with topping, then prime it. well I almost got the edges done. here's were I'm at.


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## Muddauber (Nov 2, 2007)

Frank,

Just curios, why do you use durabond & topping instead of conventional plaster materials?


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Cause of water issues, they are not real sure on what is leaking and I know Durabond will not give way to water like plaster does. Besides that I have always done repairs this way, cause I found that plaster will crack at the joining old with new, Durabond just Bonds. I only use plaster when I'm doing my casting. once I get it all done you can't tell if it's plaster or not. The Durabond will suck all the moisture from the topping making it rock hard. all I know is it works for me and if it has to be taken out well it can be harder then cement sometimes. I have 6" Crown in one of my bedrooms I did, well I added a small closet and desk area, well I had run the crown in Durabond 90 well I had to cut it out for the walls it was a PITA So I like to use Durabond cause it will last :thumbsup:


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## Muddauber (Nov 2, 2007)

Thanks Frank,

I know what you're saying about water not penetrating durabond.

Years ago after doing some repairs I had a half bucket of durabond left, so I poured it out on a piece of scrap to clean out my bucket. Threw the scrap in the truck and when I got home, laid it on the ground behind the garage. Well, I was lazy and let it lay there for at least a year in the rain and snow before taking it to the dump. the weather had no effect on it. That stuff is like concrete, I think you could pour a sidewalk with it and it would hold up.:thumbsup:


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Mud, I hear ya, when I first started out I use to use nothing but Durabond 20 I would mix it by the pan. but one of my helpers said "have you ever seen what you can do with this stuff(Durabond)" he took a half bag that we didn't use and he tossed it in a bucket of water, bag and all, he said wait and watch this, we waited the 20 minutes and he said "now" dumped the water and Durabond out of the bucket and the Durabond hit the ground like a brick, That was all I needed to see, I then contacted my USG Rep. I told him I wanted to use Durabond for skim coating ceiling and walls(1984). He said Go for it! then he sent me a book on Plastering Skills, well after reading it I took plaster out of the mix and started using Durabond and as they say the rest is History. I had a older couple that had a roof leak, a section of ceiling was coming down about 3'x4' so I cut it out and made the repair, but before I did the repair I asked who fixed the roof? they told me that their grandson had fixed it. I asked if he was a roofer? they said no but he knew what he was doing. I told them fine but after I fix the ceiling and if the roof leaks again my repair would not be affected. well two weeks later after a storm they call "Frank your patch is falling apart you need to fix it!" I tell them I'll be right over. I get there and all the way around my repair which was still perfect the plaster was soaked and falling off the ceiling. I told them my repair was holding up just fine, But their grandson didn't repair the roof correctly, I told them they needed a Real Roofer to fix the problem and then I could make the repairs, well after the roofing company came out and stripped the roof and replace boards they didn't have the money to pay me to fix the ceiling. Guess what the grandson did the repairs:laughing: some people just don't understand:whistling


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Well I got my base coats all done so today I'll skim coat it then I hope to finish this section up by Friday. I also talked with the guy who's in charge of the Building and being that they have a show on the main stage starting the 26th of March he now wants me to wait intil the end of their season which is the end of May 2010, Well that sucks cause now I don't get the last of my money intil that section is done. so I may be done cause I was counting on using that money to pay on my house payments which are 5 months behind. So I maybe out of business before I get to finish :no: Oh well I guess some of us are being told we need to pack it in and say F*** IT! I don't know what to do now.


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## MeatBallDryWall (Aug 28, 2008)

> house payments which are 5 months behind


Don't feel like your alone Mr Frank. I'm behind almost 3 myself & I can't force people to give me work & there are no jobs here. Keep your head up & we'll all get through this somehow & maybe those idiots in Washington will wake up one day. :whistling For what it's worth that's fabulous work. :thumbsup:
*
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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Hey Meat Thanks, I hear you about the Idiots in Washington DC, This morning I wrote obama a e mail and asked him how can he be so worried about getting Healthcare for the Nation and yet he could careless if People have JOBS. What good is Healthcare if you don't have a JOB! Morons is all I can say, this next Election the People of this Country need to send a STRONG MESSAGE and Vote out all incumbents, if We want to see CHANGE We need to CHANGE the People in WashingtonDC


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

They have a show on the 26th and want to wait till May? Why can you not work on this job the next few weeks of March?

Dand! When it rains it pours sometimes.


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Boman,
The Building manager doesn't want the work going on cause the organ area where the damage is at. it's at the back of the Theatre and their season ends in June not May, And the other area has more damage and it's gonna be a pain cause theres a wall and the soffit has damage all the way thru just like the other soffit, I got a e mail tonight asking me to finish up the Lobby and then the Board Members will Inspect my work and decide if they want me to do the other repairs, I have been working on this for 18 days and I lost 5 days cause of their shows upstair and 1 for snow, so I couldn't work those days, But they are concerned that it took me to long:blink:
I don't know if someone else could have done it faster, I'm only one guy, it aint like their paying me to have 5 or 6 guys busting azz. But I guess in this Market the Customer dictates what they will pay. I'm making $16.93 an hourWhen I started out in the 1980's $16.93 an hour paid a laborer's wages, in better times I use to make $45:whistling
Well I got the skim coat done I should finish it up in the morning.:clap:


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## Resta (Feb 11, 2009)

Frank, you a fitting in to my timetable:thumbsup:
I wish Board to approve you for further work. Keep fingers crossed.


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

I can see where being a one-man show can be a little detrimental in this situation, but I have to wonder of they have any idea what is involved with this kind of repair. My wife used to get a little aggravated when it I could not do something with dw repair/replacement and paint as fast as she thought it should be done. She did not understand things had to be done in a certain order and there was a wait between some stages for things to dry,cure,etc.

Best of luck on this.


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Resta, Thanks I hope they do too, Boman I hear ya, when it comes to people they watch these TV shows with hosts like Dean Johnson and Bob Villa and they don't see behind the sense how long it takes so they think "Hey they did it in a hour show How come you can't do that?" I have done repairs and while I was waiting for something to dry I have pulled up a drop and laid down on the floor, while I was waiting the HO came in and asked me what I was doing laying down, I said "watchin the mud set up, it's the hardest part of the job!":laughing:
Well today I should have this primed out by the end of the day.:thumbsup:


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

At least I got it done and He said I did a Great Job:thumbsup:


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## Darwin (Apr 7, 2009)

You really are the "Plaster Master"!:thumbsup:


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## Paulie (Feb 11, 2009)

Good for you Frank. Everything worked out for ya. :clap:


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Thanks! Yeah it worked out and I'm sure the next I'll have my pencil nice and sharpe so I make sure to figure in extras like paying for parking, Days can't work cause of their shows, Yeah I learn a lesson that's for sure but it's all good. Thanks again everybody:thumbup:
Well now I get to sit and wait on the next call.:laughing:


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

So you got 400 and some odd dollars for 19 days? When you say you left them with a $14XX balance, do you mean you got paid the contractual balance?


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Boman, No the contract was for $2,884.00 the extra ceiling repairs was another $775.00 for a total of $3,59.00. I left with $1,484.00 on the table that they kept, So my take was $2,175.00 for after materials and help I made $15.46 an hour and that don't count travel time:laughing: Yeah Thank God I love what I do cause I sure can't make ends meet at this rate


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Good for you, Frank. May be upstream, but at least you are still paddling. Keep on keeping on!

When I wrestled in hs, the coach had different signs posted around the practice room. I will never forget one that said "When the going gets tough, the tough get get going". Sometimes it really gets hard to abide by that, especially after so many years and so many different variables come into play such as age, health, finances not maintained properly, etc..


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

That Finance thing is what gets me, I have always paid my bills on time and when things started to go in the crapper here in 2006, jobs became less and less cause the laid off auto workers and the ones who took buy outs started becoming house flippers and contractors, most of them now have gone to other states, but there's still the clown who will paint a 12'x12' room for $75.00 so the Finance thing is the real BE OTCH, I wonder if obama is going to create those JOBS he talked about:laughing: Oh that's right WE need Healthcare:clap:


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Hope they come with a cure for cabin fever!


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