Whitewashing and Stuccoing.
Old plaster ceilings, walls, &c., are cleaned by being whitewashed. The plaster is first washed over with clean water, by means of broad flat brushes, to remove the dirt. All cracks and defects in the plaster are then stopped by filling them up with new plaster, and it is frequently necessary to cut away the plaster in such places to obtain a clean new surface to enable the new plaster to adhere. When the surface is dry, the whitewash, made of whiting mixed up in water, is laid on with the same form of brushes, and two or three times gone over, so as effectually to cover all stains and marks on the surface. Instead of being whitewashed, walls are frequently coloured by mixing ochre, of the proper tint, in the water along with the whiting.
The outside of walls of houses, &c., are now frequently covered with stucco, a kind of plaster made with a lime that resists the action of water, when set, and which, if well managed, causes the wall to look as if built of stone. The mode of stuccoing walls is exactly the same as that of covering them with common plaster.