Wall covering

    **** Moderator's comments:
    This query comes from a person who is not on the DistList and
    will not see any responses that are posted here.  Please respond
    directly to sender

I live in Waco, Texas, in a home built in 1890, which is old around
here. It has some nice features and is on the National Register.
We're in the process of replacing our roof. Originally it had
cypress shingles, but we're having to settle for some other kind of
treated wood. A couple of weeks ago, Waco experienced a fierce
thunderstorm, which dumped about three inches in three hours on my
house. Yes, you guessed it: water damage below the section of the
roof where they were working (on all three floors).

I'm the fourth generation to live in our house. That just means I
know a fair amount about it, some of which may be wrong! In our
library we have what I always heard called Spanish Leather
wallpaper, which is also on the ceiling. Some, who know much more
about conservation than I, have suggested it may be Lincrusta.

Anyway, during the storm, chunks of whatever is on the ceiling fell
off. Fortunately, only about a six foot by two foot area fell. In
general, the rest of the ceiling is OK. I saved the pieces that
fell, flattening them on wax paper to dry.

Since then, the rest of the room has dried out. Sure, some of the
gold molding was damaged, and some of the wall covering above the
mantle (fortunately, not the Spanish Leather/Llincrusta) will have
to be replaced, but I think we can come up with solutions there,
though any suggestions are welcomed.

My question is what now for the ceiling. Given that most of the
ceiling is OK, I'd like to attempt to put the pieces that fell back
up. Can you give advice about that. For example, I don't know if a
good regular wallpaper person could do it if told how. Or, am I
going to need to bring in a conservator? The closest one I've been
directed toward is in Atlanta, which is a long way from Waco.

By the way, I have digital images of the house and damage that I
would be happy to send.

    **** Moderator's comments: Ms Smith has already tried the AIC
    Guide (which provided the Atlanta reference)

    The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC)
    has a service called the AIC Guide to Conservation Services,
    which will help you find a conservator in a particular specialty
    and geographic area.

        American Institute for Conservation
        1717 K Street, NW, Suite 200
        Washington, DC 20006
        202-452-9545
        Fax: 202-452-9328
        info [at] aic-faic__org
        <URL:aic.stanford.edu/>

Elizabeth Smith


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:10
                   Distributed: Monday, July 9, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-15-10-014
                                  ***