Project Spotlight: Heritage Molding Restoration Project
- Marie-Jeanne Fontaine
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
At the beginning of 2025, the Construction Finney team was contacted by the owners of a heritage mansion in Westmount, Montreal. The clients sought to restore the damaged moldings in two rooms. Given that this impressive property was built in 1915, the restoration techniques used had to be faithful to the methods of the time. This project was an amazing opportunity for our ornamental plasterers, Olan Finney and Yann Poisson-Lemay, to showcase their niche expertise.
Our team approached the project in four distinct phases: selective demolition of damaged areas, molding and casting, traditional plaster repair, and the restoration of decorative ornaments.
1 | Selective Demolition
As the property was inhabited during the work, it was essential to ensure rigorous protection, with particular attention paid to the woodwork and architectural features of the rooms concerned. Our team ensured that only damaged sections were demolished and removed, eliminating anything that presented a risk of long-term cracking, in order to guarantee the durability of the restoration.
2 | Molding and Casting
Our ornamental plasterers used two techniques to create the templates and molds needed to restore the ceiling moldings. First, they created metal profiles for linear moldings, enabling them to be pushed directly on the ceiling and walls. Second, they created silicone molds to reproduce the floral and foliate ornaments with precision in our workshop.
3 | Traditional Plaster Repairs
To repair the plaster walls beneath the mouldings, as well as the ceilings supporting them, our team continued to use ancestral techniques and materials. Among these, the creation of a plaster ring, obtained by mixing regular plaster and plaster of Paris, provided a consistency that blended perfectly with the existing surfaces. As in the 1900’s, this mixture was applied over metal lattice and directly onto masonry.
4 | Restoration of Decorative Ornaments
The final step was to assemble the final ornaments. To do this, the smaller moldings located above and below the linear molding were first shaped on a worktable and then secured around the molding. Finally, the floral and foliate ornaments were meticulously installed on the central molding. Our plasterers then adjusted every detail by hand to faithfully recreate the original look. What a precision job!
The Construction Finney team is extremely proud of the work accomplished on this restoration. It is an honor to contribute to the preservation of Montreal's built heritage while perpetuating traditional plastering techniques.
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