Vintage Mansion Renovation 4 Walls, Ceilings, Floors

This article summarizes the materials used in the renovation of a vintage apartment . This time, we will cover the walls, floors, and ceilings. (The photo shows Hakuryu and sea ash plaster.)

| Shell ash plaster

Plaster has been used for the ceilings and walls of each private room. Although it is called plaster, there are many different products. However, most of them do not disclose their ingredients completely, and small amounts of synthetic resins and adhesives are mixed in to improve workability.

We wanted to stick to natural materials as much as possible, so initially we considered scallop plaster, a product with completely known ingredients, but it was expensive, so we ended up adopting plaster made from baked ark shells from Ariake. It's called shell ash plaster, and it's an ancient material from Japan, a country surrounded by the sea. Today, most plaster is made from slaked lime (lime) made from limestone, but while shell ash plaster is less waterproof than lime, it has characteristics that make it suitable for indoor use, such as its large particles, stickiness, resistance to cracking, and high humidity control.

The product is made by Tajima Shell Ash Kogyosho, one of the few long-established manufacturers of shell ash in Fukuoka Prefecture. The manufacturing method is traditional and it is made entirely from natural materials such as white shell ash, straw recycled from hemp sacks, and ginkgo grass harvested on the Japan Sea coast. It is a safe natural material with deodorizing properties, yet the material cost is very cheap at around 300-400 yen per square meter. It has a long history of use in temples, shrines, and other religious facilities. Eco Organic House is the distributor in the Kanto region.

(Shell ash plaster. It is a little soft, so it is a good idea to have a bag of unmixed lime as well. Hakuryu stone was mixed into the walls.)

| Egg wall light (cross)

Part of the ceiling was covered with wallpaper. Instead of ordinary vinyl wallpaper, we used Egg Wall Light, a natural product made from crushed eggshells from Kewpie's mayonnaise factory. The main ingredient is calcium carbonate, just like plaster, so it also has moisture-regulating properties.

The rough texture is similar to a painted wall, not the texture of a vinyl cloth. Although the texture is good, it expands and contracts a lot, making it a little difficult to install. Because it is rough, I think it is easier to use on ceilings than on walls.

| Oriental Carpets

The wool carpet in the living room is from Oriental Carpets, a leading Japanese manufacturer.

What makes this manufacturer special is that they can custom dye any color, even for small lots like this. There are no subtle colors available in ready-made products, so being able to make such thoughtful orders is useful when you are particular about the color. It takes time, so you need to be careful when ordering.

In Japan, floors are often finished with hardwood flooring, and frankly, carpets are unpopular because they have an image of being unsanitary.
However, the fact is that dust gets stirred up every time you walk on a hardwood or tile floor, worsening the indoor air quality. These fine particles can remain suspended in the air for several hours before settling.
In comparison, carpets temporarily adsorb dust and prevent it from floating around in the air. The dust can then be easily removed with a vacuum cleaner. In other words, carpets have the effect of keeping the air clean, and are recommended for preventing hay fever and allergies.
It is warm in winter and cool in summer, has excellent energy-saving properties due to its insulating properties, is comfortable on bare feet, and is well suited to the Japanese lifestyle in which people often sit on the floor.

(A carpet with a subtle color scheme. It's hard to tell from the photo.)

｜Italian stucco

The walls of the living room and hallway are made of traditional Italian stucco, a product called ERA VENEZIANA by Fresco Japan.

It's hard to get a sense of the texture from a photograph, but the uneven gloss and color shading are beautiful, and the marble powder in it gives it a fine texture that looks just like stone.

You can also customise the colour, so you can specify subtle shades.

(The construction process. It is time-consuming as the pattern is painted over and over again.)

| Glass blocks

The fluctuating light transmission of glass blocks is attractive, but the square grid tends to give a rigid image. Therefore, this time we randomly inserted half-size glass blocks to create a soft look. The product used is the Pegasus series by SEVES, an Italian company, and we commissioned Nippon Electric Glass, the only glass block manufacturer in Japan, to handle sales and installation.

(The glass blocks have a softer feel because they no longer have any grit. You can see the bright interior from the entrance.)