Do you provide technical support?
All customers who purchase our 'Do It Yourself' instructional video will be
provided with FREE technical support via email. All problems must be related to
plaster, dry-wall or historical work that you may encounter in the field. If
you do not purchase the video, European Ceiling Designs Inc. will still provide
you with professional technical support, however, there will be a charge in the
range of $10-$150. All questions should be emailed to
ddc@ceilingdesigns.com
I am a small contractor and I purchased center piece mold #304. I would
like to know how much I should charge for installing this piece in a customers
home?
Pattern #304 costs $103.00 on our site. When selling this mold to a client
you should charge the market value for the piece which is $620.00. Installation
is usually around double the price of the mold. This would end up being a total
of $1240.00 for installation. Now add that to the market value of the mold
itself and you would get $1860.00 price tag for installation. You may charge
more or less depending on your own pricing if you wish but we are trying to give
you an idea of the going price for purchase and installation of one of our
molds.
Ceiling Preparation:
I have found that many people have spent hundreds of dollars to decorate
their ceilings. This video gives you many ways and many designs for about $50 -
$60 per ceiling.
Info For Ordering Pre-Cast Molds:
Once you have completely decided your order you may call us at 1-315-542-1948
to place your order. Keep in mind that these molds are hand made and may take up
to 7 days to complete. Upon completion we will notify and also give you a
shipping charge before we process your order.
Is the application of your designs easy?
No skills or education is required. We will show you step by step how to
apply joint compound over the ceiling and most of all, I will give you the
secret ingredient on how to mix the joint compound.
What Secret?
If you apply joint compound, you will run into some problems because joint
compound, when you apply it to the ceiling, will 'drag'. My secret formula goes
on very smooth and doesn't drag.
Let me explain:
If you want to have spaghetti with good sauce, you must make good sauce. If
you just put the tomatoes in the pan, and cook - you will end up with 'ketchup'
sauce. If you want a top of the line Italian sauce, you must put some olive oil
in the pan, then some chopped onion and some garlic, let it cook slow. When it
starts to turn brown, apply 1 can of tomato paste. Let it cook for a few
minutes, then apply 2 cans of tomato puree or whole tomatoes. Then apply about
a half teaspoon of salt, if it tastes flat add more salt. Apply some meat,
remember the meat should have some bone still on it. Meat with the bone seems
to improve the taste. Apply two bay leaves, and three basil leaves. Let it
cook on low heat for at least one hour, then let it cool off and put in the
refrigerator for one day. If you let the sauce sit for one day, it tastes three
times better. If you suffer from acid, apply one quarter teaspoon of sugar, and
one quarter teaspoon of baking soda. Sugar and baking soda kill the acid.
Now, why did I go through all this explanation?
To give you an idea on why you don't just apply joint compound to the ceiling
and expect a good job. At least you already have learned one family secret on
how to make a good sauce. Just as I have taken you step by step through the
process of creating a good sauce, this video will also take you step by step
through the process of creating beautiful ceilings. This video has many
patterns that have never been seen before. Dry wall application must be
prepared before you apply my secret compound formula - and we'll show you how.
Comparison:
Now perhaps you are wondering how our prices for plaster ornamental molds are
compared to other competitors prices. With Do-It-Yourself European Ceiling
designs, all you do is buy the initial mold, so the rest is just supplies. For
example we found that if you buy the plasters cast from our competitors, they
charge around $50 - $60 each cast which are about 12"x12". Now a ceiling which
requires 200 pieces will now run you about $10,000 just for the casts. They
also require roughly 15% for shipping and handling on top of that. With our
system, all you do is buy the mold which runs around $200, and includes easy
do-it-yourself instructions. Each cast only costs $2 in materials, so the
total for the same sized ceiling runs only $600 compared to there $10,000!!! The
video also gives a thorough explanation on how to cast each mold and apply to
ceiling/walls.
Tips:
When you purchase one of our ceiling brushes these brushes are new and
therefore they must be broken in. When you receive the brush place the brush in
a half pail of water. Let soak for about 15 minutes then take the brush and rub
it on a rough surface (such as concrete) back and forth for about 10 minutes
until it becomes more flexible. If you are a professional in ceiling design you
should use 2 brushes, one softer and one stiffer. If the joint compound or
plaster is wet you should use the softer. If it is harder you should use the
stiffer brush. Remember use only the brush that we show you in the video
otherwise it will be a disaster.
Never use a kerosene heater of any kind before or in the process of doing a
ceiling.
Don't use your gas oven for baking food in the process of doing your ceiling.
Water conditions, such as the difference between city and spring water, will
change the setting of your plaster
All pre-mixed joint compounds are about the same. The only thing that changes is
the price.
Never use frozen joint compound. Your ceiling will fall apart. Sometimes it will
freeze on a delivery truck.
Never apply color to your mixture.
Remember, if you screw up your ceiling, or you want to change patterns on your
ceiling that you have already started, you must repaint your ceiling before you
reapply joint compound to your ceiling. This also applies to plaster, you must
apply bonding agent over any surface before you replaster.
Always use clean and cold water in your mixture, never use hot water.
The strongest plaster I have found is made by U.S.G. and is called Imperial
plaster and den coat by Georgia Pacific. Remember that this material is only for
top professional plasterers. For beginning plasterers, please refer to the
video.
Also, Gold Bond by National Gypsum makes easy to use material.
Read all instructions on every material you use. Use common sense. Remember,
common sense is worth more than any diploma.
If you choose to become a professional in this field, remember - the most
important tool you need is a trowel. With a trowel, you run your seems %50
faster than with a putty knife. You will also use the same trowel to apply
plaster, stucco and for concrete work. All you need is one tool to do all these
jobs. You can learn the secret of the trowel on the video.
If you want to be a master, you must learn the secrets of a master.
Remember, when you do a ceiling, make sure you take all the safety precautions
necessary. Not only for you, but also for people around you. You must be neat,
good and fast - this is one of the number one secrets as a master. And most of
all, use common sense.