Historic Decorative Metal Ceilings and Walls: Use, Repair, and Replacement

ThisPreservation Brief (#49)within the Preservation Briefs series produced by the U.S. National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services Division, provides a short history of decorative metal for ceiling and wall applications;  outlines information on appropriate maintenance and repair work; describes methods for paint removal; and includes guidance on replacement. While focusing on “pressed” or “stamped” steel, which was and still is the most common form of decorative metal ceilings, much of the same information applies to the lesser-used zinc and copper.

Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and a product of the Industrial Revolution, these products were mass-marketed through trade catalogs, home-improvement journals, and builders’ magazines, and even by Sears, Roebuck and Company. The product became available in many patterns, both plain and elaborate, and emulated the popular architectural styles of the period. It was used to repair and upgrade existing spaces as well as in new construction. A common substitute for decorative plaster and decorative woodwork, pressed metal was most widely installed as ceilings and cornices, and to a lesser extent as wainscots and wall finishes.

This decorative element is seen as having a resurgence in today’s society, both as a historic finish material and for new applications.  Pressed-metal ceilings and walls are important, character-defining interior finishes that can be found in almost all types of historic buildings, from stores to offices and churches to factories.  Understanding and copying the distinctive qualities of individual design patterns, utilizing appropriate installation techniques, and creating compatible finishes are important components of good replacement work. While maintenance and repair are always the preferred treatment, available products today enable many historic patterns to be closely matched in cases of badly deteriorated metal walls and ceilings or where missing altogether.

Manufacturers of these materials, home and office contractors and construction crews, historic and registered landmark homes and property owners, architects, and some building inspectors may be interested in this Brief.

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Construction & Architecture resources collectioncan be found here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/science-technology/construction-architecture