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An artist of small repairs
Harold Greco Jr./Plaster Perfection in Warwick, RI is a contracting business specializing in ceiling and wall repair and interior painting, including insurance-claim repairs. Owner Harold Greco Jr. has been running the third-generation company for over 40 years. “My father’s father started it back in the forties. We do all plaster restoration work, renovations, water damage, fire damage. We get into a house, and we hide all the negativity,” Harold Greco Jr. said.
When the interior repair and painting specialist began his business, he took on jobs of all sizes. Then Harold Greco Jr. realized an untapped opportunity in smaller jobs. “I became a small repair specialist, which was booming back in the eighties. I’d go in people’s houses and do a small repair and save them. So, I became an artist in small repairs, so to speak.”
Harold Greco Jr. recalled that back when he started, bigger construction companies usually avoided small jobs because they needed to have enough work for a large staff. Since Harold Greco Jr. had a passion for the intricacies of a small job and only had to pay himself, becoming a small repairs specialist “fit like a new tuxedo or a new pair of gloves or shoes. It just fit right,” he said.
Harold Greco Jr. elaborated on the types of projects he works on today and said, “It’s all kinds of historic restoration work and water damage, replacement ceilings.” He also hires other repair specialists to help him on projects if needed. “I have a whole staff of people that have been working with me for 30 years that are all self-employed,” he said, and referred to his partners as “family.”
Working on historical homes is one of Harold Greco Jr.’s favorite types of projects because he enjoys the challenge of repairing antique plaster, such as horsehair. In the 1900s, horsehair plaster was commonly used to build walls in New England. The compound was composed of lime, aggregate and real horsehair, which increased the plaster’s strength and longevity and minimized shrinkage as the compound dried. Horsehair plaster was less common after 1950.
Harold Greco Jr. explained that beneath any type of antique plaster is lath—closely spaced wood strips nailed to the studs—which creates a rough surface for the plaster to stick to. Spaces between the lath strips allow the plaster mixture to grip the wood as it dries. The spaces make hanging artwork and photos problematic because the plaster can crumble during art installation. Some homeowners opt to remove the horsehair plaster and replace it with modern drywall, which can be costly and messy, according to Harold Greco Jr. He finds great satisfaction in repairing horsehair plaster walls. “I love the fact that it’s a nightmare. I make the nightmare disappear. So today, rather than stripping all the horsehair down, I’m in historical houses that have plaques on them. I go in and meticulously mend and restore. I became the horsehair tailor. I’m the tailor of perfection with horsehair,” Harold Greco Jr. said.
The business owner also takes pride in repairing popcorn ceilings, which are textured ceilings that appear bumpy. They’re typically made from joint compound and finished with a spray texture. Popcorn ceilings are also known as acoustic ceilings because they block sound, making them a good choice for apartment buildings and schools. From the 1950s through the 1980s, builders used popcorn ceilings in new home construction because they were cost-effective, quick to install and hid imperfections. Today, popcorn ceilings are frowned upon because of their tendency to discolor and collect dust. However, Harold Greco Jr. said that he can “fix popcorn ceilings, which are a nightmare,” with his “special method of repairing them.”
When asked what he likes best about his work, Harold Greco Jr. said, “Satisfying my customers. You walk into somebody’s house, and you become a hero. You go into somebody’s house, and they get these gaping holes and all kinds of negativity, and you bring in your magic wand, and it all disappears, and you forgot it was ever there.”
He continued saying, “It’s very rewarding to go into somebody’s house. Here’s an example. This woman yesterday got the gaping holes in the wall, in the ceiling; the baseboard, the casing around the windows, all that stuff’s off. So, we got to go in; we got to insulate the wall first, then we put the plasterboard up. Then we plaster it, and then we let it dry. We prime it, and we put on the moldings back in, the baseboard, and then we paint everything. It’s like seven different steps just to get her back to normal.”
Harold Greco Jr. credits his company’s longevity and referrals for getting most of his projects. “Being that the business is almost, almost 80 years old, the name is well-known when it comes to plastering,” he said.
When asked what he would like potential customers to know about his business, Harold Greco Jr. replied, “I just want to infatuate and mesmerize people that have these old houses with horsehair plaster and let everybody know that we are the most meticulous, outstanding small repair specialists in town.”
For more information about Harold Greco Jr./Plaster Perfection, check out their BBB profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories with BBB in Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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