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Reader's question:

"I have a two-storey house and I want to divide it, into two seperate appartments. But what can I do with the empty space under the stairs. II am not planning to pull down the stairs"

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Reader's question:

"For the external surfaces of the building, which is the best admixture for the final layer of the plaster? Marble dust or sand?"

Our answer:

Plastering, usually takes places in three layers. The mixture of the final layer contains either:

- sand and gray cement or

- marble dust and white cement. 

The advantage of the marble dust is that the final surface becomes smooth, white and ready to be painted. However, they might appear on the surface several "damages" due to either harmful addmixture in the marble dust (the dust was not clear) or due to the grain size of the marble dust. The grains must be neither too large nor too small. 

On the other hand, the sand should come, if possible, from rivers. In case that comes form the sea, then it should be meticulously cleaned from salt and other admixtures. If it is not cleaned, then several damages, cracks, stains should be expected to appear on the surface. 

Finally, the cost should be considered. In some areas, marble dust plus white cement are an explensive solution. In other areas, the cost of tranfering the sand is higher and thus it is preferable to use marble dust. 

ART & DESIGN: FREE COURSES

Didn't you always wanted to watch a live lecture from Yale? 

If yes, then a whole series of recorded lectures about Roman architecture are available on Youtube. 

So, if you are really interested about history of architecture or more specifically about Roman architecture, it is worth visiting the site and watching the videos. There 24 videos and each video lasts more than an hour. If you visit the course site you will discover many usefull information like the class sessions, a small description of each lecture, you can download the material, etc. 

Watch the playlist of the videos: Roman architecture with Diana. E.E. Kleiner 

Visit the site of the course: Open Yale courses: HSAR 252: ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

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Reader's question

"Could you suggest me the color and the shape of the tiles for the walls of my kitchen. The color of the wooden furniture is wenge. I am thinking of selecting tiles in lilac color but I am afraid that the combination will look kitsch"