Restoration of the plaster decorative elements began in late 2025

The original paint on the carousel would have been lead based paint. This would have included the original factory paint and touch ups done in the park (possibly in the 1930s or later). For these pieces, we tapped into restoration and paint techniques typically used to restore historic plaster elements in old houses.

1. First the pieces were gently cleaned with mild soap and water removing years of grime. Luckily the pieces didn’t have peeling chipping lead paint.

2. Silicone molds were made to recast for broken/damages edges. Fiberglass mesh tape replaced traditional burlap in some cases. In a more extreme case, fiberglass screen was used to repair a heavily damaged tympanum.

3. Oil primer was applied to seal in the original lead paint and to provide better adhesion for the new paint

4. Two coats of water-based alkyd paint was applied

5. While it appears that some of these elements originally had gold leaf (shell flourishes on the rose corbels as well as the cherub face) we are opting for paint in this initial restoration. Perhaps gold can be added in the future