Painting and mudding Legacy House
Since our last Legacy House update, renovation progress has continued with drywall finishing and painting. And, we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers, donors, and partners!
All of the drywall, installed by Carpenters Local 361 during a multi-day apprenticeship training program, was donated by Tamarack Materials of Duluth. Tamarack originally offered the donation back in 2020, however we weren’t ready for the materials until now. Despite the considerable price increase since then, Tamarack still fulfilled their promise.
Once installed, Stone Construction LLC then mudded and taped the drywall. Mudding and taping applies materials to the wall to hide the seams between drywall boards and smooths out rough spots from screws and other construction dings and dents. Due to the room layouts and center support beams upstairs, there was a lot of mudding and taping to be completed. The leader of this task was Mike Brigan, “Taper Extraordinaire,” a name he received years ago by a fellow contractor who saw his work. Mike is a Lincoln Park resident, a Member of Union of Painters and Allied Trades – Local 106, and a Fond du Lac tribal member. His father started a drywall business in the early 1980’s and his brother is also a drywall professional. Mike says about this industry, “I like it. It’s hard work, but once you do it long enough it’s easy. I enjoy it.”
Mike completed what’s called Level 4 mudding and taping, which includes three coats of mud, with the helping hands of apprentices and Eco3 staff and AmeriCorps members. He also primed all the walls and ceilings and painted the ceilings and closets. With an array of tools and decades of experience, Mike continued his family legacy with us by our walls and ceilings, the smooth and finished look we had been seeking for years.
Once the walls were primed, Eco3’s AmeriCorps VISTA Leader brought VISTA members to Legacy House for their annual MLK Day of Service to paint the walls. Members donned their painting clothes and got to work. At the end of the day we had completed the first coat of paint upstairs and a portion of the walls downstairs. Weeks later, we invited the Women in Construction Committee for the Duluth Building Trades to finish up the first coat of paint downstairs. This newly formed Committee is coordinated by Hannah Ballavance, a drywall finisher at International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 82. The Committee brings together female Union workers across all trades to bond and bring their skills to community-oriented projects through volunteerism.
We continue to be fortunate to have volunteerism, donations, and mission-supportive individuals who believe in us and the goals of Legacy House. We are grateful for these folks and all who have contributed to this project!