Most of the work done in these was completed in the past 2 days.
First off, I finally finished-up the patching around the vent in the L Room floor under the middle window (middle meaning the one over the front porch). I had started working on this maybe 2 months ago(?) but stopped when I noticed that the floor gaps in this spot were HUGE, and that I'd need to modify some of my boards to make the patching 'work'. I ended up needing to enlarge one of the boards by 1/4" to make the gaps passable (while keeping the repair looking as original as possible).
In that same corner, I also moved-down the wall outlet (Before: http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af308/clockmaker15/HOUSE/P4306824.jpg). This is more-or-less the last one like this I'll need to do, except maybe in the Guest Bedroom on one wall.
I didn't patch the hole yet since I need to weed-through some of my old drywall pieces for an old thin one (the old drywall is 3/8" rather than 1/2").
In prep for some of the hallway trim work, I scraped off as much of the loose paint as possible. It looks like when they got tired of the orange shellacked woodwork, they painted it with a high gloss oil paint in a buttery yellow. There were 2 shades of a similar yellow, then several coats of (chipped) white.
I didn't take it all off, and there's a few spots I'll need to "blend-in" etc, but it should look a lot better than before.
TRIM!
I've been really looking forward to putting-up this portion of trim. I think it looks great. I want to start painting, but I need to slap on one or two thin coats of white shellac to see if it will help with the pine knots.
Side note: I took these photos at the 90% done mark (all the tops aren't nail-filled or caulked yet), but I liked the way these night time shots turned out better than the ones I took this morning.
The casings on the right are the doorway with the main staircase. That one's been done for months but I wanted to paint everything at the same time.
I've been wanting to install this one particular piece of baseboard for quite a while, too.
Also note in the photos that I crack-filled ALL the nail holes in the hallway floor, ready for paint.
Here's one shot from this morning showing all the caulking and nail holes filled.
:D
It look like you do really good work. Where did you learn to do all of that?
ReplyDeleteAre you living in part of the house while you work on the rest?
Archguy,
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm a cabinetmaker by trade, and I also worked as a custom furniture maker. I repair antique clocks as a hobby (self taught), and I am just naturally good at doing anything that requires hands-on work. I did all my own plumbing repairs, for example, and I had never done any plumbing other than the occasional home repair with my Mom & Dad. But I've done all kinds of different things like furniture refinishing, bookmaking, paper making, I've made a dulcimer (string instrument) by hand also.
Following on Archguy's comments, I would simply say that you are a Renaissance man! You should have the satisfaction of knowing that your fine work will be a legacy that will be appreciated long into the future. I think you should do what I've done numerous times in my house, and that is leave a few time capsules to be discovered ...
ReplyDeleteI find it odd that apparently 9.5mm drywall didn't make its way across the pond... normal drywall here (Europe) is 12.5mm but 9.5mm is easy to get, for example for curved sections of wall or ceiling.
ReplyDeleteRagnar: I'm not sure about the availability of 3/8" drywall. All the new "regular" drywall is 1/2" and I might still be able to get the thinner sheets, but I don't want to have to custom order it, and pay extra for it. I'm pretty sure that they still have specialty flexible drywall for all kinds of curved walls, but I wouldn't even know where to look for that either. I also don't need a full sheet just for a few small patches.
ReplyDeleteIt would be very convenient, though, to repair/redo certain walls that have casings/doors, though, since the POs did NOT take this into consideration, and I had to patch all along the door edges to fill the large 1/8" (or more) gaps left by the difference in thickness.