The Historic District

Hey, James...just a suggestion....if you're going to use a heat gun for paint stripping, I'd look into getting PAPR type of respirator. I learned in my contractor's lead abatement class that the standard P100 filters are not enough protection when using a heat gun. And interestingly enough, apparently sometimes they even added lead to the shellac back in the day.

Oh boy, but that woodwork will be something to see when you're done!

Thanks, Larissa. I cleaned up the residue with some stripper and steel wool, and the oak really glows. Still need to get picks and detail brushes. It's a tedious job but rewarding.

Next is the brick painted to look like someone's idea of brick. "Why?" we so often ask...

Manalto wrote:Thanks, Larissa. I cleaned up the residue with some stripper and steel wool, and the oak really glows. Still need to get picks and detail brushes. It's a tedious job but rewarding.

Next is the brick painted to look like someone's idea of brick. "Why?" we so often ask...

The de-purpling will be its own reward.

Peel Away is a somewhat pricey product but would work well on the textured brick.

Gezzzzz, Manalto, just look at all that purple or is it mauve? You need to post a pic of the freshly revealed wood work, I need the insperation to get back to the heat gun.

Well, today I installed all the cabinet knobs on upper managements new kitchen island and hung all the kitchen doors. Film at eleven.

Today I finished assembling the last upper cabinet, a deep refrigerator cabinet. I can hardly lift it, so I'll have to enlist some help installing it. So I should be installing uppers next week.

James, I don't remember seeing the purple woodwork before. *shudders* Whoever picked out the colors in that room had a serious case of colorblindness.

Willa wrote:The de-purpling will be its own reward.

Ain't it the truth! Seeing it go is like removing a splinter - from your eye. I didn't realize how much it bothered me until it started to go away. It's a neurotic, depressing color that demands your attention and then bores you with its stupidity. (We New Englanders are known for our restraint, so you can imagine how I really feel.) The stripped wood, even with all its paint residue, is a huge relief. There is now enough exposed so it's possible to visualize the restored trim. I'm inspired.

Willa wrote:Peel Away is a somewhat pricey product but would work well on the textured brick.

Thanks for the tip!

Gothichome wrote:Gezzzzz, Manalto, just look at all that purple or is it mauve?

There's a lot less now. I've been calling the color scheme "poop and lavender" but I think it's just plain purple, about the same as the upper left block in this grid:

Purple color grid by James McInnis, on Flickr

Gothichome wrote:You need to post a pic of the freshly revealed wood work, I need the inspiration to get back to the heat gun.

There's too much paint residue to take a satisfying picture but I will clean up the mantel and take a photo before I leave (next week!). I urge you to have a session with the heat gun; it's gratifying to reveal that wood grain. I guess I'm lucky in a way that my trim color is so hideous - it's all the inspiration I need.

awomanwithahammer wrote:James, I don't remember seeing the purple woodwork before. *shudders* Whoever picked out the colors in that room had a serious case of colorblindness.

You're being far too kind. I'm convinced that that purple color - and the color of the walls - is a good part of the reason this house sat on the market as long as it did.

I'm sanding drywall compound patches in plaster today. And not making a huge mess out of the house in the process. There's a "low dust" drywall mud available now and that stuff is wonderful. It sands beautifully and the dust just drops straight to the floor. I cleaned up the mess with a shop vac and a damp cloth. Today, I'm priming and painting. I hate these snow days off work.

My little Cub tractor is running great this year. I "modified" a fuel system solenoid and eliminated the surging throttle. So clearing my walks takes maybe ten minutes now. I need new rear tires this summer but for now I'll just hit them with some air before each use.

Not today, but yesterday. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with the landscape company I had been dealing with about some shrubs I wanted to install on this visit so they could get a head start growing this spring. There's a time lag from placing the order to when it's ready, so I didn't think anything about it until it had been more than a week. I called her and she said she was sick with the flu (everybody has had the flu here, including me - it was my Christmas present), so I replied, "Just focus on getting better; I'll catch up with you in the spring and get plants from you then." (It's a small operation, just her and her son.) Well, she called two days ago and said that my plants were in, so I hustled like a maniac, digging up old shrub stumps, lots and lots of roots, weeds, grass, vines, - you get the idea. I spent the last two days, which I was going to devote to closing things up to get ready to leave, outdoors in the cold doing landscaping. Frankly, I'm glad she lit that fire under me. If these plants survive this unusual cold, they'll have a good head start. I have a 3-gallon rule: unless there is a compelling reason to buy a larger plant, three-gallon plants usually undergo less stress in transplanting and in a year or two will outpace a larger plant which tends to take a much longer time to recover from transplant shock. In addition, the cost is considerably less; you are paying for the months/years that plant sits in a nursery. So, my new foundation plants (as you see in the photo) are pathetically small, but there's method behind my madness (cheapness). Two Pittosporum 'Glen St. Mary' flank the front steps, and boxwoods are at the corners of the house. Tiny, I know. There will be more to come.

This morning I woke to this dusting of snow on my new installation, and frigid temperatures. Gulf Coast, indeed!

319 with snow January 17 2018 by James McInnis, on Flickr

Well it was a very special weekend! I finished up abatement in the dining room and so I am down to just one room and the entire first floor will be done (except for the final cleaning just before the risk assessor arrives). Get 'er done!

It was also very exciting to caulk the windows (most of my window are replacement windows) before painting and to remove the contractor paper "curtains" that I have been living with for 2 years! LOL! Things are getting positively luxurious around here!