1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

[Gothichome]

Did you get a chance to look at the lighting catalogues in the library forum?

[oaktree]

Gothichome, I love the lighting catalogs! I also learned a ton about lighting from the place I went to yesterday. Because my house was likely electrified when plumbing was installed (20s), anything 20s is considered appropriate. Colonial revival and craftsman styles are good. The Sheffield, prismatic glass, and etched glass lights that I've been collecting are very appropriate.

I am quite overwhelmed today and processing everything I learned this week.

Today, I went to another salvage place which was overwhelmingly wonderful...there were incredible doors that fit my house's style, and I just have to spend an entire day finding a matched set that fit. My favorite was learning that they used to paint faux wood grain on doors made from more common woods. There were two panel doors with lovely painted grain. Apparently, this was common for my style of house, but it is rarely seen now when these older homes are renovated. I am going to try to see if I can get some that work for my house.

Also, while my downstairs floor refinishing turned out amazing, I am not 100% enthused about the upstairs. My flooring guys were excited to save the original floor paint, which I like, but the areas without paint became very dark and black compared to the areas with paint. Also, a big mismatched line from a no longer existing wall. It's like the finish raised the contrast on all of the floors' flaws. This was not at all visible prior to applying the finish. I'm torn about this...











I also love that I have original paint on my stairs and feel guilty about painting over it, but I wonder if it's also too worn to save. I did buy a gallon of high quality floor paint in a red oxide color, and I like the idea of painting the stairs entirely red oxide.







What do people think? Do I get rid of the original 155 year old paint?

[Mick_VT]

I say live with it for 1 year then decide.

[oaktree]

Some more interesting things I learned...

The reason the wood floor in my living room was mystifyingly pristine is because there would have been wall-to-wall carpeting when the house was built.



The weird patchy floor paint in another room is because it was common that they would nail down area rugs and paint around them.



My house (Greek Revival, I guess!) would have been white (ivory-ish because pigments for pure white were not easy to get) with green shutters and a green door.

My porch railing is definitely not original because it's to today's code.

Even with the ash door in my chimney, there could have been either a stove or a fireplace. There's no way to know until I check.

My interior trim would have been straight pieces of wood, not milled, with the outer edge taken off with a little sanding. 6-8" baseboards and 5"-ish window and door trim with butt joints.

The interior trim would be painted a darker shade of the wall color. I am constrained by the color of my vinyl windows (beige)...so I'm going with creamy white with trim that is similar to the window color.

The hole in my upstairs floor probably had a vent in it with a matching one in the ceiling below. They would open the vents to let warm air rise.

[oaktree]

Mick, that is not at all bad advice....

[oaktree]

I am leaning now towards having them sand these floors down. I looked at pictures of the floors before the finish went on, and the flaws were almost not noticeable. I think this isn't showcasing the original paint or doing justice to the beautiful wide planks. The most noticeable features in the two upstairs rooms are now the ugliest aspects of the floors (the dark line and the black patch). There's also spatters of newer white paint on the floors in a lot of places. Any other opinions?

[Gothichome]

Oaktree, lots to learn and your learning fast, and you've only owned the home a couple of months. I know your goal is to make it livable before you move in but if I may so bold,occasionally slow down and relax. Our old homes have been here a long time, They will waite.

[oaktree]

There's about to be a major slowdown on projects in a week as I'm starting a new, very demanding job. I was trying to get as much done before my job started as possible!

[Gothichome]

Oaktree, first off congrats on a new position. Moving up I hope. I mention slowing down not to discourage but to warn of old home burn out. It will often cause unneeded stress from putting too much pressure on your self or the bank account. When old homes stop being fun, they become work, and we already have a job.

[oaktree]

Thanks! It is a dream job, and I had time off before my start date to focus on the house for a bit. Things will get much, much busier soon.

Today is going better...my flooring contractor admitted his worker did not follow the plan with my upstairs floors, and it's getting fixed. My kitchen is starting to come together (some shortcuts had to be taken because of time constraints, but nothing irreversible). Soon, I will have both a bedroom and a kitchen, so I can actually move in, which is crucial right now. I know it's going to be beautiful in the end...it already is.