please post the name and contact of your landscaper--thank you!

Posted by: chelseagirl at June 20, 2008 11:37 AM in response to Garden of the Day: Brooklyn Japanese?

please send name and contact of your landscaper to:

susie.linfield@nyu.edu

thank you

Posted by: chelseagirl at June 20, 2008 12:12 PM in response to Garden of the Day: Brooklyn Japanese?

i definitely agree with CMU. all that dark wood makes it look as if you live in some dickensian coffin. nicely painted woodwork is beautiful: it lightens up a brownstone, making it look fresh and airy instead of overpowering and dark. you can do beautiful things with paint; who wants to live in a morgue? 'fundamentalist brownstoners'--those who don't believe anything 'original' can be changed--make no more sense than any kind of fundamentalist.

Posted by: chelseagirl at July 18, 2008 4:53 PM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

thanks to all! i will check out these suggestions.

Posted by: chelseagirl at August 8, 2008 8:56 AM in response to screen doors to garden??

also, southslope: from previous posts,you seem to know a lot about these things. have you used this company? thank you.

Posted by: chelseagirl at August 8, 2008 8:57 AM in response to screen doors to garden??

we are thinking of removing an old radiator too. can i ask: were there any problems with your doing this? and did you get a plumber to do it, or.. . ? thank you.

Posted by: chelseagirl at September 6, 2008 11:30 AM in response to Old Cast Iron Radiators

PARK PLACE, BETWEEN VANDERBILT AND UNDERHILL

Posted by: chelseagirl at September 26, 2008 9:13 AM in response to Best Block for Brownstone Renovation

Ultimately its your house and you have o be happy in it, but I so hate to see beautiful carving and millwork covered in paint.half the beauty is the flow and change of the grain and if its simply that you want lighter color, consider removing the varnish and maybe bleaching. Steve could probably best answer if that's a good option or not, and what kind of wood it works best on. and varnish can darken drastically over time, so sometimes the dark color you see may be a result of that.

My friend's house is a mix of woods with the divider and columns, and pier mirror frame a mahogany, but fireplaces are a medium oak and my living room fireplace is a light colored nearly grainless wood which I think might be maple??? Dark wood can limit your design choices sometimes, but it is so rich looking.

Good luck, whatever you decide but don't forget to post pictures!

Posted by: bxgrl at July 18, 2008 6:37 PM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

Yeah, I think alot has to do with the type of wood, which you have not mentioned. Softwoods, like pine and poplar, were made to be painted. Hardwoods, like oak and mahogany, would be a crime to paint. (altho I'm agnostic on maple, it's a hardwood but a boring hardwood). By all means, strip the old varnish off hardwood and lighten it up, but painting it will be a crime, and will likely cost you money at resale.

Posted by: denton at July 18, 2008 7:48 PM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

When I first became aware of the amazing woodwork that can be in brownstones, I was definitely in the school of thought that said strip every stick of wood, and don't paint anything. I've since modified my position slightly.

One of the houses on our Crown Heights house tour last year had some of the most amazing fretwook and woodwork I've ever seen. The homeowner stripped and restored the very elaborate entryway, hall, front and middle parlours. The wood is a warm, golden oak. But in the back parlour, which is her dining room, she painted the woodwork white, and the walls were a very pretty blue. The white woodwork was a really nice contrast, and the blue paint made it pop. Her antique wood dining room set brought wood tones into the room, and it worked really nicely. I don't think it would have been as nice with another woodworked room.

Long story long, I think the most ornate woodwork, and best woods - mahagonny, cherry, golden oak, etc should not be painted, especially if already natural. But I have no problem with some well thought out variety. If you do paint pristine wood, (it still hurts!) please put a coat of water based varnish between the wood and the paint, to prevent your paint from soaking into the wood grain, thereby making a future stripping job even more difficult.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at July 19, 2008 11:41 AM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

Southslope is right that painted woodwork WAS done in period homes, especially after 1900. Dark woodwork was highly unfashionable in Edwardian homes. I have a book by the first widely famous modern interior designer, who emerged in the Edwardian era, Elsie de Wolfe and she is absolutely SCATHING about dark woodwork and the Victorian look in general. After the Victorian era was finished people back then were thinking, okay moving on, let's lighten up a little.

However, despite my love of painted woodwork I would not paint stained woodwork that's detailed and special and in perfect condition.

You could do mixed painted and stained woodwork. We have that in our home, and I've seen it in professionally designed brownstone interiors too. It does not have to be all one or the other. There is no rule about that. You can absolutely mix them. Leave the carved wood stained, such as on the stair banisters or the fireplace, and things like moldings and baseboards you can paint.

Posted by: traditionalmod at July 20, 2008 11:54 AM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

Do Not Paint Vintage Wood Paneling!

Posted by: James Patience at July 21, 2008 3:14 PM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

also, southslope: from previous posts,you seem to know a lot about these things. have you used this company? thank you.

Posted by: chelseagirl at August 8, 2008 8:57 AM in response to screen doors to garden??

Likes2Lurk: Ohhhh, it was on the INTERNET. Nevermind. Must be true then.

I've tried two different types of retractable screens, and both lasted for just a couple of months before the heavy use by both pets and humans broke them.

I too would be interested in someone who could build customer screen doors (with frames) for my apartment, which was the original question. Anyone have any recommendations for that?

Posted by: cb_photography at August 8, 2008 3:09 PM in response to screen doors to garden??

Hey,

I just finished building a screen door for a restaurant bar called LOX on Fulton and Putnam
Please feel free to give me a call if you would like one made.

cheers Pete

Posted by: PeterMaycock at August 14, 2008 4:59 PM in response to screen doors to garden??

Hey,

I just finished building a screen door for a restaurant bar called LOX on Fulton and Putnam
Please feel free to give me a call if you would like one made.

cheers Pete

Posted by: PeterMaycock at August 14, 2008 4:59 PM in response to screen doors to garden??

Hey Peter here again my number is 1718 930 7499

Posted by: PeterMaycock at August 14, 2008 5:05 PM in response to screen doors to garden??