Brownstoner Reno
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August 23, 2005
More Experimenting With the Stairs
Comments
Wow, very Op-Art. Could you please let us know the bluish wall color name in the upstairs bedroom? thx.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 23, 2005 10:16 AM
Bright white spindles can be a wonderful accent for the staircase -- especially because brownstone hallways tend to be dark. I'm sure this will look great once you're done. FYI, the spindles in our house are almost identical to yours and we just took the plunge to have them all stripped. We did one as a test -- it's beautiful walnut -- so couldn't resist doing them all. It won't make our hallway brighter but hopefully the lovely wood tones will make it worthwhile. Btw, our carpenter has removed the spindles so that the stripping and staining can be done more easily/efficiently. This does entail the risk of damage (infact, one spindle has been broken) but our carpenter is so good we're confident he can put it all back together seamlessly.
Posted by: Roz at August 23, 2005 7:00 PM
roz, how is your carpenter stripping the spindles? that seems like a labor of love, definitely.
is he dipping them? or using a heat gun? or peel away?
Posted by: Browngirl at August 23, 2005 7:30 PM
anon,
if you look further down the renovation blog, you'll find all the colours listed. the upstairs has 3 rooms in blue, each blue a different shade, so check that out.
Posted by: mrs.brownstoner at August 23, 2005 7:37 PM
Dear Browngirl, He uses chemical stripper applied with wire wool. Fortunately, the spindles don't have much paint on them -- maybe only 2/3 coats. We also have wood doors in the house that have never been painted. They just have old, dirty, sometimes "alligatored" shellac on them. This he uses just denatured alcohol to take off. I always ask him to use the gentlest possible solvent because I don't want to strip out all the color/patina from the wood. Cheers, Roz
Posted by: Roz at August 23, 2005 8:08 PM
Roz, I'm interested in learning how the denatured alcohol is applied to remove old shellac. I am in the process of buying a townhouse in Lefferts Manor that has beautiful wood, but too dark.
Posted by: dt at August 24, 2005 8:42 AM
Denatured alcohol thins shellac. Simply wet a clean cloth with the stuff and wipe away at your door. It has an immediate effect. Use a little to "clean" the surface or use a lot to remove some of the shellac.
btw, check your gloves for holes before you start. The goo that's created in the process can stain your fingers.
Posted by: AVERAGE JOE at August 24, 2005 10:04 AM
Dear dt,
Average Joe's advice is right on the money. And while nothing can replace actually getting your hands dirty and seeing what works in a particular situation, there are two books on refinishing with lots of helpful information that I recommend. One is THE FURNITURE DOCTOR by George Grotz (Doubleday, out of print but used copies are available online) which I've mentioned previously on this site. It's really about fixing antiques but is equally applicable to interior woodwork in antique houses. This is an absolute classic, written by a crusty old Yankee antique dealer, that has the side benefit -- which you'd never expect from a how-to book -- of being written with a wonderfully mordant sense of humor. The other is one of those oversized, glossy pbks in the Black & Decker series that you can find at Pintchiks, Home Depot, Lowe's etc. It's called REFINISHING AND FINISHING WOOD by Mark Johanson. I hope this helps. Good luck -- wood refinishing is a chore but the results will make you happy every day you look at it.
Posted by: Roz at August 24, 2005 11:06 AM
Thanks, Average Joe and Roz! Can't wait to get started!
Posted by: dt at August 24, 2005 11:40 AM
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