Under Window Wood and Floor Reno Questions
Good morning. It is November, and 43 degrees out. I am interested in renovating, ideally on the cheap, the woodwork below the windows in my apartment; and coming to some decision about the floor. The Questions: 1. Would it be better to citrus strip, or sand the pain off these below-window elements? 2. the “Windowsill”…
Good morning. It is November, and 43 degrees out.
I am interested in renovating, ideally on the cheap, the woodwork below the windows in my apartment; and coming to some decision about the floor. The Questions:
1. Would it be better to citrus strip, or sand the pain off these below-window elements?
2. the “Windowsill” (kind of an embelishment, at least currently) depicted is now covered with a piece of cheap moulding. What were the window sills originally made of? What would you suggest I replace them with?
3. The floor depicted in the other photo should probably be replaced; until I can afford to do so, would some sanding and application of stain have any positive effect on the look of the floor?
Photo of window wood:
http://tinyurl.com/28tre3g
Photo of floor:
http://tinyurl.com/2cne358
Be aware that there is probably at least one layer of lead paint on there. So get as much off with paint removers as you can and keep sanding to an absolute minimum, make sure you spritz the area and any dust with a mister (cheap spray bottle works fine) while you’re doing it, and clean up immediately with damp sponges or towels/rags so dust doesn’t spread around your house. Wear a mask or preferably a respirator graded for super fine particles. Don’t undertake lead paint removal if you are pregnant or have young kids.
The floor as shown in the pictures looks fine. It has a lot of “patina” meaning old scratches and various colors but looks to be in solid shape. People value the varied look of original flooring. Gaps between the boards are normal, especially in winter. It could probably use refinishing, but keep in mind that the floor of this type was originally intended to be covered with wall to wall carpeting or at least large area rugs covering most of it, not to look super uniform and perfect.
Kevin/LBart, I guess I will just chose a moulding that seems to do with the wood when/if I decide the strip it. The window frames are not right angles, so I guess a paper and/or cardboard template needs to be created…
L Bart IS Kevin.
There was no windowsill originally, just a simple cap where you have the cheap molding. It’s hard to explain what it should look like.
When I’m in that situation, I look at other places in my house or if that fails, ask my neighbors to let me look at theirs. Take a photo and measurements. Get the Dykes (2nd Ave and 6th St) catalog of molding (they give them away) and figure out the best match. It’s a puzzle. Sometimes the best match is more than one molding pieced together and sometimes its a more elaborate piece ripped down to remove the extraneous part.
In that way a carpenter replicated my original molding around new window and door openings for a small fraction of the cost of custom milling.
Thanks, but this is kind of a DIY project (otherwise I would have just found or asked for a contractor)
Ok i got to see them, concerning the floors they seem to be able to be sanded and applied with polyurethane or stained for a fresh look and the window i am not so sure, i would sand them too, let me give you a number it’s for kevin and he should be able to help you out very quickly, his number is 347 961 5544.
If you paste them into a browser tab or window, they definitely work.
Thanks!
tried to view pics but just couldn’t.