DON’T READ THIS POST!
WARNING:
Do not read this post
I implore you.
Why?
Because, if you read this post, you will not like me anymore.
Why?
Because…I am going to do a bad thing.
Sigh, please scroll down…IF YOU MUST!
NOTE:
1 ) Most of the rooms in the Cross House have trim and doors with an original faux bois (false wood) 1894 finish.
2) These original finishes have been obscured for a very long time under later layers of shellac, which turned dark brown as decades passed.
3) Old shellac is easily (relatively speaking) removed using denatured alcohol, which reveals the original faux bois finish of the Cross House in near perfect condition. Note the words: in near perfect condition.
4) Squee!
5) However, this did not prove true in the dining room. While the room did have a faux bois finish in 1894, it was later refinished…not with shellac though, but via a mystery layer. This layer proved impervious to removal until Kymberly suggested using ammonia. Yes, ammonia.
6) While ammonia did remove the mystery layer, the underlying original faux bois sooooooo did not look in near-perfect condition. Rather, the faux bois looked battered and bleached out, which I believe is a byproduct of using ammonia.
7) All this resulted in a stunned and exhausted Ross. I could, at long last, remove the mystery layer, only to damage the 1894 finish in the process.
8) ARGH!!!!!!!!
This panel is under the west window. I was able to remove the mystery layer, revealing the 1894 faux bois finish. But…it looks like hell. A person who is skilled at faux bond finishes could likely restore all the damage but the work is not something I can do.
Moreover, it was a LOT of effort to remove the mystery layer on this one panel and I blanche at imagining the effort/time required to remove all the mystery finish in the room, and then restore the 1894 finish.
Blanche.
So, I have spent several years pondering. What to do? What to do?
And slowly, with uncertainty closely flowing me, I came up with…a solution:
Paint. I painted the panel. Yes, paint. And I painted everything to the left. Look how much better the left side looks as compared to the right side.
The 1894 faux bois finish revealed. This image though looks better here than in reality, where it is cloudy and mottled. It is not attractive in person.
So I painted it. Up close, you can still see the faux graining.
All the trim looks like this: banged, scratched, and gouged. So, in addition to the massive problem of removing the mystery layer, the 1894 finish would require significant touching up.
Hear that sound?
That is a whole lot of people screaming: ROSS DID WHAT?????
But…but…there is a huge difference between putting down a primer, and then two layers of paint, and what I am doing. I am dragging a single paint layer across the wood. By dragging, the layer is thin, and could easily be removed. And this is vital to me. Because, down the road somebody may be willing to undertake the restoration of the 1894 finish in the dining room. Who knows, that might be me in, say, ten years. My concern, thus, is to not unduly add to the work.
By dragging a thin layer of paint over the battered current layer, all the bangs, scratches, and gouges largely vanish, visually. The trim, rather than looking like a long-term abuse victim, suddenly and easily looks elegant. Crisp.
So, remember this image?
So sad. To fix this, I first painted all the bits of bare wood with a tiny brush, then dragged paint over all.
After. Crisp! Elegant! I did not touch the Lincrusta.
This is, of course, not the ideal solution, which would be a laborious, expensive, and time-consuming process of revealing the 1894 finish and restoring it.
Rather, I have purchased myself some time via minimal effort. When the dining room is restored and decorated (in 2022, I expect), all the trim will look great. It will not drag the room down. And, importantly, the original finish will remain, a vital historical consideration. A true horror would be using a heat gun to bring all the trim down to bare wood.
And, I am OK with imperfect solutions. All old houses involve a delicate balance between The Best Option and I Am Going To Lose My Mind If This Project Does Not Get Done, STAT.
Y’all know what I mean.
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Dearest Ross!
Cleaning things up and making it crisp with one thin layer of paint is fine!
Do not beat yourself up!
By the way..🎶🎵.👩🏻🦳🎉Happy Early 🎂Birthday to you!🎊🎵🎶♥️
Sandra, no human was beat up in the making of this post.
It may not be ideal but from the pictures it does look very nice, and crisp, and I think while not exactly original it preserves the feel of the wood. Plus like you said, it’s not so impossible to remove later so really it’s not as grievous as a proper “muddling” would be. Feel free to cut yourself some slack sometimes! You are restoring an enormous and needy Victorian lady and you have been working very hard for years. I believe the Cross family would be thrilled with the work you have done, including painting the dining room trim.
Thank you, Karyn. I’m quite comfortable with the results. I walk around the room with a big grin on my face.
Say it isn’t so! It’s too early for an April Fools joke. Please, i’m verklempt right now. I am going for a stiff shot of Limoncello to steady my nerves. Aren’t you afraid of how the spirits that protect old houses are going to get you in your sleep? OMG SMHID.
Michael, I’m terrified of unleashed old house spirits!
No need to be. I have lived in two haunted houses. I don’t know if you believe in ghosts, but I had them in spades here. They were not malicious, but seemingly intent on getting my attention and to that end made a lot of noise, and occasional appearances. My little chihuahua started to get very frightened and instead of being with me would hide or look fearful. So finally I gave the house a blessing with blessed salt, and told whoever it was to go and not come back. It worked, and i’m glad to be free of the paranormal. It doesn’t quite fit in with this thread, but spirits are something an old house owner just might have to deal with.
Well…….
I don’t (surprisingly) hate it. Much better than painting it black!!
If you paint the lincrusta too, you could do a gold wash over it and then wipe off most leaving bits and pieces with a hint of gold…on just the lincrusta. Or even two shades- like gold and ????. Wipe on , wipe off. Give it a rich, dimensional look.
Linda, I will also drag the Lincrustra. And, yes, I plan to do a two-tone finish.
Good lord. This is fine. ( I have had a few glasses of wine…) And looks pretty darn nice
Thank you, Derek!
I’m thrilled, actually. After almost 7 years of fretting about the dining room trim, I have a solution at long last. For now.
I think it looks really nice, especially on the trim around the door. If you’re feeling at all guilty, just
remember that you weren’t the one that messed up the original finish by adding a mystery layer.
Besides, doesn’t the process of adding a faux bois finish involve painting the wood? If so, then the
wood has had paint on it from the very beginning.
Speaking of the mystery layer, I’m still curious as to what exactly it is – is that something you could
have analyzed at some point in the future? I know that’s not a priority and it does cost money!
If I remember correctly, the ammonia did work nicely on the built in china cabinet. Hopefully, you
can at least restore that and possible, the mantle, to their original finishes.
Anyway, it looks nice and it’s a big improvement!
It’s actually a great solution and greatly improves the look by smoothing out the gouges and scratches. Very nice. On the other hand, had you painted the woodwork white, which is what I feared when reading just the headline, I would have blanched and fainted!
White?
Oh, the horror, Loretta, the horror!
Yes, Ross, it looks crisp. And yes, I understand the impulse to fix the dining room so that you don’t lose your mind. But I must ask, oh so gently… how, exactly, does this seemingly cosmetic improvement advance the larger goal of you moving into the house sooner rather than later?
Brian, this effort has nothing to do with my 2021 MOVE IN work list.
It’s just a bit of fun.
I thought this week would be consumed with floor Justin, and the start of getting the second-floor floors repaired, sanded, and refinished.
But…Justin has gone AWOL.
So, I’ve been twiddling my fingers…fussing with small things.
I’m impressed at the color, as to how it really matches the years of darkness. It certainly looks better and honestly, without telling people it isn’t original, they would never know.
Thank you, Dan, for noticing.
The color shown is the third color selection. The previous two were not quite right. I was looking for a color that looked like I had done nothing.
I was looking at the pictures admiring the color you picked. The color allows the detail to shine through. I think that making this improvement is so good for one’s inner peace and makes the room look so much less like a bomb went off.
Ross, I am faced with a similar dilemma in my much smaller, simpler Victorian house. My woodwork is terribly dinged up, but I do not have the skill to repair the dings properly. Mine is not covered by a mystery finish, but it is the faux wood. I think I will be following your lead when I start work on it. Did you thin the paint at all before you dragged it?
Oh, and my daughter loved how yours looks too!
Looks good to me! And any small measure of satisfaction is a great step forward…
This house was built during a very transitional point in history, not unlike right now. It’s life has spanned well over 100 years of transitions, acquiring & discarding ideas along the way. I think your thoughtful restoration has done quite well to keep an eclectic eye open to it’s preservation, while respecting the idea of transition itself.
It’s beautiful! 💜 Your solution is clean and directs the eye to detail. It looks solid & has almost a bronze look, which would work well with whatever goes on the walls. You’ve elegantly solved an enormous, boatload of headaches, Ross. 🍷 Keep warm & hope for spring! 🌻
Not like you?? I like you more!! Because now, I know that you and I are a little more alike than I had thought! There IS a difference between compromise and surrender…you came up with a solution that makes it look really good, although it is not what you want in the long run. Now, if you had painted it white…I
I love your solution! The trim will look crisp again when you are done, and the room will look so much better. And the color is perfect.
I am envious of your china cabinet. And your pantry. And your staircase. And, well, of the whole house. But you are a much better steward of it than I would be. Bravo to you for coming up with this solution.
You did just the right thing. You examined the alternatives and chose the one that is removable, but gets you the sense of satisfaction that checking an item off of your list gives. It really doesn’t matter what anyone else would have done, it is your house. I have to say that when I respond with what I would have done….., it should really say …..in a perfect world with unlimited funds and skilled craftsmen available.
The reason that I don’t like you is that you get so much done on your plans and have this amazing persistence that I don’t have. You get up every day and do what needs to be done. It is pure envy, although I like you so much for all that you do get right and the contribution that you are making to historic restoration, that that envy is pushed aside and I really do like you a lot.
Oh… that Lincrusta… swoon…
And we don’t want you to lose your mind with any of this – do what you can and know that you’ve saved a gorgeous lady for future generations to enjoy. (How could we enjoy your writing and your journey if you had to be heavily sedated and stuck in a padded room?) We promise to NOT even notice that tiny bit of paint. No horror here!
How could anyone not like you?! You are so passionate in all your dealings with a difficult “lady” and you have done such an awesome job. From the pictures, it looks awesome and seems to blend with the Lincrusta (which btw I’d never heard of!). I live vicariously through you so be nicer to yourself! 🙂
Ross, I don’t blame you one bit. You solved a problem for a large project that would have taken many weeks to fix. The color is an excellent match. What fine lady doesn’t wear makeup to hide her flaws. Job well done.
Oh the horror? None here!
Oh the admiration? Yes, lots! Great work, Ross! New paint color matched the previous color yet showed details of the original woodwork. Bravo! Now c’mere and lemme give you a big hug.
I think paint is sometimes the right choice. Looks good, Ross! (just not white, ok?)
1. It’s your house. Didn’t Sly say “its your thang, do what you wanna do ”
2. A match is a little faster than a heat gun but not much. If you use a heat gun, I am calling the authorities. You know, the ones with the strait jacket, as you have gone insane.