An Inching Along Radiator
Half stripped!
Today, I glopped on the paint stripper and…stepped away for an hour. And when I stepped back? Wow, the work went much faster than it did the other day when I did not step away.
So, a reminder: always let the stripper do the work for you.
But patience is not something I have in abundance.
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Tell that to someone who hasn’t read your blog!
Oh yes, I always expect the paint to come right off 3 seconds after the stripper has been applied!!
I’m not THAT bad, Brian!
I mean, I can wait for…8 seconds.
As always your efforts are amazing!
You & Brian are characters!
I used to look at this blog on my phone. But then I realised how much detail I was missing. I adore the radiators, so much detail. Glad walking away made the stripper work better. Probably better for you lungs anyway.
Visiting Cross house one day has made my bucket list.
Ross, lately when I have viewed your posts, I’ve been wondering how you are going to refinish the floors. Will the radiators be removed? And, I want to say while I gaze at that nook I see what the architect intended. It is warming. Gemutlich, as my Oma Betty would call it. It really makes my heart go pitter-patter. And, thank God the white paint is going from the radiators.
I can’t get over the revealed detail on the radiator. 💚 Honestly, even the stripped finish looks SO much better than the white!
Hey Ross, when it’s all stripped, just take a brass brush to it and leave it for a bit. At least until you find the ‘right’ finish for it. Frankly, with 100+ years of that restrictive skin, maybe it needs time to breathe. After all – it’s Spring – let it be it’s own naked self for a bit – radiator au naturel! 😄
Just revisited Dec.10, 2017 the niche begins, AH mazing change.
Coming along nicely! What’s up with the heat vents, are they functual?
It’s perfectly half stripped. What a tease!
Hi Ross,
-Looking good.
-My assumption is that the vents are for the air conditioning. They would look good with old cast iron grates. There are lots of period grates out there, you should be able to locate enough for the house. You could remove the covers on the modern boxes, and attach the cast iron in their place with epoxy putty. Although the covers might not match each other throughout the house, you could probably find enough so that those in the same room do match. -I bet a lot of those who follow this blog have them sitting around, not having any real purpose. Many followers might just give them to you so that they would serve their true purpose, or as a thank you for the hours of enjoyment that this blog has brought them. Another motive for us would be to have made a contribution to the Cross House’s restoration.
-On the other hand, you might be thinking that, like with the library book shelves,you don’t want to add a period element that might be taken for original to the house. I am not sure that anyone would think that a/c could be original to the house, but one never knows.
“…always let the stripper do the work for you.” Duly noted sir, duly noted.
I love old homes, my grandmother lived in one built sometime in 1800’s. When she died and my mother sold her house they had to create a deed. My house was built in 1930 and I’m about to update the siding and liked those scalloped shingles. I’m almost finished with the inside. All of my ceilings are wood and lots of wainscoting on the walls too and redwood on all of the floors except the bath.
I am wondering, do you or have you ever heard any strange noises or anything paranormal in your home? There’s bound to be something, considering the age and your transforming it. I’m not saying hat’s bad but even in my 1930’s home, when I started rehabbing it, I was witnessing strange events like my TV turning on in the middle of the night and other minor things. But mainly the TV turning on and off was happening on a weekly basis. I love my old home though, it’s pier & beam.
Hi, Lisa!
It is nice to meet you!
I have not experienced any strange noises or anything paranormal in the Cross House.
Although I have heard rumors that the owner is very…strange.
Hahahahaha. Good to know. I’d like to take out one of my old doors and add a rounded one instead. Would that be weird looking for a 1930’s home? I’ve noticed that there is nothing in my house that is perfectly squared or centered, did you have that issue with yours?