The Tuesday Thrill. The Wednesday Tease. The Future Tantalize.
As promised.
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After have gone missing for two decades, THE 1894 SCREEN DOORS HAVE BEEN RESTORED AND ARE BACK IN PLACE!
Careful observers will recall my previously posting about the restoration and return of the doors, but that proved a false alarm. For, the all-important reed detail (top) had been…oh, the horror…left off! So, back to the shop went the doors.
The doors were graciously returned to the house by Bob Rodak. They were falling apart though, and Dr. Doug (above, doing a very poor Vanna White) wholly rebuilt them. All the wood is cherry, like the original.
I will varnish the doors, and then install bronze screening. No aluminum at the Cross House!
I am ridiculously overjoyed that the long hunt for the lost doors, and their long repair by the good doctor, is now at an end.
Ross VERY excited!
Everybody reading this say out loud: THANKS, DR. DOUG! Make sure you are loud enough for Doug to hear.
Then, tomorrow, Susi will arrive at the house…
…to begin the long-awaited repair of the damaged faux bois (false wood) on the stairhall niche. It is now repaired and primed, ready for her artistry and magic. Ross VERY excited!
And soon to come:
Doug and I finally resolved all the issues regarding getting the lattice under the main porch built and installed. We have been trying to figure this out for seven years now.
Ross VERY excited!
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Well, this is big news Ross, I can see why you’re excited. The screen doors are beautiful and will be more so when they are varnished and bronze screening put in. Thanks Dr. Doug
Awaiting the results of the faux bois painting on the niche arch.
The lattice under the main porch will pull the whole porch together, figuratively speaking. This will be SO nice. Lots going on at the Cross House, very exciting.
I was there the day the doors came back to the house. It is so exciting to them them restored.
That was a very exciting day, Ken!
Fabulous day, and fabulous work.
I will add that I always viewed bronze screen as the ultimate high-quality choice. Then I saw a house that used bronze screens and thought they were awful – because they reflected the light, they were significantly lighter than the windows behind them, completely obscuring the impact of the windows and causing the house to frankly look horrible. At least in their bright form, I would strongly caution you test test the effect first.
I have had sample sets of old screen mesh and just like today it came in different colors and materials. I have one great little piece of ephemera that shows how you could order screen doors with scenes (like a castle) painted on the screen, like a Rembrandt lamp shade. How awesome is that?
I would recommend at least considering a charcoal wire mesh, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use a fiberglass high-transparency mesh on my own 1894, as it tends to visually just go away from both sides – while not “authentic” I would consider trading one buzzkill (modern material) for another (negative visual impact on the real overall beauty of the doors and house). But that’s just me, and I can see both sides of the argument. 🙂
Bo!
Always a delight when you visit!
However, you’ve dashed by shimmering mesh dreams!
Dashed!
Now I’m rethinking the screen material.
I couldn’t find charcoal wire mesh, but did find charcoal fiberglass mesh. Might you a source for the former?
BIG hug!
Consider the charcoal fiberglass for the reasons above.
Wire mesh will oxidize and the visibility isn’t as good. You many not be happy with it covering up all the hard work and beautiful wood of the restored front doors. The fiberglass mesh is also cheaper, easier to install and to replace.
My front porch has bronze screening and I had to replace one of the panels. The new bronze was very bright to begin with, but within the year it had darkened to nearly black. Honestly, the cost of the bronze is not worth it, since it darkens to black anyways. I have used the black aluminum in other areas, and there is almost no visual difference
All I’m saying is to check it all out before committing. You may end up with bronze regardless – the goal is for you to be happy!
Maybe I have the Charcoal reference wrong – I know we specify wire mesh on all the screen doors we do.
I would check with your local or nearest bigger-city screen replacement source as they should be tuned in to all the screen options out there. Here in Portland for instance we like Kraft Screens: https://www.kraftscreens.com/
All wire screens dent or hold scrapes more noticeably and permanently – I suppose that is also part of their old-time charm, but annoying the first time you muck it up carrying in a big box or something…
Lots of finishing touches happening! Once Cody arrives I think your progress will be even quicker, especially interior wise. Thank you Doug for the doors! Looking forward to seeing Susi’s work.
THANKS, DR DOUG!!!
They are beautiful. A true work of art.
Ross,
I am sooooo jealous but happy for you.
The screens are entirely missing from the Aylor house and no photos exist, so we don’t even know what they looked like. The only reason we knew the house had them is the bits of hardware covered in layers of paint left behind.
We have been scouting the architectural salvage stores and flea markets for a suitable pair but at 9ft tall, I think we are relegated to custom made. Of course as custom, I fret about making a wrong design choice and detracting from the look of the front doors. Decisions, decisions.
THANKS, DR. DOUG! The doors look beautiful, and you do a fabulous Vanna White.
And welcome to Susi! We are all excited for your visit.
I worked a couple of summers in high school (early 80s) at a very old hardware store that sold screen cloth, including bronze; the bronze, when new, was shiny and about the same color as a new penny. Once outdoors, it lost it’s shine and eventually darkened to the color of an old penny… So, in time, it would probably look very authentic to your house. The only drawback that I can think of is what Bo mentioned in his second post; all metal screen cloth holds dents, and since the bronze is an alloy of copper and some other metal (zinc?), it is a fairly soft metal and may dent easily. I don’t expect that you will be using the front doors for a service entrance, so as long as your guest are not too rowdy, I can’t imagine that it would suffer too much abuse. I vote for the bronze screens. If it doesn’t measure up to your expectations, you can always replace it later with fiberglass. At least then you won’t always wonder what if…
The other metal in bronze is tin!
Beautiful. A major leap in progress. Congratulations.
Thanks Dr. Doug!
Another thought- use bronze but darken it first- You can use a salt/vinegar solution to darken it before you install it .
So few old houses have their screen doors. These are a treasure! Thank you Dr. Doug!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Yippee! I am finally caught up to the recent posts. It has been a fun few weeks of starting this blog and seeing the process of the Cross House and Carriage House! But it will be a bit depressing to know that unless I hold off, I will not have several pages to read! BTW, found you on OHD!
Nice to meet you, Matt!
Thanks Dr Doug! And yeah Susie! So much. And now a screen dilemma. What’s 1 more mystery!!! 🙂
Funny they should return at such a time. I just stole some screen doors from a pretty little Queen Anne down the street, but let me explain.
I rent currently in a college town, of rentals.
The houses here are treated as disposable trash, and any original features saved are usually out of landlord laziness not to toss/replace them, and are in sad condition (half the original windows in my apartment have torn sash cords i am not allowed to replace 🙁 )
My friends down the street live in said queen anne. The landlord ripped off the original screen doors, and put them to the curb.
I will be donating them to a local architectural salvage place. Hopefully, they can go back on A home in the area. It’s just a shame they likely won’t see their original owner again.
Thank you for doing this! The old houses in your area will benefit somehow, someway when people like you take simple but important actions like this. I drove by a run down, historic area home with a large dumpster out front yesterday with what appeared to be original 6 or 9 pane window sashes broken and piled on top. Broke my heart. If they had been propped up near the curb, I would have grabbed them. But the building would have likely fallen in without someone stepping in, so I have to be satisfied with that I guess.
Thank you, Dr. Doug. Impeccable work as always. Me thinks you can substitute for the lovely Vanna in The Wheel of Fortune.