Wood Corner Guards
Y’all know what Victorian-era wood corner guards look like, right?
In 2014, I added a steel beam into the ceiling of the parlor. Its weight is supported by paired 2×6 suds, which rest on the foundation. You can see the studs, far right.
I boxed over the studs. But the new corners have been begging for proper wood corner guards. I mean, it just seems, well, indecent without them, right?
I have been searching for vintage wood guards for years but have never come across a matched set of four.
Then, a year ago, I noticed that the Cross House had wood corner guards! And they look nothing like what I was used to. So, I removed a guard from the Round Bedroom…
…and stuck it in the parlor. Perfect! So simple! So elegant!
Dr. Doug is going to make me four matching guards, matching the originals.
With these in place, my “extensions” into the parlor should look, at long last, truly decent.
11 Comments
Leave a Comment
Your email address will NEVER be made public or shared, and you may use a screen name if you wish.
Ummm… I know I will sound like a dunce but I have never heard of corner guards… but now I want some
Hi Heidi,
Modern house corners have metal or plastic corner bead that is covered in a layer of compound to protect the crisp corners from damage when bumped. Victorians hadn’t come up with that idea yet, so they installed corner guards.
Do you think the corner cards that were originally downstairs would’ve been more ornate than the ones upstairs?
Hi, AJ!
The first-floor has two corner guards.
They are identical.
AJ has a point—- shouldn’t corner guards in parlor be carved or ornate?
I like your corner guards. We installed some in our kitchen, similar to the ones in the first picture, but a bit simpler. Got them from Van Dykes Restorers.
Dr. Doug did not know he was making Corner guards.
…yet.
The steel beam and supports, while not original, are an instance where the Cross House will be even better than it was when new, due to Mr Ross MacTaggart. I think what inspires and encourages me the most is the way that you overcome the most common downfall of those who take on a large restoration project; many people get half-way through, and then start cutting corners. Maybe they are tired of their house looking like a bomb went off, maybe their wallet is nearly empty, or maybe they are just mentally and physically exhausted. I know, because I am there once in a while myself…it would be so easy to just cover it up and hope for the best, but I don’t do that. My grandpa taught me everything I know, and left his tools to me; he never saw my house during his lifetime, but I feel him watching me sometimes now, and I want him to be proud. There is also the thought that “Ross would not cover it up, and neither am I”, LOL…sometimes when I have ripped out a non-original feature in an otherwise complete room, I wish Ross were here; “This is YOUR fault, now help me fix it!” Your presence might come in handy too, when dealing with a wife who thinks that I am ready for the guys in white coats 🙂
I love the simplicity of your corner guards – they are beautiful! I have to admit I groaned when I saw the corner guards in the first photo. They look like 1980s pseudo Victorian to me.
Van Dykes has corner guards to order in various sizes.