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Wood Stripping

We are beginning our next project in a neighboring building on Putnam Ave In Bed Stuy. This is a 1890's Renaissance Revival home a much smaller floor plate than our previous projects but a very exciting amount of original detail and great bones. While we await plan filings we are have begun the laborious and very messy project of stripping the woodwork.

There are more than 10 coats of paint varnish on much of the woodwork, Stripping detailed woodwork can be while almost as costly as updating electrical. or plumbing systems, but it is crucial to maintaining the traditional beauty and enhancing the value of the home.

There are various products and each paint stripping specialist seems to prefer. Unfortunately many of the more effective products have toxic fumes and are found only in small hardware stores bought only via code word. Each. wood stripping specialist has their preferred material. Citrus Peel can get the job done but with exhaustive effort. Peel Away is still a favorite for many. Others prefer to remove the paint with heat guns which can leave scorch marks on wood if not done very carefully.

We began stripping wood on site. in areas. where the wood and marble aren't moving. We will soon be taking off most of the doors and molding and stripping the rest off site, which will a fraction of the cost of stripping the work site work.

Will post photos as we go along.

#townhousetherapy#townhouse#brownstone#renovation#realestate#nyc#restoration#hudsonvalley#historic#townhouses#architecture#nycarchitecture#newhouse#interiors#preservation#constructionwomen#fixerupper#bedstuy#tiles#kitchendesign#kitchenremodel#interiordesign#cabinets#benjaminmoore#paint

Process in Newburgh, NY - Kitchen Cabinet Painting

#Process in #Newburgh - This will be my first experience painting cabinets. I wanted to refresh the house without doing a major renovation. The first project I decided to tackle is the kitchen. ⁠

We decided to paint the cabinets in lieu of refacing due to long lead times on cabinet orders, as well as for the ability being able to pick a custom color. ⁠ ⁠ We opted for Benjamin Moore Soot - a fantastic off-black color! ⁠ ⁠ While we had a flop with our first try, we had a very smooth process with the second painter. A fairly quick process wrap - sand and spray bases one day, and sand and paint doors the following two days. ⁠ ⁠ We removed the old green formica and paired the new cabinet color with a beautiful, leathered dolomite with gorgeous tones of gray sage and lavender. We also added a new stainless sink and industrial spray faucet. ⁠ ⁠ On to the tiles!⁠ ⁠

FOUNDATION WORK

The Putnam property was extended by thirteen feet out and a fourth floor was added To do this work had to reinforce the original foundation from 1875. Normally this work requires underpinning the original facade which is extremely labor intensive and costly. However by adding a reinforced bond beams to the basement and columns from the basement up through the additional 2 new stories it was deemed sufficient support for the 13x20 extention.

The concrete pours became such a ceremonious part of the construction process. An inspector present for each pour, and a larger than usual crew of day laborers since we were using hand mixer for the entire pour. A symphonic rhythm existed during the pour between those who shoveled the concrete into the cement mixer, those who added water, those who poured it into the forms, those who vibrated the poured concrete in the forms.

More floor installation photos

Floor Installation

#Stairwell Part 2 #Our plans indicated that stairwells should be 36” wide in lieu of 30” which was the original stairwells in the home. Due to the difficult c #These wider stairs posed many challenges. We were forced to remove the original coffin corner at the top of the 2nd floor which we had work #the reclaimed Doug Fir wood panels along the stairwells from M Fine. All these beautiful elements allowed the stairwells to become a sympho #they created a beautiful story and allowed for a comfortable and gracious walk up through the house. We chose to leave the Doug fir stringe #understood the vision

Rebuilding the stairs

Removing four stories of stairwells, and rebuilding the entire structure is not for the faint at heart. Fortunately having a master stair builder allows you to sleep a little better at night,

While we could have waited until later in the project we rebuilt the carriage and stringers during the joist replacement and installed temporary risers and treads for the duration of the project until finishing, added considerable cost but given the instability of the old stairwell could not have sustained the stress of the gut renovation.

One distinctive challenge was the curved wall stringer to achieve the original curved wall. Doug fir joists which must be heavy enough to support the stairs had to slit and bent to the form of the wall stringer.

When finished stairs were installed we used beautiful reclaimed vertical pine risers and treads form Provenance Floors who milled the floors as well for us. On the upper floors where we used

vertical grain new pine reads and risers milled. We chose to end the bullnose with a return on the side which initially seemed unfinished but when once the balusters and banister tied into the stair it all worked out perfectly.

At the parlor level we installed half inch reclaimed pine panels from MMFine. They also milled all the baseboards and closet shiplap. On upper floors we were going to install doug fir panels however once the stairs were installed We found the raw lumber doug fir beams looked great and we left it raw. Stairwells were finished with Bona Matte finish.

As the project ensued the cost and supply of lumber due to the Covid shutdown. The ordering of milled lumber occurred both before and after the Covid shut down and had to prices of lumber upwards of 30% challenging our entire budget. But in the end it has been all reward.

Restoration of original woodwork and doors Repurposing the window frames and doors required extensive work. Doors had to be cut down, old knob holes fillers, cuts where old hinges had been needed to be trimmed down to accommodate new hinges. Doors and window openings were completely all resized and there all frames had to be resized as well pieced together like a puzzle Panels under windows were recreated from excess shutters and moldings strips from shutters.This creates very interesting tones and patterns in the wood One carpenter called the workspace a body shop. Then the laborious task of filling all the wood that was riddled with nail holes and other indentations of time. After that laborious sanding and preparing for stain.The staining process begun well. We would lightly wipe stain with a rage across the wood. In a push to finish up the woodwork quickly, in a desire to finish up quickly a few more laborers were put to the task of rubbing stain in and tones began to vary too dramatically. So then back to weeks of sanding down the stain and evening out the tones throughout he house The wood was then sealed with Polyvine dead flat sealer so it maintains the appearance of natural unfinished wood. The result is quite spectacular. The home feels like walking through an antique piece of furniture every step of the way

Wood Flooring

Choosing and Installing Wood Flooring The home which we recently completed at 244 Putnam Avenue chose to celebrate the original materials such as pine. We chose to elevate the use of the woods such as pine by utilizing higher grade cuts and finishes, and layouts. We chose rift and quartered pine flooring in lieu of the standard flat sawn flooring for the home to elevate the quality and aesthetic. Flat sawn lumber which is the most common type of lumber used for flooring and cabinetry cuts the log in slices. It is easier and more economical to cut. Rift and quartered wood cuts the log in pie slices. Not only is it more difficult and time consuming to cut but there is more waste ergo more costly planks. The wood has beautiful stripes and at times vibrating wiggles through it and is more durable than flat sawn wood. For the parlor level we chose a more expensive reclaimed vertical pine from Provenance Floors which is an old hard wood reclaimed from beams that were cut in the 18th century from old growth pine. It has a mellow turmeric tone to it. We chose 3" wide planks laid in a diagonal further enhancing the beautifully of the vertical lines. The perimeter was framed with four boards which then formalized and gave each space its proper definition. For the upper levels, and the garden floor apartment, due to budget consideration, we chose a new vertical pine. Since the wood comes from young tees it is lighter, softer yellow tone and the vertical lines are broader. This wood wasmin a 4" width as the lines are much broader. We worried about combining the two woods due to their different tone and grain but they married perfectly. The floors were finished with Bona Matte sealer and are such a pleasure to walk barefoot on. They feel like smooth cool velvet.

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