When
we remodeled the farmhouse (c. 2000), we discovered that beautiful wood lay under some of the
painted doors, door frames, and baseboards. We stripped the
paint off, had the wood reconditioned, and restored it to its original place. We
couldn’t imagine what had prompted the family to cover that beautiful wood! If
I had to guess, it’s that dark woodwork fell out of vogue, and rural people did so want to be up-to-date, in the know, etc.
Even
though I don’t know the reasoning, I do know that my dad painted it. That same
letter of instruction written by Uncle Earle in 1945 tells him how to paint
the woodwork:
Three coats will be necessary to cover that dark woodwork. You can use
two coats of enamel undercoat first and finish with a coat of enamel. This
would be the best. If you care to you can use first a coat of flat white, then
a coat of enamel undercoat, and last a coat of enamel. This procedure would not
be as good as the first one I have outlined as the flat white is not as good
paint for woodwork as enamel undercoat.
First, use some very sharp, course sandpaper on the old finish, knocking
off the gloss so the first coat will have something to unite with. Then sand
lightly between coats with No. 0 or No. 00 sandpaper. Of course, the last coat
is not sanded. If you can get Dutch Boy paint it will be splendid. If I were
going to do that job, I’d put on an off-white, and I’d use Dutch Boy satin
eggshell enamel No. 700 for the last coat. It washes just as well as the glass
white No. 300 and is the most beautiful soft finish I have ever seen. It is
better taste for dining rooms and living rooms. In the kitchen, I’d use the
gloss white No. 300 mentioned above.
 | |
| Water damaged door frame prior to demolition |
My dad actually refinished quite a lot of old wood in his day. In the ’70s, he and Mother restored antique furniture (family pieces), and Daddy “antiqued” several pieces.
You could buy kits to do that. Sometimes it worked well, but it was important to get the old varnish off or eventually the varnish would react with the paint. Even at that time it struck me as strange to cover wood with paint, but it appealed to him.
Part of the door frame in the dining room was badly
damaged with the water leak, but Big Mike assures me it can be set to rights. Looking forward to it. KW
4 comments:
I sure wouldn't want to be the one to do all the work Earle described!! The home Dan grew up was built about 1915 and all the woodwork in it had been painted. Several boys who grew up there (one of whom I married) contributed to many chips along the floorboards!
Glad Big Mike thinks the door frame can be fixed. Love those old sliding doors.
Yes, I hope the wood can be restored. We're still waiting to see what happens. it surely has not been a quick fix, but I guess no one promised that.
Do you think the woodwork in Dan's old home had originally been vanished wood rather than painted wood? If so, it bears out my theory that dark wood was a style of the teens and '20s. Guess I could research that.
The woodwork in the family home in Orofino was painted to match the walls, and I never gave thought to how it might have been originally. Our modular home has very few baseboards, and those it has are not very wide. I guess that eliminates having to dust them.
Yes, I'm certain that it was varnished wood under the paint. I don't know who painted originally, but they apparently didn't sand well enough because when the paint chipped, it was dark stained wood that showed.
If they didn't sand (much or at all), the paint wouldn't bond to the varnish, making chips more likely to occur. As you noted, to do it correctly is / was a lot of work.
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