Door update, and other things.

Lauren: Welp, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Remember that plan about a light sanding and then painting over the new door? I got to work with a paint scraper and then a chisel and discovered the wood underneath looked really cool. Scraping the paint was rather addictive, and I just couldn't stop! The next thing I know its 4 days later and 75% of the paint on one side of the door was scraped off. And my neck was sore! So then I decided to do something I never thought I would do again..... strip the paint. Ugh.

First, all the little wood trim pieces had to be removed. Some of them broke in the process. So then they had to be glued back together.

I set up a workstation in the barn at my parents house. 

I got to work using Citra Strip, trying to be all non toxic and all. Three applications later, I went to the store to get some Strip-Eeze. Ultimately, it seemed the best combo was Strip-Eeze first to get most of the paint, and Citra Strip to get the last layer which seemed to just dissolve into a green goop. 

Mom helped me a lot! We went through more rubber gloves than I can count. And the skin on my right hand just hasn't felt right ever since. Gross. 

Finally, we made some progress. I love it! I still haven't replaced the little trim pieces yet, I am waiting for the wood to completely dry out and give it a final sanding. 

The gouges and dark spots on the old door are my favorite part. I am not sure how we will finish this. I don't want to cover it up with stain. I would like to just oil or wax it, but it is an exterior door so it needs to be well sealed. I do not like the shiny look of polyurethane!

Levi: I think Lauren has done a great job on the door. I picked up a set of cabinet scrapers for the final finish. We've had a few people tell us were crazy for rehabbing this old door, so I think that means we are on the right track.

We also started shopping for some hardware. I would like to have brass so that it will match the awesome door knocker Levi's mom gave us as at my engagement shower. I don't have a picture of mine but here is one from the internet.

For the doorknob, I'm thinking something pretty simple and streamlined. We popped into a place in Paducah that had these, but we are also looking at more modern options. 

Once I'm done refinishing the door, Levi will chop 1 inch off the top and bottom so it fits our doorway, and then we can install it! Then I'll work on restoring the windows. 

I have also been on a mission to collect as many bentwood chairs as possible. I just love them, and you can find them at thrift stores for anywhere from 10-25$.  Heres my stash so far. I plan to sand all of these down too. Me and my new orbital sander are getting very close. 

On the left is the "french cafe chair" that Restoration Hardware is selling for 99$ on sale. On the right, some dining room inspiration with bentwood chairs that have paint legs.

Levi, on the other hand, has been hard at work on very different projects. It took an oxy-acetyline torch, a propane torch, and having a plasma torch on back up that we borrowed from a friend to get the boiler out of the basement. I'll let him tell you more about that! 

Levi: On my end of things I've torn down the ceilings; that's being cleaned out of the house currently. There's pretty much nothing left to tear out. All the old knob and tube electrical, all the asbestos covered ducts, the boiler, the cast iron pipe mated to pvc, it's all gone. We're starting over with a clean canvas. That will be nice.

The next step for me is getting our design ideas for the kitchen in order. The job will require some major structural changes to the house frame and we need to get it right for city approval. More to come on that!

Cutting. and grinding. and cutting.

Insulation!

This is the temporary floor lifting. Of course I'll pour some concrete later and put in "permanent" supports.