Of Wood & Disappointment

Today was another day where progress was made, but one of the projects ended did not live up to expectations.

The whole morning was spent cleaning the wood floor in the powder room and the end result was disappointing.

Remember this picture taken towards the beginning of the project? There was a lot of optimism when this picture was taken. Today, it was dashed on the rocks....

This picture was snapped when I was more than 3/4s of the way done with cleaning, and scraping the floor. On the left side is the section where the linked picture was taken. On the right is the floor with the crap still on it.

Did you notice the whitish stuff on the left hand side(?) - keep this in mind.

Here's more of the surrounding area.

You can really see the whitish stuff on the left side now. Take a look towards the bottom of the picture, where the squirt bottle, blade scrapper and paper towels are. This part of the floor still looks like the part above it, but it has been cleaned.

And here is the floor completely scrubbed.

The whitish spots are all around the areas where water pipes came up through the floor and waste pipes went down through the floor.

This tells me that there had been LOTS of leaks over the years.

The water, since it is filled with chemicals such as chlorine and florid, has left mineral deposit stains behind. Around the toilet area you should probably throw urea into the mix since wax seals can leak.

So, since the damage is over 50% of the floor we have a lot to consider. Do we try to repair the floor as it is (including the holes) or do we rip it all out and replace it? I do have the wood to replace it with, but doing this will just about deplete my stash and we have the foyer floor to consider.

The first thing I'll attempt is denatured alcoholic. We'll see what happens.

Let's drop this depressing subject and go to a better one.

Even though I spent all morning working on the wood floor, the first thing I did was spray a high-gloss seal coat on the light fixture.

About two hours later I added a second coat.

The light is now installed!

However, it will come down again when we paint and I want to put better screw anchors in as well.

It doesn't look too shabby does it? It needs a more appropriate wattage bulb and bulb cover, but you get the gist of it - right?

Okay - time to come clean and tell you all about a couple of my 'numb nut' moments; unfortunately they happened back-to-back.

'Numb-nut' episode #1 - Having removed the light bulb from the old porcelain socket plate, I was holding the plate in one hand. I was about to touch the screwdriver to the screw in order to remove the wiring when it dawned on me - the electricity hasn't been turned off yet.

"D'oh!"

'Numb-nut' episode #2 - with the new wiring attached, and the sconce setting on the ladder, I tested it by turning on the juice. Luckily it came on (I always have a moment of dread before doing this). So, I turn the juice off again and went to finish installing the fixture.

After installing the light I flipped the light switch on the wall - NOTHING!!! I flipped it again, and again...still nothing. So, I'm thinking I will have to take the fixture back down to check the connections. Stepping back onto the ladder, and getting ready to put the screwdriver to the top screw, it hit me - I never turned the juice back on!!

"D'oh!!!!!!"

Anyway...now that you've all had a good laugh...let's move on.

This is a better view.

The wiring was replaced so it's still kind of stiff; that's one reason you can see the wire above the arm. Since taking the picture it has laid down some.









And here is an even better view.

Do you see ANY chips or flaws?!

I think I did a pretty good job matching the faux tortoise shell. Anyone out there have some faux tortoise shell needing to be repaired?

Also, the part the bulb is screwed into looks a little off kilter. This is due to the new wiring as well. It will eventually hang the way it should.

Well, even though the floor turned out to be disappointment the day did end on a bright note! So, I call it a day and relax a bit.

Till next time...

Cheers ~
Larry

Bon Appétit!!

I love to cook.

There, I said it.

In reality I'm a rather good chef. In hindsight I should have gone to culinary school. Since high school I had always wanted to attend culinary school, not just any school either, but Le Cordon Bleu (preferably the Paris campus). I have always wanted to get 'Le Grand Diplôme' from this institution. Now I've learned there is one in St.Louis MO. Go figure...I use to live outside of St.Louis at one time an was looking for a career change!

However, the affiliate schools (all those in the US) are supposedly not as good as the one in Paris or London. To go to the one in Paris, and get the 'Le Grand Diplôme' (IIRC it's a 9 month program) would cost about $55K and that doesn't include room and board. I'm not sure if the actual 'Le Grand Diplôme' is even offered here in the US. The school in St.Louis only awards a 'Professional Culinary Arts Certificate'.

Anyway....

The reason I'm bringing this up, and somewhat ranting, is that the kitchen is getting closer and closer to getting finished and I'm having major withdrawals. I have not seen my good quality kitchen crap in a long, long time. I think my body senses this.

So, about two weeks ago I decided to cook a gourmet meal for the first time in what seems like forever. Last Thursday and Friday, SWMBO was out of town so I figured her coming home was a good excuse to do it. Saturday night was the night.

I spent a long time Saturday just trying to locate our 2nd tier china (our Cordon Bleu set) as well as the linen napkins, crystal glasses and nice candle holders. I also had to clean up the breakfast nook table and chairs to keep them ready.

With everything set and ready to go this is the masterpiece I endeavored to make.

Harts of Romain salad with Pear & Raspberries - drizzled with Champagne Vinaigrette. The Salad was followed by Broiled Oysters in Champagne/Parmesan sauce. The main entree consisted of Roasted Cornish Game Hen on a bed of Pan Roasted Potatoes infused with Truffle Oil accompanied by a Tian Provençal (Zucchini & Tomato Gratin) finished off with a dessert course of fresh fruit and cheese.

Following are a few photos for you to enjoy. Actually, I'm not happy with the pictures of the food. There is an index of prefixed 'modes' for our camera and I decided to try the one labeled 'cuisine' for the first time. It bleached out the food!!!

Honestly, the food looked a lot better in real life than in the pictures. Everything had a nice color and browning - honest!!. If you don't believe me just ask SWMBO!!

This is our little tavern table given to us as a house warming present, my parents, when we moved in. They also gave us the chairs. However, the table is backwards...there is a small drawer in the front.

On the table you will find a nice French Baguette. The little ramekin holds seasoned olive oil for dipping. There are also some wedges of baby Swiss and Munster.

Serving as the centerpiece, and our dessert, is a small selection of fruit. I had wanted fresh figs but those are extremely rare to get in our area. There is a store that has them, periodically, but I wasn't able to get by pick some up because SWMBO came home early and threw a kink in the plans.

Here's the salad, but the Champagne Vinaigrette has not been added yet.






Next up is the Broiled Oysters in Champagne Parmesan sauce.








I'm REALLY disappointed in this picture. The actual dish was bubbly and nicely browned.

This was by fare SWMBO's favorite dish of the night. The sauce was extremely silky and succulent.

Let's take a quick break from the food for a second.

This is a Tangine - every home should have one. These little doohickeys are some of THE BEST cookers in the world. You will not believe how moist, and succulent, your food can be till you use one of these babies.





This is the Cornish Game Hen with Pan Roasted potatoes infused with Truffle Oil that was roasted in the Tangine.


Absolutely perfect (!) and the potatoes had a velvety, buttery, texture that was out of this world.

The Tian Provençal.












This was an excellent accompaniment to the hen and potatoes.

The caramelized Vidalia Onion that made up the bottom 'crust' of this dish imparted the perfect balance of sweetness to it.

Note that the Zucchini, towards the top of the dish, is more brown than the rest. keep this in mind for my next rant.

And there you have it all together.

Again, the camera washed out the colors, especially on the hen. On the bright side, the hen was so well roasted it just about melted on the tongue.

Okay...now for the rant...

Remember the comment I made in regard to the browning of the Tian?

Well...

I hate our range!!!

What should have taken me a total of about 2 to 2-1/2 hours to make took well over 3-1/2!!! The electric range we have came with the house and is from the 70s. In the beginning it worked great, but over the past couple of years it's started to get worse. It's hard to regulate the burners (like most electric models) and the stove no longer cooks evenly and we are not too sure of the temps.

As most cooks will tell you "gas is where it's at".

So, we are looking at getting a gas range (keep this in mind).

I would love to get a professional grade range for home use, such as a Viking VGSC or Wolf R304, but the average price for one of those is $5K for a 30" rang. Either would have to be in Black though. While I love to cook, the price is a bit steep...but then again, if you did something to make money using it...... (thanks for the thoughts Sandy!)

Now if money, and space, was not an object I would have originally thought an AGA Classic Cooker would fit the bill. It retails for just a measly $18,553.00 and again, it would need to be in Black or Hunter Green (it is English you know).

Then I saw this bad boy...

It's the 'Château 150' from La Cornue in France. Heck, why would you let a meager $36,000 (that's the starting price) stand between you and your culinary creations!!

Anyone out there have one of these they'd like to donate to the cause? I would name the kitchen after you for this puppy!

Okay, let's get back to Earth.

You are going to start noticing less detailed posts, especially pictures, of the kitchen. We are getting close to having the kitchen back together and at an 85% completion rate. I will throw a few tidbits your way every now-n-then, but I want the big picture to be a surprise.

Okay, I hear you asking "Why just 85%?". Good question.

The floor and cabinets are going to have to wait till Spring. There's more than a couple reasons for this but the main one is the floor. I don't remember if I told you about our problem with the range and the floor, so here it goes.

Back in May a friend's son graduated from high school. It wasn't until July that we were finally able to give him the card in person. Well, when we went to get the card all we found was the envelope - the card, as well as what we were giving him inside it, was missing. We figured out that it fell behind the counter or the range. We moved the range out, but didn't find the card.

When I went to push the range back in place it wouldn't go back in. The flooring was so bad it was collapsing under the weight on the right side at the space opening. The only thing left to do was place a large, long, plank on the floor; get my 3-ton floor jack (with a board to distribute the weight of the range while lifting); jack the thing up and roll it back out. I then built a 1/2 thick plywood floor cover for the space. With this in place the stove when back in easily.

So, we now know that the floor under the range has gotten worse. In order to fix it right all the cabinets, sink and appliances will have to come out. The prep area floor will then be repaired. Since we were waiting till Spring to replace the cabinets we just figured that it would be easier to fix the floor then.

What this boils down to is that the kitchen 'should' be completed, with the exception of the floor and cabinets, before the holidays. This 85% completion will allow us to get somewhat back to normal for the Holidays.

One last thing... We have decided to hold off on painting the house till Spring (I'm holding out hope we might still get it done before November). It has been too wet to work on stripping and painting and we have read it is to be a wet Fall as well. I really do not want to get the house stripped and then have all that wood exposed to the elements. True, there is a lot exposed now, but it's less than the whole house.

Oh, one last thing. It has also been so wet that the septic tank pumper can't come and empty the tank so it can be filled in. Right now we have no idea when it will get done.

Hey - just so you know, I hope you enjoyed the food segment. I'm thinking of doing this more often. The next gourmet dish to attempt might be Caille en Sarcophage.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry ~

A few steps closer...

Well, the weather has been nice, so it's been slow going on the woodwork in the house. The bad thing is I'm so close to having all the prep work done! If I could only concentrate on DOING it it would be finished in about two days, then I could start on the plaster skim coat.

Here's a peek at one of the 'little' problems I keep running into. Remember all that termite damage? Well, one of the worst spots was around the back door leading into the utility porch. A lot of the molding was eaten away from the back.

I tried to fix the problem by filling the back with wood filler. The plan was then to finishing filling in the eaten away spots from the front with top quality wood filler.

Unfortunately, the stuff on the back warped the thinnest section at the top of the board. No matter what I tried nothing worked to smooth it back out.

In this close-up you can see just how bad it is.

The pic doesn't do it justice, but the top is so warped you can not lay a straight edge on it.

Now, as you may remember from earlier posts, we were told that the wood was imported French heart pine. Since then we have found out that it is also known as yellow hard pine. What ever you might call it it is very expensive to find it in the board sizes we have in the house. I was told we could order it in at $10 a lineal foot!! That would place this board at around $60!!!!!!

Just look at the veining - looks beautiful doesn't it?

We started looking all over for a replacement piece of wood. A friend of ours actually had a piece, but it was too short.

Then the other day I was walking by the burn pit and noticed a board we had tossed out by it for burning. The original board was 10 feet long and painted that hideous green that the walls are painted. It was one of the boards used to cover the plumbing chase. When we first removed it the ends split, it was pitted, and the nail holes ripped out. We also thought that it was the cheap type of pine you normally find at the local DIY shop. However, with the way the weather has been, the paint flaked off while it was laying out there.

Low and behold!! Look what it turned out to be!!

Here is the board after I cut it out of the original board. I got lucky because the side edges and ends of the board were so bad I had to cut this board out of the center and that just so happens to be where the best veining was located.





Isn't this board a beauty?! I have rescued the other board that was with it and managed to save the left over pieces that could be used from the main board.

Caution - the next part is not for the squeamish!!

Cat barf - it's not just for cleaning up anymore!!

Yes - you heard me right.

The other day one of the cats got sick and barfed in a couple of areas. SWMBO cleaned it up. I don't do animal barf - I can handle just about anything else (I use to be a morticians assistant) but I can't do animal barf.

Anyway, when she cleaned it up look at what she found.

Do you see that nice, clean, shiny spot? That's where the cat did the deed.

The stuff wasn't there for long, but it sure removed the adhesive.

Yup...a close up.

Isn't it nice, clean and shiny?

Here's the second spot.

This is even in one of the thickest adhesive spots, but it still came up.

Another close up - sorry for the fuzziness.

Now if only I could come up with a way to reproduce the chemicals that create the 'barf'. If I could do this, I could bottle it and sell to other people who have floors like this!

On the other hand, perhaps I could just feed the cats some epicac and have a cat barfing party!!!

Oh well, here's to wishing......

Cheers!
Larry

Yesterday & Today - Progress

Yesterday and today were not all that bad. I'm still sore from all the yard work Monday, but progress has been made!

I did some more sanding/prepping on the woodwork.

I have found a few more problems with the windows, but those can be dealt with later. I want to get the woodwork done.

With all the striping and sanding, some of the detail of the windowsills are lessening. So, as part of the final prep I'm re-cutting some of the detail so it's sharper. That's what can be seen in the pic.

Here is one of the corner thingies. So far the hardest part of striping all of these are the little groves. Either the scrapers are too big, or the dental pick is too small.

Also in the pic you can see a small gap between it and the mopboard. Not sure why it's there; there's no sign of the wall pulling away or anything like that.


Izzy came in to make sure I was still working.

SWMBO has her trained VERY well!!

These are some of my 'new' favorite tools.

I had never used a detail scrapper, like the one at the top, before.

MAN is it cool!!! Scrapes 90% of any paint on the molding without having to us chemicals. Only draw back is that it's very sharp. I now have 5 cuts on my fingers. Also, this little tool is what's allowing me to re-cut the details.

I can't believe I've never discovered this tool before. I've seen it before, but thought it looked goofy - boy was I wrong!

The other two are old screwdrivers I have ground down to use as miniature scrappers. We'll see how they work.

Look at that!!!!

All those nasty tiles are gone!!! Floor is filthy, but at least the tiles are gone. I hadn't set out to remove them all yet, but for some reason I kept tripping on the ones popping up. So, instead of falling on my face I got rid of the problem.

SWMBO does not know about this yet - hopefully she won't freak.


Just another view.

See the dark line between the window and the mopboard? That's where the top part of the mop board molding goes (yes - it's made up of two parts). I have decided to take the top piece off so I can finish prepping it better.

Okay, now this is the prep area and the scariest section.

We knew there was some damage to the floor here but had no idea it was as bad as it is.

It's hard to describe, but it's as if this part of the floor was pieced together as an after thought.

This is a closer look at it. See that perfect, white, rectangle? Remember it - I'll talk about it in more detail.

Anyway, on the extreme right of the rectangle you can see a swath of floor boards about 6+"s wide. This patch of flooring is about 2' - 3' in length.

Why was the floor done this way?!

This is an extreme close up of THE scariest part.

See all that damage?! Not sure if it's wood rot caused by water or something or if it's termite damage.

When I look at it from underneath (in the basement), there is no sign of damage.

Guess I'll poke at it tomorrow.

Oh well, at least it isn't boring around here!!

Cheers!
Larry~

Another Day Another Mystery…..

Okay, whether good or bad, the old tiles are gone.

Now we have a mystery on or hands.

Remember that pic above I said to remember? Well here it is below, only this time enhanced.

The yellow line outlines a perfect rectangle. It is obviouse that something had sat here at some pont - what?

You will also notice another square outlined in red. There are two boards there that look like either a trapdoor that's been nailed shut or a hole that's been covered. The latter is more than likely what it is. When I look at the spot from underneath (in the basement) there is a rugh hune hole there?

Now here is the second part of the mystery.

Right below the rough-cut hole in the kitchen is a hole in the basement floor. We have never known what this whole was for until an elderly lady (who still lives in town) told us about the basement.

She said that as a little girl she use to play in the basement and they had a washtub set-up that drained into the hole.

Okay, that makes sense.....

Then she told us that during prohibition moonshine was made in the basement (customers came to the side door leading to the basement to buy - that's another story). We later found out that the hole had been enlarged to make it easier to dump the booze, quickly, if necessary.

Here's a look down the hole. It's a good 6' deep and enters into an underground cistern.





The cistern isn't deep, but we have no idea how wide, or long, it is.

So, the Mystery is - what created the rectangular shape in the kitchen and why was it in the middle of the prep area?

Hmmm....any thoughts or ideas?


Cheers!
Larry~

Of Sawdust & Shavings

Ah.... There isn't anything quite like the smell of fresh sawn wood and fresh wood shavings. I love the smell. Today, the whole house is filled with that smell...

I was able to fire up the new table saw today and it was excellent. The cut was as smooth as glass...and the smell...Ah...

I love woodworking. There is nothing quite like it in this world. Being able to take a lump of wood, or in this case a scrap of old wood, and turning it into something nice.

Today, I got to do that.

Believe it or not, I got to use one of my favorite tools - a hand plane.

There might be fancier, and more high tech methods out there for removing wood, but there just isn't anything like a hand plane.

The sound it makes as it slices through the wood....

The smell it creates with each new shaving....

And the feel...it is as smooth as glass. You just can't get that with a sander.

As you might have figured out I'm very pleased with myself today. The large patch in the floor is finished!

Yes - it is done!

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

(yes - I'm doing the happy dance)

It was tricky getting the last two pieces to fit and THE last piece had a surprise I was not anticipating.

Turns out that the door threshold had a very steep, downward slope on the wooden floor side. It was a bit tricky to get that angle right (still not sure how I did it), but after the second attempt - perfection!


Do you see that color?! Isn't it wonderful?!

That is what all of the flooring in the house is like.

I can already see the finished floor in my mind.

Today has been a very good day.

What I gave my Valentine...

Normally, SWMBO and I do not celebrate Valentines Day. For as long as we can remember (going all the way back to the 3rd grade) we have fought like cats and dogs on this day. So, for us, the best way to celebrate it is to just ignore it.

Last year right, before Valentines Day, we had the chance to attend a private gala celebrating the opening of the 'Titanic' exhibition at a local museum. We were treated to recreation of the last dinner on the Titanic as 1st class passengers and then treated to a private showing of the artifacts.

It was a spectacular evening.

Yes - this is me with SWMBO.

Doesn't she look stunning?!

That dress she is wearing had to weigh 10 pounds. It is a full-length ball gown based on one from the turn of the 20th century. It is covered in thousands of tiny, tiny, hand stitched beads.

The pic does not do the dress, or her, justice.

Anyway, for 'grins-n-giggles' a friend took a picture of us in the 'classic' pose that everyone saw on the posters for the movie. This got me to thinking.......

So, for the very first time, in a very, very, long time, I did something special for last year’s Valentines Day.

With the help of a very talented friend in Texas (hey Laura! Thanks!!) I gave my wife the following picture as a Valentine.

I know, it's a bit 'cheesy', but what can I say, I'm a softy when it comes right to it AND an old romantic.

This year, I decided to do something else for the big day. I figure that last year went off so well (you know - without the dog & cat fight) I'd do something again this year.




TA-DAH!!!!!

The floor at the back door to the utility porch is in!!






I know, I know, it isn't completely in, but it's better than it has been in several years.




SWMBO has been wanting me to get this fixed for quite sometime so I figured, 'what the hey' it is Valentines Day so I ought to do something special.

**Note to all you house restoration people out there**

You know your really into restoring your house (or is it that your just that desperate) when something like flooring installation is considered a 'gift'.




As you can see, it isn't completely finished.







I have two more pieces to cut; the end-cap next to the threshold, and a small piece up by the water pipes.

I didn't get these last two pieces done due to lack of proper planning.

It was the first chance I had to use my new table saw - only problem was - I had yet to assemble it!

How hard could it be to put together a table saw...

Almost six hours later the saw is finished.... Don't ask why it took so long. Let’s just say Percy might have had a hand in it.

By the time it was finished I was tired, and the cold front started to blow in (dropped almost 20 degrees in an hour).

Oh well...it will be finished tomorrow.

Oh yeah...before I forget. Do you see the paint can in the picture? That's our security system. Since the door trim isn't installed yet (tomorrow hopefully) we have to have some way to keep the door closed!

Here's one last parting shot. You can see where the missing piece goes as well as the original threshold.

Also, those light colored splotches on the wood flooring - there pieces of cardboard that someone glued down on to them. No worry though, it comes off very easily.

We definitely lucked out when we found a cache of original flooring in the attic!

BTW - how do you like the pics? The first of the two cameras we purchased arrived this AM (another reason I've done this post). The one that arrived is the one to replace the in-law's camera that got broken. Hopefully ours will be in tomorrow.

Well...I'll let you all go for now. Hope your Valentines Day was a good one!

Floor Problems

Okay, now this is where the true horror really begins..... Termite damage!!!!

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This view is right next to the back door. It is the corner next to the plumbing chase.

All of that grey stuff along the edges, as well as the wide streak in the center of the pic, is the damage and some of the putty used to fix it in the past.

Also if you look at the door molding (left side of pic) you will see some light brown patches. This is also termite damage and attempts to fix it.

Another view of the same spot.

Over 50% of the wood that makes up the moldings, in this spot, is gone - eaten away. About the only thing holding this molding together is the paint.

The fancy foot molding that the door molding sits on top of is so bad it can not be replaced.

It looks good on the outside, but when I removed it the bottom crumbled away and the part that the paint is adhered to is only about 1/4 of an inch thick. I will be able to repair it - possibly.

Since this is a feature that will be seen every day, we have opted to replace it with an identical one from an upstairs closet (yes, even the closets have all this fancy molding in them).

More of the same.

A close up view of the same spot.

Not only can the damage be seen a little better; but you can also see the black, tar like stuff that holds the floor tile down.

If there is a silver lining at all in this mess it is here.

What you are looking at is the original tile and a couple spots where I have removed a couple pieces.

When we first bought the house we were told that the entire floor, all the way down to the sub-floor, would have to be replaced. The reason we were give was the tar adhesive.

Each company we talked with said this adhesive has destroyed the original wooden floors and could not be fixed without lots of time and money. They said it would be easier, and cheaper, to rip it out and replace it with a whole new floor.

Well, it turns out they were all wrong (the sad thing is is that these companies probably know the truth). One day, while looking at other house restoration blogs, I ran across a couple with the same type floor as ours. They showed some before and after pics of the floor and I was blown away. I figured that they HAD to have spent a ton of money on restoring the original floor.

Boy was I wrong!!!

Turns out, the secret is right in everyone’s house - soap and water!!! Yes, you read that correctly - soap and water. That's all they told me it took. They said to take some soapy water and apply it to the tar adhesive and let it set for a few minutes. Once it had done it's thing all I would have to do is wipe it up. If it didn't get it all off then I needed to redo it and scrub it a little.
Well, the heal of the 'L' is the result of just using the soap and water. Imagine what it will look like when scrubbed!!