Restoring Architectural Gems
Trust Oak Brothers to Properly Restore and Preserve Your Home’s Architectural Features
Restore the Gems
Given limited resources, many owners of historic buildings become overwhelmed by the possibilities for restoration and settle for a repair strategy–just fix what is broken–instead. This impulse has a legitimate, though limited place in the restoration process. The practice is called “mothballing.” In short, if one lacks the time and/or the resources to accomplish full restoration, one is advised to arrest the damage by stabilizing and protecting the element from further degradation until one can afford to undertake full restoration. For instance, if the budget won’t stretch to include restoration of both the primary and storm windows, it is wisest to install storm windows, thus protecting the primary windows from further damage. Once the coffers have been replenished, the primary windows can be restored.
The fact is that repair is no substitute for restoration. And repair work that is done without consideration of eventual restoration can be detrimental, even to the point of negatinng the possibility of that prospect. As an example of such short-sightedness, see our Church of the Atonement door restoration project.
But why should one choose restoration over repair in the first place? Because 100-year-old architectural elements that are in good enough condition to be candidates for restoration have distinctive value that is reflective of their age.
Original features of historic buildings which are approaching, or have reached one-hundred years of age are considered antiques. Go here to learn more about this antique status and the furniture-quality restoration process whe have developed to ensure their care.
Once having recognized the value of restoration, though, and assuming one one is not in a position to accomplish full restoration of all the interior elements of a structure in a single project, how does one decide where to begin? We recommend a two-part approach called “selective and incremental restoration.”
Consider “incremental” first. The challenge of interior restoration is to maintain a sense of wholeness even though one does it over a period of time. Jeff discusses a number of recommendations on how to maintain this wholeness by a thoughtful and informed incremental and selective process in a webinar he presented for the Chicago Bungalow Association. You can watch a recording of that webinar here.
What, then, do we mean by selective restoration? What we don’t mean is partial restoration–refinishing parts of elements rather than attending to all aspects of the feature. By “selective restoration,” we mean being selective about the elements that are most worthy of restoration. We call them the “architectural gems.”
What Is an Architectural Gem?
An architectural gem is a distinctive element that commands attention because of its unique character, intricate design, well-craftedness or some other distinction. When restored, these elements are particularly worthy of the meticulousness attention to every detail of the element required to bring them back, as close as possible, to their original, often spectacular condition.
Consider the following examples of “gems” we have restored for clients.
Built-in Cabinet Restoration
Take one look at this cabinet in its restored state and we think you will agree that it is a “gem.” But one could be excused for not even noticing it in its “wallflower” state when it almost disappeared into the wall behind it in its pre-restoration state. Consider what was required, though, to recover the beauty of this gem. Every aspect of the cabinet–structural, functional, and aesthetic–had to be attended to with restorative attention.
Finish removal alone was enough to reveal the splendor of the beautiful, quarter sawn oak hidden beneath the shabby blanket of paint. As the before and after images show, but the removal process also revealed a number of other structural and aesthetic repairs that were needed.
Securing the mirror (which had precariously separated from the cabinet) then secure the cabinet (which had separated from the wall).
Replacing 24 corbels (all of which had degraded)
(all of which had degraded)
Repair decorative pillar capitals, replacing pieces that had chipped off and filling gouges.
But the effect of such devoted attention is obvious–a polished, sparkling gem of singular beauty. And as an added bonus–a place fitting for display of fine glassware and dishes.
Notice the clarity and richness of this patina.
This was achieved by following up our stripping procedures with “antique-level” cleaning procedures which included:
- Bleaching and neutralizing procedures to achieve maximum reversal of ultraviolet and moisture damage.
- Gentle saturation and scrubbing of every inch of the cabinet with denatured alcohol and toothbrush sized brass bristle brushes to remove residual, original shellac that clings to the recesses of wood grain. The payoff for this meticulous cleaning? Not having to engage in aggressive sanding which reverses the beauty of an aged patina.
These procedures were then followed by the application of three coats of period appropriate varnish (NOT plastic-appearing polyurethane). While one can sometimes “get away” with only two coats of varnish, a minimum of three coats is often needed to achieve the silky richness of fully saturated patina.
Why Did They Do It?
Recovering Architectural Integrity for an Arts and Crafts Gem of a Fireplace
The one thing one can be sure to experience when purchasing a vintage building is bewilderment concerning previous owner’s decisions. For instance:
What insanity inspired them to cover up a stained glass window with drywall?
Why did they replace that beautiful original trim that we see in vintage photos and with this junk?
What possessed them to paint this beautiful cabinet?!?
Such a question came to mind when we saw this fireplace.
Given the Arts and Crafts preference for natural materials, one wonders why anyone would have painted the fireplace surround. As can be seen in photo of the restored element, this fireplace and surround clearly qualifies as a “gem.” But restoring it to this revitalized condition required more work than simple paint removal. Even after vigorous finish removal, a faint paint haze remained, causing the brick to appear lackluster and cloudy. A custom mixed stain had to be applied to restore full saturation of the natural brick color. Restoring the wood features also involved more than finish removal. After repair of the wood was completed, the residual original stain had to be reinvigorated to match the stain color of the surrounding wood trim. Three coats of a period appropriate varnish–not polyurethane!–were applied to protect the wood and to achieve the fully saturated appearance seen in the restored element.
Before
After
Breathing New Life into an Fireplace that had Already Passed its Expiration Date
Here is another fireplace we restored in a vintage Hyde Park apartment. Its distinctive firebox hood and richly colored glazed tile gives it the character which justifies labelling it a gem.
The client had already removed the paint. As often is the case, she then discovered why it had been covered up with paint! Not wanting to cover it up a second time, she was at a loss as to how to bring it back to life. So she entrusted the remainder of the work to us.
And work it was! The first challenge was the grout. It was so degraded that we had to grind it all out. But as soon as we started, we discovered it wasn’t grout at all. It was cement! We burned through three diamond-studded grinding blades to remove it. Similar work was needed to restore the hearth. After re-grouting the tile, we applied a special coating to recover the glazed finish that had worn off the tiles. The mantle was stripped to bare wood, stained, varnished and finished with two coats of wax to produce a soft glowing sheen.
“The living room fireplace had been painted white. Once I had removed the paint, the ceramic tiles were dull and the cement grout stained and pocked. Only when I found Oak Brothers did I trust that the restoration could be reliably completed, and now it’s the focus of the living room.”
– Merry Bell, Hyde Park
Wall Paneling Restoration
A spacious dining room lined with floor-to-ceiling mahogany paneling. Can there be a better definition of an “architectural gem” than this?
Before refinishing it, though, the veneer, which had delaminated in places, had to be repaired. The richness of the patina is the result of having used a period appropriate linseed-tung oil varnish. Because this is a penetrating, rather than a film varnish, it can be kept looking freshly varnished for decades to come by periodic (10 or more years) washing and refreshing of the finish. While this high gloss sheen is not to everyone’s tastes, we chose it because its transparency celebrates the expertly bookmatched mahogany veneer in all its splendor.
Before
After
Stairwell Paneling Restoration
It is hard to believe this greenish brown stain color was original to this 1880’s Victorian residence. We suspect it was refinished in the 1960’s or ’70’s. We stripped it down to bare wood, using toothbrush-sized brass bristle brushes to clean out the grain and remove finish from the corners. We then refinished it in this English Chestnut stain that was closer to a period stain color. What a gem it is now!
Whole Room Restoration
Sometimes, an entire room can be considered a “gem.” When every feature of a room is attended to with such devotion of attention, the room achieves a singularity that distinguishes it as a unified, precious space.
Here’s a list of everything that needed attention:
- Fabrication and installation of missing header moldings on all the window and door frames.
- Fabrication and installation of missing baseboard.
- Stripping of painted baseboards and refinishing of all the wood elements.
- Window restoration.
- Color consultation.
- Plaster repair and painting.
Before
After
Restored Decorative Plaster Sconce Gems
These one-of-a-kind wall sconces grace the walls on either side of this foyer in a lakefront mansion built by Howard van Doreen in 1908 and later updated by interior designer/architect Samuel Marx.
Restoring these floral sconces was one among a number of projects we completed in this residence. As the before photos show, many gouges and cracks became apparent after we stripped off decades of paint. We repaired the plaster, then repainted them the same color as the walls. The subtle way they emerge from the walls adds to the drama of these one-of-a-kind sconces.
Using bronze powders mixed into a glaze, we also refurbished the antiqued gold patina on this side table, applying fresh coats of varnish to preserve it.
Great Room Pickled Finish on Quartersawn Oak Restored
A previous owner had applied a pickled wash on the oak paneling that covered the walls of this great room. Over the years it had degraded, resulting in a splotchy appearance.
To remove this finish on oak (an open-grain wood) throughout this large room would have been cost prohibitive. Instead, we mixed up a custom-tinted pickling glaze and carefully painted in areas where the original finch had worn off.
Here’s what the client said concerning our work on multiple projects in their stately residence:
“Oak Brothers helped us choose colors for some of the historical rooms, stripped & repaired our historical entryway sconces, and ended up deciding to do the entire entryway which has amazing detail on the Samuel Marx plaster molding and light fixtures. Oak Brothers has a true appreciation and enthusiasm for historical details and we are grateful we had their assistance in the extensive renovation of our home.”
– Jean Jorgenson, Glencoe, IL
Exterior Window and Door Restoration
“After many years of weathering Chicago storms and street salt, the doors and windows were in very bad condition and needed a lot of TLC. Oak Brothers are meticulous craftsmen and were able to fully restore the doors and the windows to their original condition and make the building shine.
It was clear to me throughout the process that Jeff was a true artisan who deeply cared for the quality of his work. In addition to the restoration work Jeff was most helpful with suggestions about additional enhancements for the building.”
– Michal Safar, President Hyde Park Historical Society