Indholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2024 i Old House Journal

It all started, in my opinion, with the restoration of houses from the Arts & Crafts or bungalow era. Quaint elements were rescued or reinstalled by smitten owners; others added period-correct features that may never have been in the house, as they undertook a general upgrade with the advantage of hindsight: It’s always the best of an era or a style that is revived. Soon, bland builders’ boxes from the 1950s through 1980s were being made over as Craftsman Bungalows complete with big front gables and a colonnade inside. Builders of new houses, too, jumped on the bungalow bandwagon. A lot of the recent work will prove to be timeless. MODIFIED OPEN PLANS Two major elements in houses of this period are the colonnade and the arched opening, both designed…

Use the gentlest method possible to remove paint and rust. Avoid cleaning painted hardware with any kind of paint stripper. This is especially true for plated hardware and solid hardware that’s been recess-dyed, because chemicals in the stripper may eat away dyes and electroplated finishes. The best cleaning method for rusty or paint-covered hardware is one of the oldest: the hot-water bath, which shocks the hardware and makes the metal expand, breaking the bond with the paint. Adding baking soda to the mix helps accelerate the process, though not all restorers use it. Buff the metal clean with a soft cloth after drying. Slow Cooker Method Regular contributors Alex and Wendy Santantonio use a slow cooker dedicated to the purpose to remove grime and paint from the cast-iron Corbin rim…

Given my taste for the grand and ornate, it’s out of necessity that I’ve had to learn techniques for restoring vintage light fixtures. Restoring color and patina is time consuming and requires a lot of patience. It helps that I am an artist with an eye for subtle differences in hue and tone, and that I have knowledge of the right materials to refresh these old finishes without altering or repainting a fixture. My goal is always to maintain as much of the original finish as possible. While many early-20th-century fixtures are brass, others are cast-iron, bronze, or made of “white” metals ranging from zinc to aluminum. Fixtures I’ve worked with made closer to the 1930s tend to have interchangeable parts—often with different metals all in the same fixture. So always…

WRONG WAY POWERING AHEAD A router equipped with a mortising bit seems like a good bet. If you need to mortise a dozen doors, it probably is—especially in skilled hands. You want to be familiar with the idiosyncrasies of power routers equipped with mortising templates. Without that experience and an understanding of how to support the router base, however, this method may gouge the door and actually take more time than using a hand chisel. RIGHT WAY NEAT WORK WITH A CHISEL Here’s how: Lay the hinge in the desired location on the butt of the door. Deeply score the outline with a sharp utility knife. Carefully measure the depth and clearly mark it on the side. Next, with a very sharp chisel positioned bevel down, begin to pare the…

URBAN LEGEND Unheralded, perhaps, but not a myth, C. Emlen Urban (1863–1939) designed more than 700 commissions in 21 architectural styles, spanning six states. Chocolatier Milton Hershey called him “my architect.” With no formal education save apprenticeships in Scranton and Philadelphia, Urban designed almost every building of significance in Lancaster City, Penn., from 1885 to 1935. Two-thirds were public buildings; residences include those in Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Tudor styles. • Architect and educator Gregory J. Scott has written a book profiling the architect and 25 of his masterpieces in such vocabularies as Beaux Arts, Italian Renaissance, and French Baroque. Each building shows an innate understanding of classical proportion. (Egg and Dart Books, Nov. 2023), $75. theironshop.com…

The ‘384 Water Bottle’ was designed to fit into the door shelves of early electric iceboxes (refrigerators). A best seller since 1938, its narrow shape, indented center for easy handling, and double spouts make it as functional as it is beautiful. • The glass bottle is made by hand. The original 8"-tall version ($78) holds up to 36 fluid ounces; a 6" mini jar holds 16 ounces. Topaz is a nostalgic amber hue recently brought back. Turquoise and Olive, too, are classics. • Blenko’s creative director, James Arnett, tells us that the West Virginia factory has eight furnaces going with seven different colors, all hours of every day. While traditional colors are favorites, he says, “we enjoy playing with the form,” as with the glow-in-the-dark Lightning Bug, and Dog Daze,…

The explosion of builders’ hardware in the 1910s and 1920s allowed builders and homeowners to outfit a dwelling with door sets, hinges, mechanical doorbells, and other arcane hardware in more than two dozen standard finishes. Finishes included multiple varieties of plated nickel and silver, sanded and brushed finishes, “rose gold,” and the unusual japanned or “gilt and satin” striped finishes. Some examples, from the common to the spectacular:…

To test whether a piece of hardware is solid, lightly scratch a hidden area, such as the back, with a razor blade. If all you see is more of the same overall color, the metal is solid. If the scratch shows a different color, it is plated. • The raw color in the scratch can be a tip-off, too. Yellow is brass; silver is nickel or German silver (silver mixed with base metals, which permits a high polish). Hardware suspected to be cast iron or stamped steel maybe tested with a magnet, which will stick firmly to either ferrous metal. CAST BRASS The yellowy-gold finish on a 1909 Russell and Erwin door set in the ‘Racine’ pattern, from LA Hardware, is a giveaway that it’s brass. A scratch test on…

To preserve the finish on a painted or polychromed fixture, avoid cleaning or soaking it, even in a gentle solution of Ivory Liquid or Simple Green. Cleansers and soaking may dissolve the paint. Disassemble the fixture and clean the parts individually, using Q-tips or cotton balls dipped into a dilute solution of the cleaner. Then wipe the cleaned parts with a soft, nonabrasive cloth such as an old cotton T-shirt or cotton diaper. Avoid using paper towels, which can burnish surfaces.…

For near-flat and low-slope roofs, single-ply membrane roofing is a modern alternative to a BUR system (built-up roofing, made of asphalt-impregnated felt layers—the old “tar and gravel”). Membrane roofing is appropriate for flat-roofed row houses, low-pitch Ranch roofs, the top of mansard roofs, and porch roofs, as well as dormers and cellar bulkheads. That said, for a very visible, low-slope roof on a historic building, metal may be the best alternative. Thermoset (vulcanized) roofings use adhesives to create one large membrane covering the roof. The most common is EPDM, which dates to the World War II era. More flexible than built-up roofing, it has other advantages: Rolls come in large dimensions to minimize seams; with a gravel overlay, it can support a deck; it’s resistant to UV radiation; labor costs…

SUCCESS: NET-ZERO ARCHITECT Trudeau Architects, Latham, NY: truarchs.com BARN DESIGN Donald J. Berg AIA, Rockville Center, NY: backroadhome.net BOOKS A Healthy House by Erica Elliot et al, New Society Publishers, 2001 • Builders’ Guide to Cold Climates by Joseph Lstiburek, Building Science Press, 2022 (rev. ed.) EXT. TRIM composite boral TruExterior, Westlake Royal Building Products truexterior.com BASEMENT WATERPROOFING Platon® CertainTeed certainteed.com • AdvanTech® sheathing Huber Engineered Woods huberwood.com MOISTURE CONTROL Energy Star whole-house dehumidifier Ultra-Aire thermastor.com PV PANELS Evergreen Solar (OOB) • SW 275 mono solar panels & Q Cells 430 solar panels SolarWorld • Q-cells 430 Solar Electric Supply solarelectricsupply.com HEATING Tranquility TT038 ground-source heat pump Climate Master climatemaster.com HOT WATER Velux SRCCcertified solar hot-water system, The Radiant Store theradiant storeinc.com WINDOWS Energy Star casements Marvin marvin.com INTERIOR WINDOW PANELS Magnetic…

1. IRISH WATERS The two-tiered Portwenn fountain is embellished with an interlocking Celtic-ring motif. In cast stone in a choice of patinas, it measures 39 ½" tall x 26 ½" wide. The fountain includes all parts to assemble the water feature. Exclusively Campania, (866) 609-3223, exclusivelycampania.com 2. MORRIS EMBROIDERED The Brophy Embroidery duvet cover combines patterns from British Arts & Crafts designers Andrew Brophy and May Morris, William’s talented daughter. King duvet cover: about $194. Embroidered cases: about $39 each. Floral pillow: $72.68. U.S. delivery is about $20. Bedeck Home, +44 (0) 33 3200 7331, bedeckhome.com 3. GLASWEGIAN LIGHT The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-influenced Glasgow desk in cherry with stained-glass inserts has a signature inlay pattern of maple, pewter, and dyed wood. It measures 72" long x 32" wide x…

This space, once a barn behind the kitchen, had been a mash-up with a freestanding toilet, a washer and dryer, and a castoff sink cabinet. As a designer (homeglowdesign.com), I realized it could become a multi-functional room providing storage as well as a pantry and a hidden laundry. The washer and dryer were recessed into space under the stairs, freeing up the aisle. The walking space is 36" to 40". In a newer house, I’d recommend at least a 42" walkway, but in a 230-year-old house, you take what you can get. All the doors open with room to spare. The tall cabinet on the back wall stores laundry baskets. I wanted upper cabinets to feel open, yet we don’t have pretty barware to display behind glass. Linen-backed doors with…

The company’s interior and exterior door and cabinet hardware collections are adapted from period originals from the heyday of builders’ hardware (1880 to 1930). All hardware is designed to fit most doors made in the past 75 years and also can be retrofitted on many older doors. “What we do is actually better than the original,” says William Metzger, Nostalgic’s director of product development. “A lot of these older designs were stamped steel with brass plating, stamped brass, or crude brass castings. Our stuff is forged. It’s thicker, the surface has fewer imperfections. The details are better.” Brass components can also be more durable than stamped and pressed hardware from the early 20th century. Forged brass is made by pressing red-hot brass under up to two million pounds of pressure…

1. THE DARK SIDE Dark Half is a ready-made blend of dark tung oil and a natural, citrus-based solvent that takes the mess out of working with tung oil. Ideal for adding depth and color to wood finishes, it comes in sizes from 16 oz. to one gallon: $27.99 to $86.99. Real Milk Paint, realmilkpaint.com 2. ANTIQUES SEALER Developed to care for priceless antiques, Renaissance Wax polish is a blend of microcrystalline waxes that does not stain or discolor with aging. The wax is acid-neutral and waterand alcohol-resistant. Seven ounces: $39.99. Woodcraft, (800) 225-1153, woodcraft.com 3. ONE-STEP FINISH All-in-One Stain & Finish for wood is made from Poly Whey, a natural byproduct of cheesemaking. Available in 16 colors and tints, it’s as durable as an oil finish but cleans up…

Iron balconies have graced buildings in Paris for centuries. Bruce Cusmano, of Metropolitan Artifacts in Atlanta, has found a way to repurpose these elegant railings, transforming them into handsome console tables. Bruce and his wife, Emke, have been antiques dealers since 1980, making quarterly trips to France to buy unique salvage. When he’s looking for railings, Bruce searches for swirls and bombe (curved or bulging) elements. Window balconies are typically shorter, at about 18", while door balconies go up to 40". Both types make good-looking consoles. salvage details The corner rail or “knee” of the balcony railing is removed with the use of an acetylene torch. Any failing paint and rust is cleaned with a wire brush; Cusmano does not sandblast as it removes all of the patina. Any gilding…

The owners of both the Greene & Greene-designed house (p. 54) and the house with an Arts & Crafts Revival kitchen (p. 68) added period-inspired art glass. Salvaged glass is available today; we’ve also seen a resurgence in custom art glass offered by talented craftspeople, some of whom specialize in period design. During the bungalow era, though, leaded and stained “art glass” was readily available through window and millwork companies. • Illustrations here come from the 1923 catalog of the Morgan Millwork Organization, who wrote: “There is scarcely a home which does not have some window or door which would be rendered much more attractive by the use of well chosen stained glass.… the making of harmonious designs is a craft, a science and an art. We leave it to…