Cashing in Favors

I learned from being in the Crooked House that favors are a form of currency that can be held, exchanged, and transferred at will. I don’t know if this is because he’s Irish, he’s crazy, or he works in the building trades. Maybe it takes all of those things. But I learned from it and brought a friend over to help me with stripping my doors. She got a few from my hoard earlier this year. The doors are still coming out different colors, some mahogany and some more medium toned and orangey. The darker ones have loads of patina and I love them. The medium toned ones are nice, too, but I’m not sure if they’ll ever look as awesome as the others because the look kinda new. The plan is to eventually get them to be kinda close to the same color. For now I’m just working at those last infuriating little bits of paint! My friend taught me that I can use the hose and steel wool, and boy was this a help.

And I de-nailed them. These doors must have been in a boarding house or something because it looks like there were a lot of signs tacked to this one.

Then I started stripping the stairs with Peel Away. My inside woodwork is all going to be painted except the doors and the stair railing.

It made quick work of the old oil based paint on here. But there’s a problem. I got a little bit of it on the oak and it made black ammonia stains. Nothing conspicuous, but I’m still kicking myself. I’ll try to bleach them out the same way you deal with pet urine. Arg! Hopefully it bleaches out at least a little bit!

And I brought over my first piece of real furniture! I think it suits the house… it’s a total disaster.

It’s going to need some serious help. The paint failed and isn’t protecting the wood anymore, the seat came unglued, and you can see what happened to one arm. But once it gets some TLC, I’m thinking it’ll look great out back painted apple green. In the meantime, don’t you dare sit on it!

And one of the last dreaded jobs before I do the spray painting: this radiator. I wanted to have it blasted but decided it would be too much work to get it down the stairs and that I’d be better off stripping it myself. Was I right or was this a terrible idea? We’ll find out next time. For now, here it is looking extra gross with all that goopy latex paint starting to bubble off.

And finally, I’m not just cashing in favors. I’m also trying to cash in bricks. There’s been a pile out back since the patio door project, and I finally got it on Craigslist. I called them historic Philadelphia building bricks. They may only be half as old as what most people call historic Philadelphia. Details. Just don’t you dare call them common.