Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Collection |
Sites and Structures Reports |
Archive Number |
HPTSSR34 |
Title |
Sites and Structures Report-GDH, August 2020 |
Description |
Work Progress in George Douglass House, April 1-August 31, 2020: During this period, interior plastering and wood-work progressed in stages conforming to Pandemic restrictions as worker safety requires, including a rule allowing only one craftsman in the house on any work-day. The sequencing of plastering and woodwork was arranged to have all wooden "stops" in place before plastering wall and ceiling areas in parlors. Project carpenters Tom & Chris Lainhoff completed and installed in the two parlors, now separated by a "blind" partition as in the early period, various elements of original and re-fabricated joinery such as paneling, cornice-work, aprons ["kick-boards"] below window sills, perimeter architraves, and a re-fabricated corner-cupboard precisely dimensioned and fitted between imperfectly-aligned chair rails, cornice mouldings, baseboards and window-box casing in the back ("family") parlor, the cupboard primed with authenticated first-period red ochre or similarly pigmented dark red paint [Image #1, photo 10, 8/5/20]; and re-created paneled apron under window sill. Carpentry is now being concentrated on preparing for final lime-plastering, new and in-filled, by installing the permanent architraves, paneling, and other wooden "stops" at the meetings of plaster and woodwork. Plasterwork will resume during the coming winter, with heat sources during plaster-curing intervals. Preserved original plaster in reasonably presentable appearance and new plaster will not be whitewashed in the current campaign, so that professionals, Trust constituents, and visitors might see various generations of un-coated traditional lime plaster spanning two and a half centuries. Final plastering will include the application of three coats of plaster ("scratch", "brown" and "finish"), to the re-fabricated partition between the front "best" and back parlors on re-purposed hand-split lath. Repaired areas and exposed base-coats will receive a finish coat. Stable, well attached, and reasonably un-blemished early plaster will be preserved, uncoated. This schedule requires that all woodwork be completed in both parlors before plastering can proceed. Photo descriptions: Image #2, Photo 15, 1/30/20: new plaster coating, door & frame in need of paint, and stained chimney corner to be cleaned and lime-washed. The chimney was temporarily capped to prevent further moisture and soot-staining. Image #3, Photo 40, 4/17/20: re-purposed hand-spit lath to be plastered in 3-coat process. Image #4, Photo 39, 4/17/20: sooted and stained plaster in original back parlor, with "ghosts" of shelving from 19th century commercial uses of the former parlor space. Image #5, Photo 5, 5/28/20: discolored early plaster, to be cleaned and lime-washed; new paneled apron and chair rail, to be painted in scientifically matched historically authentic colors. Laurence Ward, December 2020 |
Date |
August 2020 |
Object Name |
Report |
Catalog Number |
1008.01.078 |
Search Terms |
Blind partition stops Joinery brown coat scratch coat finish coat uncoated plaster HPTSSR sites and structures |