Update on the House

Here is just a little update on how we are doing...

All this D.I.Y. has taken up so much of my time that I haven't had the time to get to any Brocante.  I am hoping that I will soon head back over to France to start the truffling for antique goodies.

Bye for now
Vanessa

Restoring a Victorian Staircase

It's lovely when someone contacts you and asks if they can write an article about restoration projects. I was recently approached by Cheryl who works at thevictorianemporium.com. She kindly asked if she could write an article about restoring Victorian Staircases....

 

One of the most prominent features in your home is the staircase. It’s very likely one of the first things that visitors notice, is large enough to have a visual impact, and provides flow from one floor of your home to another. It is an amazing opportunity to set the tone for the rest of your home, and it’s worth taking the time to get it right.

 

Because of modern building regulations, replacing a staircase worn by a century or more of everyday use isn’t necessarily the answer. Replacement staircases which meet modern regulations may end up taking away your period feel – that is assuming that a modern staircase will actually fit in a building which was designed before building regulations even existed.

 

Restoring your existing staircase may not only be easier and less likely to fall foul of regulations, but will also be more cost effective.

 

Here’s our advice for restoring your Victorian staircase

 

1)      Replace the carpet. If your carpet is too modern then it can really destroy the Victorian look. There was a trend in the middle of the 20^th century for wall-to-wall carpets, and this included stairs – all the old Victorian style carpets were ripped out and replaced. The Victorian look can be brought back to life instantly by installing a stair runner carpet with a bold green or red geometric pattern. The exposed wooden stair treads either side can be stencilled with geometric or floral designs, which is very Victorian.

 

 

 

2)     Install stair rods. Stair rods add that extra style to your stair runner carpet. Stair rods, or stair clips, with ornate finials are better for getting the Victorian look than more plain designs.

3)     Paint the wood. The Victorians didn’t like stripped wood, and tended to paint all wood in their homes including the staircases. The trend was for dark colours such as mahogany. If the staircase is already painted in a lighter colour, you should just be able to sand lightly and paint over the top rather than stripping all the old paint off.

4)     Replace broken posts. Chipped and worn baluster posts can be reproduced by a good joiner, or even sourced from reclamation yards and vintage emporiums. Victorian balusters range from ornate floral or gothic designs, to more simple stick styles. If you need to replace a lot of the baluster posts, it could be just as easy to change all of them, and this means you can get the exact style you want. Research styles on the internet or by browsing reclamation yards, and if you can’t find exactly what you want, get a joiner to make them to order.

5)      Replace worn treads. Worn treads are common for a staircase which could be over 100 years old. A worn tread can be replaced individually by reproducing it out of wood. This is a simple enough job for a DIY enthusiast, or for a good joiner. Alternatively, it is possible just to replace the fronts of treads if splitting is the problem.

6)      Get rid of creaks. Creaking stairs are usually caused by a gap between the tread and the riser, and are common in old staircases. You can get rid of this gap by screwing down the loose tread, or by filling in the gap on top of the riser with wood filler, or strips of wood and glue. If you’re not sure, it’s worth consulting a professional to avoid messy and costly mistakes.

 

 

Overall, it’s worth trying to restore what you have rather than try to squeeze in a reproduction Victorian staircase. Restoring an old staircase can be a real labour of love, but will reap rewards not only in setting the style of your home and providing a statement piece to your visitors, but by maintaining your period home’s value for years to come.

 

For further information please contact Cheryl via email : cheryl@thevictorianemporium.com or visit the website at:  www.victorianemporium.co.uk    

    

The BIG 4 are in....

So finally, the big 4 that I've been waiting for are in!

1. Restored Victorian Fireplaces -
2. Victorian Olde English Tiles
3. Victorian Cast Iron Radiators
4. Floorboards

One of the things that I was worried about was how our fireplaces would come back...after they were taken out to be sandblasted I was hoping that they would come back with the effect that I managed to get with Ayla's fireplace (see previous blog). Even though they were not exactly the same finish I was happy with the end result they do look good!

 

Our bedroom...

 

 

Guest bedroom...

 

Downstairs back room...(this is my favourite one!)

 

Ayla's bedroom fireplace restored by yours truly...

A fireplace is not complete without the tiles that go in front of them. Chris, our tiller did a fantastic job laying these beautiful Olde English Traditional Victorian tiles.

Our cast iron radiators really do finish off the rooms lovely! They are super warm...

 

Ayla's Room...

 

Guest bedroom...

 

Our bedroom...

 

 

 

Front room...

At long last, we have finally gotten around to painting our floorboards - the Farrow & Ball paint went on a treat - am really happy with it.

Thanks for reading!



Restoring our Victorian Home (2)

Restoration project part (2)...

Wood Burner 08/01/14

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a good one.

So as we enter into a new year we look toward fulfilling our goals and dreams...ours is to hopefully get half of the house finished. And so, our first job of the year is to get the wood burner in.  The weather here in the South West has certainly turned cold so we are hoping that we get good use out of it before the Spring weather arrives!

So far the old fireplace has been knocked out, two supporting lintels have been inserted and the middle of the wall has been bricked up. Here are some before and after pictures...

 

back room view of the opening...

 

front room view of the opening...

 

 

two new concrete lintels put in...

front room view - the new fire bricks have been built to house the wood burner...

 

back room view - this will be bricked up further so that we can place our Victorian Fireplace here...

 

All the banging created a crack that started to creep up the breast wall so we had to get that repaired hence the rendering!

Today I gave a coat of paint to the bricks with a lovely white clay paint.

 



Today is the most exciting day when everything happens all at once! The hearth went in, but the most exciting bit is yet to come!!! Ayla was quite bemused by the large cherry picker that turned up...she found it all very funny as the man went past our bedroom window waving. The liner was dropped into the chimney and was quite a sight...It's only when you see the work going on do you appreciate how fantastic these wood burner's are.

 

Liner ready to be inserted down our chimney flue...

 

...off with the old caps...

 

...on with new cowl for the log burner flue...

 

...on a rainy day, we catch first sight of our little log burner doings its job!

 

...lovely and warm at LONG last!

 

 

 

At first I was a bit unsure of log burners but I now love out log burner...it gives so much warmth and brings a real sense of contentment just snuggled up and starring at the dancing flames.

Thanks for reading!