Bedroom Wall & Baseboards

Here's a project update on the wooden wall in my bedroom...

Going WAY back, when I moved in, I re-did all my baseboards to get rid of all the yucky paint and just have clean, stained wood baseboards.  In pretty much the entire house, when the baseboards were removed, we found that the sheet rock didn't extend all the way to the floor.  To remedy that, we "scabbed in" some supporting wood along the floor, and added about 6 inches of sheet rock, and then installed the new baseboards.

You can read about that project here:

http://my1929tudor.blogspot.com/2009/08/baseboards-before.html
 

http://my1929tudor.blogspot.com/2009/08/baseboards-progress-completed.html

Fast forwarding to this current project, I removed all the sheet rock off one wall in my bedroom to reveal beautiful nail ridden original planks.  Love.

If you missed that post, it's here:
http://my1929tudor.blogspot.com/2011/12/bedroom-wall-revealed.html

But now, of course, I have to remove the new baseboards and remove the sheet rock we added!  Awww, isn't renovating fun?

Last weekend I removed the baseboards, and pulled off the remaining strips of sheet rock.  It's just as lovely behind them as I recalled!  Because I knew I wouldn't be working on the project again for a week, I taped paper over the openings, to discourage anything from under the house paying me a visit.

I've pulled it back for your viewing pleasure.  

Here's to the left of the baseboard vent:

(Ouch, must replace that white outlet cover!) Similar to what I found on the vertical door frames, it looks like a hatchet was used to rip the bottom plank... When you add the scraps of wood along the floor, not only do the widths of the pieces have to be really random to fit, but often there isn't anything behind them to nail them to...

Here's to the right of the baseboard vent:

The next step in this project is to sand off that white stripe that is parallel to the floor.  I'm not exactly sure what it is -- glue, or sheet rock mud, or....?  And some of it still has the linen vapor barrier fabric stuck in it.  Unfortunately, the line falls about a half an inch above the baseboard, so it shows, and it must go!

I've been sanding by hand, but hoo-whee it is slow going.  I plan to try a Dremel with a sanding wheel next.  I have an electric sander, but I am wary of sanding too much and changing the wood color just in that area.  I do not want to end up having to sand the entire wall to make it all match...

When that is done, and I'll scrub down the whole wall with warm water and a stiff bristle brush.  I did that on the narrow wall by my shoes, (see this week's earlier post) and while the wall didn't really look much different after it dried, the water in the bucket got VERY dirty.... 

Next, also before the baseboards go in, I need to figure out if I am going to oil the wall, and if so, what in the heck type of oil should I use?  The wood is very, very dry.  It doesn't need a stain - the color is gorgeous - but I feel like it needs some type of love.  I don't really want to put on any polyurethane either, but maybe that is what it needs. I hate being the first person to put an unnatural coating on natural wood!  I sent an email inquiry to a local renovation company, but so far I haven't gotten a reply.  I've also surfed around on some wood working forums online, and done a bit of online research, but at this point I don't have any firm ideas of what's needed.  If you have any ideas, please, share.

At that point I'll be forced to address the  HVAC wall vent issue.  The duct material at the opening is very old - probably original - not 1929 original because they didn't have central air back then - but original whenever it was added! -- and it doesn't exactly accept any of today's vents.  As with many things in this house when I bought it, the vents were attached with caulk.  Caulk with about 17 layers of paint over it.  Gross!  I sanded all the paint of the vents, but that doesn't make them straight (they are so warped!) and then - no way to attach them.  And this is a problem in nearly every room of my house... I may have to go under the house and re-do the last bit of duct work coming up to the vent, and the end of the duct work that peeps up into the baseboards to accept the vent.  May I just say there that I am trying to avoid all of that...?  I'm also contemplating fabricating my own vents out of some time of screening and wooden frames.  I don't need them to be louvered and adjustable like the metal ones are... Frankly, that is become a more and more appealing route to go.

And then, finally, (are you still with me??) the new baseboards will go in.  I'll be making new ones, because without the sheet rock the baseboards will be just a hair too short  to meet properly in the corner.  I already have the lumber, but I still need to stain and seal it.  

I'll install the quarter round vertically up the wall in the other corner where the wood wall adjoins the sheet rocked wall, and then crown moulding at the ceiling. I haven't stained and cut the new baseboards yet, nor have I purchased and stained the crown moulding yet.  But I did bring a sample home, and I liked it, so I at least know what kind I am getting... I'll need to do the whole room... so I'll need to calculate that cost first and see if that is going to happen now or later.   I need a money tree, even though it's too hot to be landscaping...