May/June 2009: Baseboards - progress & completed!

Here you see (1) Original baseboards removed; see how the sheetrock stops about 5 inches from the floor? Nifty! (Not.) When Tom removed the baseboards, pecans and twigs fell out, and he found 4 dead birds! (Poor babies. More on sharing my space with nature in a later post... ahem.) There was also a layer of linen-type fabric, which I'm told was a vapor barrier. Tom also found two very old black and white photos behind the front bedroom baseboards. Super cool! I'll get those scanned and post them later.

One of my favorite things about an old house is it's history: who lived here before me and what there their lives like? I think it's fascinating. At some point, when I am feeling more together and like I have free time (no comments please! LOL) I plan to do some research on the history of my house. My neighborhood newsletter just recently had a step-by-step instruction on how to go about that.

(2) The next photo is the retro wall paper that was revealed in the kitchen! Amusing.

(3) New sheetrock up

(4) Ready for texture and paint

(5) Finished project -- well, some touch up paint is needed, and then there's the question of trim on top. But for now, I am calling this done.

I am reminded of a girlfriend and her husband who also bought an old house. They removed the baseboard quarter round and replaced it -- and she remarked on how much very old dirt they found -- and cleaned out. Now she laughs and says any dirt they find now, they'll at least know it's THEIR dirt! And doesn't that just make all the difference in the world? Yes, it does. If you have ever rented, you know what we mean!

May 2009: Baseboards - before

Eventually I'd like to replace all the white painted wood with natural wood; a daunting project, but so rewarding! The baseboards were the first to go; the house is 80 years old, and the paint was really layered on. Being the green girl, I wanted to restore the old baseboards. Tom pulled them all out, carefully labeling them on the back so we'd know how to fit them back into the same rooms in the right order. I began stripping them. They had been 3-4 colors over the years: gray, burgundy, hunter green -- but most of the layers were white. I was thrilled to discover that the baseboards were all one piece as opposed to a 1x6 with a piece of trim on top. Sweet!

I was not as thrilled when a professional painter in for an estimate on texturing and painting inquired as to where all the baseboards were -- I quite proudly told him I was stripping and restoring them -- and he gave me quite a stern talking to about lead based paint and the related lead poisoning! Oh! Indeed, I did recall signing quite a number of warnings and lead based paint addendums at my closing ... and yet that hadn't crossed my mind...

In the end I opted to put in new baseboards. I chose the plain farmhouse-style 1x6planks, stained and polyurethaned with quarter round at the bottom. I haven't decided if I will add trim on top or not. I've been told the flat surface will really collect dust and dog hair, but so far I am undaunted. I like the clean, plain look. I posted the old baseboards on Craigs List for free (complete with the disclaimer about the lead paint) and a couple in Fort Worth called me, wanting them. They had re-done the floors in their master bedroom and bath with wood from an old farmhouse, and said my baseboards would be the perfect finish for them! I was pleased someone could use them.

See the next post for the baseboard project in the works, and the finished product.