Nunez House
1704 Jefferson Street, Savannah, Georgia
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Project Description For the duration of Spring quarter, the project I have undertaken is the restoration of a fireplace mantle. The fireplace is located in the front, West facing bedroom of the second floor of the home.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Conditions Assessment Current conditions of the fireplace mantle are dirty and covered in thick paint. The paint is bubbled and peeling in certain areas.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Project Goals 1. Discover what is underneath the trim panels (Hopefully glazed tile) 2. Strip paint off of entire mantle 3. Sand the hearth 4. Strip paint off of iron cover 5. Clean the firebox 6. Stain entire mantle 7. Stain hearth 8. Restore iron cover 9. Seal the brick or tile the trim panels
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day One The first day of work was very successful. Connor assisted me on hand sanding the first layer on the mantle shelf. There appears to be at least two layers of paint, a deep red and a light blue, on top of previous stain. I also discovered that there was brick, not glazed tile, underneath the rough plaster in the trim panels. The brick is in fair condition but would possibly need to be repointed and to be sealed.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Two Day two progress was slower than the first day. The work today consisted of continuing to strip the mantle by hand. Upon scraping I’m realizing the poor condition of the paint. Today I decided on how I am going to finish the fireplace. I plan to stain the mantle and the brackets, and paint the rest of the header, trim panels, and pillars a clean white color.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Three Day three was very productive. I stripped the majority of the mantle using a paint scraping tool. The wood underneath all the layers is believed to be oak. The only paint left is on the left hand side. I’m estimating another day to finish stripping and nicely sand the top of the mantle and brackets to get ready for staining.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Four Day four was a slower work day. The first round of stripping was done on the two panels flanking the fireplace. It only stripped off what seems to be the first layer of paint. I also sanded smooth the majority of the right hand side pillar.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Five Day five was very productive. I finally finished stripping the mantle using a paint scraping tool. The next step for the mantle is to sand it. I also completed another round of stripper on the two panels flanking the fireplace. More paint was removed this time. I started smooth sanding the right hand side but only got about half way up today. I also applied the stripper to the brackets and removed a layer of paint. I discovered it is going to be more time intensive than originally thought to completely strip the paint off of the brackets as planned.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Six Day six involved completion of hand sanding the right hand side of the fireplace to be completely smooth. I started sanding the middle section of the fireplace.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Seven Day seven involved major changes in the work plan. I was introduced to the magical tool called the heat gun. The heat gun removed all layers of paint within a few seconds of being heated and then scraped. Therefore, goals were changed so that in the end the entire fireplace will be stained. I finished “heating” almost the entire left hand side of the fireplace. After I “heat” the entire fireplace and give it a light sanding, I intend of staining the beautiful oak fireplace.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Eight Day eight involved totally completing “heating” the left hand side of the fireplace as well as the majority of the middle section. I’m estimating about two more days of “heating” and then it’ll finally be on to sanding!
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Nine Day nine involved more progress than expected. I completed “heating” the entire middle section of the fireplace. The center piece proved to be more beautifully intricate than expected. I also completed “heating” the majority of the right hand side of the fireplace. One more day till sanding!
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Ten & Eleven Days ten and eleven involved much progress! I finished “heating� off the paint and scraped off the residue. I also started sanding with the power sander and detail sander. I finished sanding the mantle and the majority of the left-hand side of the hearth. I also applied the first layer of paint stripper on the iron cover. However, on the left-hand side of the hearth I did discover some cracking in the wood that will need to be tacted, filled and sanded smooth.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Twelve Day twelve provided some change to the fireplace. Teddy, my boyfriend, came to help me work! He stripped the iron cover and got chunks of paint off to reveal a much more intricate design on the cover. I continued to sand the fireplace and get off as much paint remnants as possible.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Thirteen On day thirteen much change happened in the look of the fireplace. First, Professor Abraham helped me glue the pieces of wood that had split on the header back together. I also found a small tool that aided me in getting more paint off of the intricate piece on the header and the brackets. Then, I dusted and wiped off all the sand that managed to build up all over the fireplace. Next, I chose a dark walnut stain and began the staining process on the right leg of the fireplace. It is bringing out the grain of the wood and hiding most of the imperfections that have appeared through time.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Fourteen Day fourteen was a slower day. I finished staining the fireplace. It looks beautiful! I also re-stained a few areas attempting to make the look of the stain consistent.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Fifteen Day fifteen much progress was made. The first coat of gloss polyurethane was put on. I also spray painted the iron cover black. The last thing I accomplished today was cleaning and stripping the paint off of the wood that encases the hearth. There are a few final steps needed to complete before it can be labeled successfully completed.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Day Sixteen The project was finished today! I lightly sanded the fireplace mantle and repolyed it. This insured a very smooth finish. I also hand sanded the concrete to remove stains and wood surrounding the hearth. I then stained the wood the same color of the fireplace. Finally, I swept off the entire area. The project isn’t perfect, but it is a vast improvement to what was previously there. I like to say that it is perfectly imperfect.
*Sidenote: The brick surround was left untouched upon uneven plaster removal due to budgetary constraints. Replaster work or tile-work would be the approporate solution to finish.
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs
Project Successfully Completed.
Before
After
Preservation Technology 1 Spring 2014 Ellie Isaacs