DIY with Britt

WITH BRITT

THIS ISSUE: SAVING AND SALVAGE: OLD REGISTERS, DOOR KNOBS AND BASEBOARDS

BY: BRITT ARNASON

If you’ve managed to salvage some prizes from an historic home, thrift shop or if the house you live in has tired details that deserve a good cleanup, the news is good. The process is pretty simple and the results are wonderful.

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The small accoutrement found in historic homes are reminders of an era when quality craftsmanship, attention to detail and an appreciation for architectural adornment was the way of home building 100 years or more ago. DIYers who are lucky and savvy enough to salvage these items—maybe in the nick of time before a century home is razed—are rewarded with beautiful and unique features that can be refurbished at low cost.

Beautifully refinished period details like molded cast iron or brass floor vents, hot/ cold air return covers, door hardware, crown moulding, wooden doors and other flourishes can be given new life in their original home or installed in a contemporary one as a loving nod to period details not often found today.

Here are some tips when attempting to fix them up yourself.

Tools Needed

• Sanding block (fine grit for metal, orbital sander for wood) • Small paint roller and brush • Protective sheets or tarps • Hepa filter face mask • Crockpot (if removing paint from metal) • Painter's tape • Paintable caulking

Materials Needed

• Spray paint in the colour of your choice (if for metal, make sure it will adhere to metal) • Latex paint primer • Latex paint of your choice • Paint remover

Prepping Tips

1. Remove registers, doorknobs, doors for a cleaner painted finish. 2. Take care in cleaning, sanding and prepping surfaces for the most professional and lasting outcome. 3. Have any item with old paint on it tested for lead before sanding. 4. When painting, use the brush on any textured or detailed wood pieces and then go over the entire piece with the roller while still wet. 5. Use WD40 on metal pieces to remove rust and improve the longevity of the piece.

Steps for Metal or Iron Registers, Vent Covers and Knobs

1. Remove metal registers or doorknobs. If old paint needs to be removed, soak them in water in an old crockpot on low heat. Adding a dollop of dish soap can help the lifting process. 2. Dry and sand metal pieces with fine grit sand paper. 3. Wash pieces with warm soap and water then rinse and thoroughly dry. 4. Place pieces outside on a tarp and wear your protective face mask. 5. Shake the spray paint well, then spray a light and even coat on all visible surfaces.

Leave until dry, usually about an hour. Repeat three times on the same side. Once all three coats are layed, allow piece(s) to dry for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, before flipping it to the other side and repeating the process. 6. After the pieces are completely dry, they can be installed.

Steps for Wood Doors and Baseboards

1. Clean the wood pieces thoroughly with a mild soap and water solution. 2. After they are dry, sand the wood, and dust off and wipe with a damp cloth when finished. Use an orbital sander for a quicker and easier job. 3. Line the baseboards with painter’s tape to prevent paint from bleeding onto the walls and floors. 4. Roll on a layer of paint primer. Allow to dry for 24 hours. 5. Paint the pieces with chosen latex paint colour and do 2–3 coats as needed, but allow to dry for at least 3 hours between coats.

The results of your efforts will really be worth the time and elbow grease. There are so many beautiful architectural details that were really designed and manufactured like pieces of art.

From the Victorian era to the Art Deco influences of the 1920s and ‘30s, you can still find functional items designed with filigree and flair. Even if a cast iron heat register is no longer used for that purpose, many creative DIYers are inserting that durable and downright pretty ironwork into tables, gates, room dividers and outdoor privacy fences.

The satisfying thing is that these items don’t end up clogging up a landfill, but are rescued, refurbished and reused.