Rocking Chair Refinishing Project and Outfitting the Living Room

I got obsessed with getting a rocking chair this fall. I went hiking in the Adirondacks and we stayed at an old cabin that had several comfortable Craftsman style rockers. I had been keeping an eye on the various online auction and sale site and pretty much resigned myself to the thought I'd never find one.   

To my surprised, one came on the market at a good price. It was a solid oak piece that was just the size and style I was looking for. The chair had been refurbished once before but so long ago that it had a lot of wear. Some joints needed reinforcement, the main leather and springs in the seat weren't very comfortable and the shellac finish was chipping and uneven.

I decided to take on refinishing and re-upholstering the chair. Luckily the shellac came of relatively easy with some mineral spirits.

I applied a light stain and oil finish just a hint darker than the original wood so that you could see the character but so that it didn't look brand new.

I got a piece of leather at a local fabric outlet. An aside: if you are ever looking for any type of fabric for a project, this is the Textile Discount Outlet in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood has to be the best resource in the entire Chicagoland area. Floor after floor of fabrics and leather of every type you can think of.

Anyway, I removed the old spring seat and put in new webbing and padding to create a new one.

I am pretty happy with the outcome and for the first time, we have more than one seat in the living room. Here is a before and after so you can see the progress.  

Since I had already been paying attention to all of the local furniture ads, I soon became aware of another piece that I loved: an antique oak settle. I didn't plan on these purchases but am happy with the change. The new furniture fits the place perfectly and we really couldn't be happier. 

An end to another painting season

I woke up to snow on the ground this morning and this is what things look like out behind the Tiny Bungalow. I guess it is safe to say that another painting season has come to an end. The north side of the house and gable work are going to have to wait until the spring.   

Luckily I had a good weekend and was able to get most of the south side finished though. I'd like to get another coat on things if there is a warm up but otherwise, it is looking good. 

More Siding Restoration Work

I really should post on this thing more than once a year. Actually, I really should work on the house more than once a year but life being as it is, I just haven't had the time. Hopefully that will change in the coming year. 

 This [ast spring I was able to finish all of the painting on the front of the house (except the front gable). We will be hiring out the gable work because it is just too precarious for me and I don't want to take any chances.

I also tackled the south side of the house. This side is by far the worst in terms of condition. This is where the flashing from the roof went behind the fascia so there was quite a bit of damage. The scraping and sanding was extensive.   

There was also a tiny bit of carpentry work required on this side. When the PO installed the siding, they removed the piece of trim above the bottom board on the bay. I replaced that with a new piece of trim.

It was great to "turn the corner" on the painting and it is looking great. I should be able to finish this side and maybe even get a bit of the north side done before the snow starts flying. Crossing my fingers for some good weather this weekend!

Another painting project before the winter hits

I'll admit, I haven't been working as diligently as I should have on my exterior painting. I did get quite a bit of interior work completed this year but when it comes to the outside, I have not been as productive. One item I did want to take on before the cold weather hit was the front porch. I did finish scraping, priming and painting the front columns.  

I went back and forth on how to deal with the many layers of paint that were on the stucco. I decided to remove what I could and then apply a couple coats of Thorocoat over everything. A local paint store was able to tint it so that it was a close match to the color I was painting my clapboards. The scraping and painting the stucco was tedious work. I still have a couple minor touch ups to do but I am happy with the results.  

Hopefully I can tackle a second coat on the trim and be finished with this before the end of the year. It will all depend on weather at this point.