:: Paint ::
Ceiling Color: SW 6387, Compatible Cream
SHERWIN WILLIAMS
website: www.Sherwin-Williams.com

Wall Color: HC-34 Wilmington Tan
BENJAMIN MOORE Historical Collection
website: www.benjaminmoore.com

:: Stain ::
Read all about the paint stripping and staining process, the stain color and stain recipes here.

:: Reproduction Casement Window Latches and Entry Door Strike Plate ::
HOUSE OF ANTIQUE HARDWARE
3439 NE Sandy Blvd P.M.B. 106
Portland, OR 97232
phone: 888.223.2545
fax: 503.233.1312
website: www.houseofantiquehardware.com

:: Switchplates and Return Vent Cover ::
REJUVENATION
2550 N.W. Nicolai Street
Portland, OR 97210
Sales & Service: 888.401.1900
Retail Store: 1100 S.E. Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214 (503.238.1900)
website: www.rejuvenation.com

:: Register Cover ::
THE CRAFTSMAN HOMES CONNECTION
PMB 343, 2525 E. 29th, Suite 10B
Spokane, WA 99223
telephone: 509-535-5098
fax: 509-534-8916
website: www.crafthome.com

Register Cover: Metal Registers Style 1, Antique Brass Finish
They now offer nice Mission and Rickenbacker style register covers that weren’t available when we purchased our register covers last year. Although, I would still probably select Style 1 since it most closely matches the original wall register cover found in the house.

:: 1910 Arts & Crafts/Mission Chandelier ::
ECLECTIC REVIVAL, Fine Vintage Lighting & Decorative Arts
email: eclecticrevival1@rogers.com
website: www.eclecticrevival.com

:: Wooden Electrical Outlet Covers and Deadbolt ::
HOME DEPOT
website: www.homedepot.com
Electrical Outlets had been added to our floors. I replaced the covers with natural wood ones that I stained to match our red oak floors. David found a deadbolt that is from The Craftsman Collection.

:: Furniture ::
CRATE & BARREL, Leather Club Chair and Sleeper Sofa
website: www.crateandbarrel.com

RESTORATION HARDWARE, Metro Recliner
website: www.restorationhardware.com

POTTERY BARN, Side and Coffee Tables, Henry Line
website: www.potterybarn.com

::Window Shades ::
SMITH + NOBLE
phone: 800.248.8888
website: www.smithandnoble.com

:: Paint Stripping, Wallpaper Removal, and Plastering::
J & C Home Repair
626.793.7091 ask for Juan

:: Floor Refinishing ::
DROR MENASHE
phone: 818.705.8799
cell: 213.798.9097

See Bungalow Living Room Before & After photos.

The front entry seems so much more inviting now.

The plaster wall has been repaired, the wood stripped and stained, and the walls painted.

Looking into the den before.

Looking into the den now.

Built-in book shelf and the gentleman caller’s bench.

David stripping the paint of our fireplace and fireplace today.

:: See how we brought back our fireplace’s luster after the bricks faded during the paint stripping process. ::

Stripping away layers of paint.

Lulu in the finished living room.

See Living Room Resources to learn about the products used in our restoration.

Juan worked a miracle on our walls. He replastered them and we’re very happy with how they turned out. It is such a relief from the way the plaster walls looked before.

These pictures were taken yesterday while the walls were drying. The areas that look a little yellow are areas that haven’t completely dried. They did a final skim coat of plaster on the walls today. They also started on the ceiling.

Progress is being made on our living room again. Juan and his team are back after taking 2 weeks off for the holidays. David and I had planned on doing some work in there, like removing wallpaper, while Juan was away.

Ok, actually I planned and was going to tell David about it later but never got motivated. I just avoided that room and even started using the back door so I wouldn’t have to walk through the living room and feel guilty. Bad, homeowner. Bad!

Look at all those cracks around the pocket doors!

It was probably for the best. Once the wallpaper came off we discovered the plaster walls are badly damaged. It would have made for a depressing New Year.

Detailed view of the damage to the plaster walls.

Plaster walls around the gentleman caller’s bench. That piece of wood is holding the plaster in place. The plaster has separated from the lath.

I’m not sure if you can see it in this photo, but there are several long cracks running through the plaster over the fireplace.

Please, excuse me while I cry…

In any restoration there are surprises, both good and bad. The good news? We discovered just how nice our built-in storage bench is. The storage bench, sometimes referred to as a gentleman caller’s bench, is a fairly unique feature in our neighborhood for a bungalow of this size. It was difficult to see the details of the hardware and woodwork because they were hidden under layers and layers of paint. Everything seemed to blend in with the white walls. We didn’t even notice the bench before we moved in because the previous owners had placed a huge projection screen television in front of it.

It never occurred to me that anyone would paint over a mirror! I felt the bench needed a tiny mirror hung on it’s back but decided to wait until we completed the restoration. Thank goodness I waited or else I would have shattered the original mirror when I hammered a nail into it.

We were amazed to find the amount of detail present on the hooks. Each hook has a tiny face on it.

The bad news? Someone drilled holes in the pocket doors and later filled them in with plaster. The only thing I can figure out is that someone put a chain through the holes and then added a padlock to keep that room secure. My neighbor told me that our house was broken into twice when the previous owner’s grandmother lived here. She added bars to the windows after the second break in.

I’m not sure of the best way to repair these holes? The plaster will need to be knocked out. Maybe the holes can be filled in with Bondo?

:: Read about the process used to strip or remove paint from our woodwork. ::

The front door. You can see where part of the door frame was been replaced with plywood. That is also probably the result of a past break in.

The windows on either side of the fireplace are now stripped.

Built-in bookcases. The doors are missing. We hope to some day have replacement doors made.

Built-in storage bench with mirror and coat hooks.

Last year as I sat amongst all of our belongings still packed in boxes stacked upon boxes and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could set up the tree next year?”

We still have lots more work ahead of us stripping this fireplace! We started this project last fall.

Well, next year has arrived with the den no closer to being ready. Sure, some of the boxes have been unpacked or moved out to the garage for the time being, but our house still isn’t Christmas tree worthy. But this time next year things will be different. We’ll be decorating our tree in a room that’s restored because I’ve decided that we need some additional help if we are going to complete our house any time in the next 10 years.

Fairly large hole on the side of our fireplace.

I have seen some amazing restoration work done in the West Adams area and the work I like was all done by the same craftsman. He is very busy and we have been on his waiting list since last summer. Juan and his team began work yesterday. They are starting in the living room and moving on to the den. Progress!

Two of the window frames have holes in them. God, I hope they weren’t from bullets.

Our realtor called the built-in seat a gentleman caller’s bench. That sounds so romantic. Although, only one gentleman caller at a time at our house!

If you find yourself in a similar situation and are looking for a contractor here is Juan’s contact info:

J & C Home Repair
Juan Reyes
626.793.7091

Believe me, we wouldn’t post his contact information if we weren’t extremely happy with the quality of his work. He does plastering, wood restoration, carpentry and painting.

The best surprise so far has been these gorgeous Victorian coat hooks. They were covered with so many layers of paint that we had no idea they had faces on them or any type of detail.

Look at that little face!

The vent cover is missing.

Pocket door handle looks so much better when it isn’t covered under gobs of paint.

The wall is severely cracked around the pocket doors. This must have happened when the house was elevated to replace the foundation.

The walls in the living room were originally a cinnamon color.

I love how the living room window is so large. It is nice to see some wood tones instead of white paint everywhere.