We must go backwards to go forward…

So tonight I removed the old trim in the living room to get ready for the new oak trim.

At some point the plaster walls were laminated over with new drywall burying the sides of the trim, so we need to remove the old and bring the trim forward.

You can also see how many layers of paint are on the old trim.

It is also finally time to take down the old window bars! They were solid and attach with large lag bolts. Luckily our neighborhood is much safer than it once was so they really are not needed.

So here are the window and door all demo’d!

Some of the interesting discoveries from tonight are the original window frame was cover with 1/4″ thick oak, likely for an aesthetic upgrade in the 1900 renovation. You can see some of the carpenter’s notes on the back of this peice.

Then beneath the 1/4″ oak trim the original original trim has a painted faux wood finish! Very interesting.

This was popular is the Victorian era for the wealthy to have artisans paint faux wood. I think this was likely done in the 1890’s before the big 1900 renovation.

Next up bring the frames out further and patching the drywall.