A CLUE! A CLUE!

    We've been playing detectives this week.  It is time for the original trim and architectural pieces to come back into the house to be re-installed and primed.  The nails were all removed back in January.  In some haste to get rolling on the demo last March and April, not all the trim was adequately marked.  Now for some pieces, like the arched door trim or the interior columns, it is obvious where they go.  Some of the trim was marked by me or the original carpenter and this too is helpful.

Far too much of the trim, however, is unmarked and of shades of peeling white.

 What it takes is matching size, cut, nail holes, and paint chips.  Sometimes there is a clue such as the hot pink paint on the sides of the entry trim.  (Thank goodness for sloppy painting.)

The hot pink on the walls of the entryway upon purchase is a clue to location of trim

Determining the placement of the columns was an easy feat.  Re-installing them required patience, muscle and skill.

Entryway left column

Entryway right column

Wallace and Donnie place the entablature above the columns

Entablature in place and ready for the capitals

BEAUTY REVEALED

Our front door has it's pilasters

obstructed by a wood jamb that formerly housed a screen door.

To remove the frame would expose the entire pilaster and its beauty. 

I scored the joint with a knife. Squiggle means "all clear" and X means I hit a nail.

I used a wood chisel to split the wood.

Donnie used the reciprocating saw to cut to the chiseled  area.

The wood  split and we easily removed the entire jamb,

fully revealing the pilaster.  

Cleaned up and primed the entry's beauty is revealed.