Plaster- the duct tape of the past

The amount of plaster that we’ve uncovered in our woodwork can only be rivaled by the amount of caulk and duct tape that is probably literally holding our house together. Between the latter two we’ve found one or the other in our cabinets, our refrigerator, on shelves, on the trim, and running along windows to keep the breeze out. Now it’s the plaster. We’ve found plenty in the trim, filling in holes and even in some cases shaped to fit the trim profile. It’s in the door frames filling in where hinges once were (apparently every doorway in our house had a door, even the stairway), and as we came to find out yesterday, it’s in the floors. Coming home to the newly sanded floors last night was a surprise, one because for the first time we could imagine what it might look like, and two because a number of additional holes filled with plaster, and holes covered by metal plates were revealed. That should tell you something about the previous condition of our floors, that the paint was so thick we couldn’t even tell where metal plates were located. There were about five or six areas patched with plaster that we had to make the difficult decision to repair. In some cases it was easy- where there were gaping holes that exposed the crawl space, but in others it was a gouge that was filled in with plaster that may or may not be covered by an area rug or furniture. You would think it’d be easy- just replace, but as the wood ages it darkens and takes on a unique look to the house- a look that obviously can’t be replicated by the addition of a new board.

Otherwise they’re on track, sanding and repairs today with the first coat of poly, and the second coat tomorrow, if it manages to dry in that time. From the sounds of it there were a number of roadblocks yesterday- they spent most the day countersinking nails that had popped up over the years, and removing a whole round of staples we couldn’t even see that were running along the baseboards. Then there was the issue of the paint on the floors. Apparently in some areas it was so thick they had to go out and get additional sandpaper- 16 grit. I have never seen 16 grit sandpaper and I can tell you- it’s pretty much just pebbles on a piece of paper. I’ve come to believe that these guys are magic- I can’t imagine the damage I might do with that.

I struggled a bit with the guilt of not taking this on ourselves (all of the real renovating bloggers do) but I think after seeing what they’re going through I know we made the right decision. With the wood being fir and pine (softer and easier to gouge), 100 years old and irreplaceable, and in need of repairs that there’s absolutely no way we could take care of, it’s an understatement to say we’d be in way over our head. Not to mention the staples- I think about half way through I would have given up and installed carpet. Alas it is in the hands of professionals, who by the way have a charming orbital and drum sander that look about as old as the house. Two more days before they’re done, then three more days before we move into our living room for the first time.