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From the OHJ Technical Staff
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Illustration Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
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Clean It
Brand-name cleaners that are excellent for regular cleaning are often too harsh for restoration cleaning. When it comes to old surfaces, gentle cleansers are key. Some old- time favorites are Bar Keeper's Friend and Bon Ami. Always start with the gentlest method; always do a patch test.
1 To clean porcelain or tile, use the abrasion and bleach of Ajax or Comet. Porcelain fixtures streaked with green verdigris drips from old copper plumbing or acidic well water can be turned white again with a mixture of equal parts of Bon Ami and cream of tartar that is moistened to a paste with hydrogen peroxide. Let this paste sit on the stain for 30 minutes before rinsing it off. You can also buy a stain-removal product that contains phosphoric acid which is available at good plumbing supply houses.
2 Old glass is minutely pitted, so it's hard to clean. Forget Windex; use paste cleaner such as Glass Wax, which will buff off when it turns to an opaque mask.
3 For rust stains in porcelain sinks or tubs, use a paste of oxalic acid crystals (follow manufacturer's safety directions) or a product such as Zud that includes this chemical.
4 For dirty walls and painted woodwork, soap-and-water washing works best. Ivory Liquid is a must. You'll need drop cloths or newspaper, a soapy-water bucket, a rinse bucket, two sponges (natural sponges work better than cellulose), a ladder, and lots of paper towels. Test first an inconspicuous area. Then clean 3´x 3´ sections at a time. Contrary to apparent logic, start washing at the bottom of the wall, not at the top. If dirty wash water is allowed to run down over uncleaned sections of the wall, you'll get streaks that will be difficult or even impossible to remove.
5 To revive wood finishes, mix a tablespoon of Ivory Liquid soap to a quart of warm water and whip it to create a lot of suds, then dip an old washcloth into the suds (not the water) and vigorously rub the wood. Then wipe the wood with a dry cloth to remove any dampness. This method will remove surface grime without harming the patina.
6 To remove built-up wax on varnished- wood floors, wipe the floor with a rag moistened with turpentine or paint thinner; then follow with a clean cloth. Work on only as large an area as you can clean quickly so the wax doesn't reharden before you remove it.
7 To kill mold and mildew, mix 2/3 cup TSP cleaner, 1/3 cup powdered detergent, 1 quart laundry bleach, and 3 quarts warm water and apply the solution-while wearing gloves and goggles-to the area with a medium scrub brush. Keep the surface wet until the stain has bleached; then flood with water.
8 Sooty fireplace hearths are best cleaned with a hard-surface cleaner such as one containing sodium metasilicate (MEX is one widely used brand).
9 Marble is highly porous and prone to stains. The good news is many stains may be removed by applying certain cleaners or solvents in an absorbent poultice-a preparation typically composed of whiting (powered limestone which is sold at hardware stores). To make a poultice you combine a proprietary marble cleaner and whiting into a "pancake." When this poultice is pressed over the problem area covered in plastic the stain is slowly drawn into the whiting as the solvent evaporates. For organic stains from coffee, tea, or berries use a poultice of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a few drops of ammonia.
10 To shine nickel on stoves, lamps, or other hardware use a nonabrasive such as Nev-R-Dull.
Strip It
Every old-house restorer has had the messy task of stripping paint from everything from wood to windows to radiators. The following are 10 helpful tips to take it off:
11 Don't scrape off chemical stripper before you give it a chance to work. It should loosen all the paint down to the bare wood. If your application dries out before all paint is soft, re-wet with another layer right on top. Wait 30 minutes.
12 Use a polypropylene parts-cleaning brush (found at an auto supply store) to apply stripper and scrub it off. The brush is stiff and stands up to solvents.
13 To strip cast-iron radiators in place, try wire-sanding wheels chucked into a drill or tap the radiator with a hammer to break the paint bond, then vigorously scrub the surface with a wire brush.
14 If you can't get the last flecks of paint out of the wood pores, brush on shellac cut with denatured alcohol. Let it dry a few days, and then strip with a thin layer of stripper. That usually pulls the paint out of the pores.
15 Scraping tools should be sharp. Touch up the edges every hour or so. It will be easier to scrape, and you won't mar the wood.
16 Metal hardware is easy to strip. Paint doesn't bond well to metal. Immerse the hardware in boiling water with a little vinegar; then hold it under the hot tap and razorblade the paint off. You can also dip it in a mini vat of stripper.
17 A lot of Victorian woodwork has turned and incised detailing. After your stripper has worked, floss out the softened paint with twine.
18 To strip carved or molded areas with chemical stripper, let it work on recesses for at least half an hour, then scrub with a tooth brush. (Reach-brand tooth brushes don't dissolve in chemical paint strippers.)
19 Some paint strippers say they are "water rinsable" on the label, but be aware that flooding a wood surface with water will raise grain, open glue joints, and loosen veneers. Better to do a solvent rinse (lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol, or mineral spirits).
20 If glass can be taken out of its frame, soak in hot water with a little ammonia or TSP. While it's still wet, scrape it off with a razor blade. A cloudy residue will remain; lye will take it out. A convenient way to buy lye is Easy-Off oven cleaner.
Paint It
Another tedious project for restorers is painting. Here are some tips on how to put it back on once you've taken it off:
21 Pressure-washing clapboards is a good alternative to scrubbing clapboards by hand. The problem with power washing is that it can push water into the wood under clapboards and between seams. This can lead to moisture buildup inside walls, and it can cause poor adhesion of new paint. If you decide to pressure wash, give walls good drying time before repainting, and be careful while spraying. It is not wise to spray up at a wall from ground level-from that angle clapboards and shingles will not keep water out. Power wash from a ladder or scaffolding.
22 A good paint job requires a good brush. For oil paints, use the best Chinese bristle or synthetic Chinex bristle brush you can afford.
23 To avoid cleaning the brush daily, wipe off the handle and ferrule at the end of the day with a rag dampened with mineral spirits, wrap the bristles and ferrule in a plastic bag, tape it, and put it in the freezer for as long as a week. For latex paint, select a professional quality, nylon/ polyester or Chinex blend brush. Clean these bristles in water and a little detergent after each use.
24 Before you prime weathered or new woodwork, sand down to bright wood to remove dirt and cellulose fibers that prevent a good paint bond.
25 Keep the paint on the wood and off the window. Protect the sash with the edge of a wide blade wallboard knife when scraping off excess paint.
26 When painting a double hung sash, pull the upper sash down and push the lower sash up. This allows you to paint the inner sides of the meeting rail.
27 Before painting, make all woodworking repairs such as tightening joints with glue and clamps.
28 Before repainting enameled doors or trim, roughen up the old painted surface with 220-grit sandpaper to create a mechanical bond for the new paint.
29 Before painting apply Safe Release or Easy Mask Painter's tape to separate various areas. Once the paint is dry, pull the painter's tape away for a clean edge.
30 A time-honored OHJ technique to improve a new paint job on even severely dried out, weathered wood is to treat it with linseed oil before priming. Mix boiled linseed oil and turpentine 50/50 and liberally brush into wood. Allow it to dry for 24 hours and repeat the process. Allow three days for the oil to dry before sanding
and priming.
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