Continued from Page 6
Photos by Lauri Kramer serafin
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Anaglypta wallpaper with the first coat of eggshell Benjamin Moore Dorset Gold HC-8. Attention to detail is important when
remodeling historically, including corner blocks and cove moulding. Antique light fixture and finished cove molding with corner blocks.
sanded, patched, painted and
added. This was a lengthy pro-
cess, but worth retaining the
original woodwork.
The oak tongue and groove
floor is pre-finished, acquired
for just $1 per square foot at
the salvage yard. It’s best to
install this with a carpenter,
in our case one with a floor
nailer. Actually, it is not ideal
to use pre-finished wood floor-
ing in a bathroom, however if
it suffers any water damage, I
will sand it and paint it.
After the flooring came the
installation of baseboard and
chair rail moulding, also from
the salvage yard. Small base-
board corner blocks again
made the installation easier.
Plumbing and heating fixtures
were installed by profession-
als. Finally, after the installa-
tion of the tub, I added a black
racing stripe with some paint.
It’s inexpensive and provides
high visual impact.
For bathroom hardware,
I sought out polished nickel.
This is the period appropriate
finish for a pre-1930 bathroom
and features warmer tones
than chrome. Also, two white
hexagon light shades were a
perfect find at the salvage yard
for $5 each.
We’re still working through
a lack of toiletry storage.
However, there is a cabi-
net just outside the bathroom,
and guests using the first floor
bedroom can use a plastic
bin for needed supplies. This
bathroom functions more as
a powder room for the first
floor, so it works.
This remodel was excit-
ing to finish before a family
Thanksgiving. Now the time
has come to move on to the
master bathroom, following
the same process. This time,
I’m aiming for a timeline of
six months!
Lauri Serafin is the owner
of the Forsstrom House in
Astoria’s Shively-McClure
Historic District. She can
be contacted at Forsstrom-
house@gmail.com. You can
find more details about her
restoration work at the-
forsstromhouse.com.
Thursday, March 10, 2022 // 7