More Mud and Side Projects to Side Projects

Three coats are now up and waiting to sand - now where did that motivation go?? This weather has been on the humid side and the coats are slow to dry thoroughly. Hopefully another week till primer (translation: two weeks and a day).

In between waiting for coats of spackle to dry and days that you refuse to even say the word, one can never have too many side projects going on. Here is just a sample.

I started working on creating a template for recreating the wrap around window seat in the dining room. This was all but destroyed by the PO's when converting to apartments. There were two pieces left (the ends) that were cut flush with the kickout that supports the seat. The middle section was gone. I was able to use these as a guide to get the right curve and I measured the imprint on the side walls for the depth before the plaster walls were gutted. I also took a few measurements and tried sitting on different depths to see what was most comfortable, but still practical for the space. The walls are 15 inches and the seat depth ended up being 13 1/2 which is what gives the flattening to the curve at the ends. This is my best guess to what was originally here. Next step will be planing and joining some 1x12 oak boards to transfer the template to - I'll need to make (2) 2 ft. x 4 ft. pieces for the ends and (1) 2 ft. x 6 ft. for the center section. Coming to a blog near you - later this summer.

Also the salvaged fireplace mantel in the foyer has some new gingerbread on it that was missing. The center had what was left of a wreath design applied and around this center section was a beaded trim that was half gone. These pieces were the best available for the spot and turned out nice. I found these at Van Dyke's Restorers.