In my 200 year-old home I have a couple old door knobs and plates that are rusted metal. I would like to paint them and would like some historically correct color suggestions. The doors are painted various darker colors. Thanks for any help.
First consider what is historically correct for these particular knobs and plates. They never were painted and so there will be no "historically correct" color for a paint finish. They probably had an original "patinated finish" which colors the very surface of the metal without coating it, and without giving it much protection from rusting. If your hardware is handmade of wrought iron it may be possible to heat the metal and dip it in linseed oil for a traditional "burnt oil" finish with a dark brown or black color. If the knobs are later stamped sheet metal with "artistic patinations" it would be costly or impossible to remove all the rust and re-patinate. I have seen many door knobs in older houses painted black, probably as a practical maintenance strategy to keep dirt from showing.
To paint your knobs and plates black, begin by brushing off loose rust with a stiff wire bristle brush. Do not bother trying to grind off all the rust with a motorized wire wheel. Brush on a rust stabilizing treatment such as Rustoleum's Rust Reformer(TM). This is a solution of tannic compounds that convert the iron oxide back toward a metallic form of iron. The solution is mixed with an acrylic binder that stabilizes the surface and primes it for painting. Then give the plates and knobs two or three top coats of black enamel. Allow plenty of drying time between coats and sand each coat lightly with 320 grit paper except the last coat. Oil-based enamel will give you a longer lasting finish than acrylic enamel.
Paint Shaving
Have you had any experience with the PaintShaver product advertised in Old House Journal? They say that it is some form of power planer that can "shave" paint from both the butt and surface of siding simultaneously at about one square foot every 15 seconds. Also it has what appears to be a Plexiglas shield surrounded by brushes to contain the "shavings" with a hose attachment that can be led to a shop vac.
This power tool has three carbide teeth that rotate at high speed. It is more than a little nerve-wracking to use and requires considerable practice to develop the deft touch needed for the best results. It is almost impossible to remove all the paint without leaving curved swirl marks in the wood surface which require a lot of power sanding to smooth out. Shaving of the wood surface and sanding can reduce the thickness of the clapboards significantly, possibly weakening them. Also note that the PaintShaver does not remove 3-4 inches of paint from clapboards along all of the surrounding trim woodwork, which must be removed by hand. The PaintShaver does remove about 95% of the paint very fast, but additional needed removal, sanding and loss of wood have made it not as economical as other methods when we have done formal testing and comparison with other methods. The "one square foot in 15 seconds" figure promoted by the manufacturer only includes a pass of the machine—no setup, no cleanup, no scaffolding and, none of the substantial additional work needed to arrive at a paintable surface. There is also the issue of controlling lead-containing dust, which is only partially addressed with the brush. I am not saying this is a bad machine, but when we have done side-by-side comparison testing it has not yet been our selected method.
Wood Shingles
Our home was built in 1909 and is a shingled Foursquare house. The back sleeping porches were enclosed by earlier owners but they made no effort to match the siding of the original house, probably due to expense. Where can I find the 4-3/4" wooden shingles like those used during that era?
The lowest cost source will be your local lumber yard. Buy random-width shingles and cut them down to width on a table saw. Of course this results in some waste. To avoid the labor involved you can order custom sized shingles at a higher cost. If your local building materials supply house cannot order them, try The Cedar Guild, Inc., P.O. Box 249, Lyons, OR 97358-0249; 800 270-2541; web site: www.cedar-guild.com; email: cedarinfo@cedar-guild.com. They can make any size or shape of shingle you require.
Contact John Leeke directly for answers to your questions and more information on techniques for restoring and maintaining your historic building. Write to John Leeke, Preservation Consultant, 26 Higgins St., Portland Maine 04103; (207) 773-2306; or by email at johnleeke@HistoricHomeWorks.com. Or visit his website, www.HistoricHomeWorks.com.
