This week we finally began repairs to the Hale House. The turret cornice was failing and it was leading to water intrusion in a roundabout way. There was a full-round component to the cornice profile which had to be replaced. They don’t make wood in the exact profile we needed to match what’s there so we had to make it in shop. It’s easy to forget that when these houses were built there were factories that were cranking these components out. But those factories are long gone, so the best option is never to defer maintenance.
The hale house is a magnificent Carpenter Gothic Queen Anne house that used to reside in Highland Park up the street. Like the rest of the houses at Heritage Square, it had to be moved here. Less well known is a fact that links it to far too many historic homes in Los Angeles; it was once stuccoed over. Thankfully the museum removed the stucco long ago and, later, got a free paint job from someone who shot a paint commercial there over 25 years ago. It’s about due for another paint job. The roof and rain gutter system need work urgently but Heritage Square has limited funds. Please consider taking a tour or donating to them. It’s always a good time.
This is just the latest work we have done for the Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles. We hope to work with them more in the future.
Today, even professional painters are lost when painting wood windows. If he most iconic historic house in Los Angeles can fall prey to these practices, we know there is a major problem. We observed several of the most common mistakes had been made on these windows, and we corrected them.
If glazed and painted properly, the paint and putty can last 15 years. Most painters simply have no clue what they are doing when it comes to wood windows. It leads to the windows failing and it gives historic windows a bad rap, driving their extinction.
1. Use oil paint on oil putty. If you must use latex paint on oil putty, prime with oil-based primer first.
2. Lap the paint onto the glass to seal in the putty.
3.Do not use tape on the glass to help you make straight lines, but if you must use tape, take the tape off while the paint is still wet. The reason why is when you go to remove the tape, it will tear the seal the paint was supposed to form on the glass, and water will find its way in.
4. NEVER use razor blades on the exterior side of the glass to scrape off errant paint. See 3. (you may use them on the interior, but only use new razors and lift razor from glass on the back stroke)
5. Never ever under any circumstances paint the tracks on double hung windows except for the exterior exposed section of track under the top sash, which rarely gets used in practice.
6. Allow paint to fully cure before closing casement style windows. This will take days. It’s best to remove sashes (the part that resembles a picture frame that most people call a window), have them cure in a shop and board up the openings. TIP: if you must break this rule, use wax paper. PRO TIP: use oil paint on the sash and latex paint on the jambs.
7. Don’t paint ropes, chains, pulleys or any hardware NEVER NEVER NEVER. I don’t want to be a painter, but every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in.
HALE HOUSE, Highland Park, California. Repair of turret cornice and window restoration.