As I ran around from extra-curricular to extra-curricular, or laid in bed nursing a fever that has yet to go away (bleh), my boyfriend took on the first of what will be many restoration projects!
Moving into an old building in San Francisco has many perks. In the case of our apartment, we've got beautiful molding, hardwood floors, and glass door knobs...which, when we moved in, looked like this:
Clearly, this was a speed-paint job from long ago. Really, I think the hinges bore the brunt of it:
Lucky for me, my boyfriend is pretty good at tearing things apart and putting them back together easily, but this is something anybody can do with the right tools and some help from the internet...and that cure-all we've all come to know and love: Baking Soda.
The BF removed the knob, hinges, screws, and mechanisms from the door. He set them aside, and made his concoction. In a medium sized sauce pan (you may need a bigger pan, depending on how much you intend to restore) he filled it half way with water, and poured in the baking soda until the liquid was opaque. He put it on a burner and waited for it to boil. Once it started boiling, he added the door accessories. They sat in the boiling Soda-Water for two hours, though I don't think it needs that much. After two hours, he removed the pan from the heat and let it cool, so he could handle the metal. After rinsing and rubbing with a sponge, this was the outcome!!!:
We're excited to get the newly exposed brass back on the door, and see it pop. One door down, five more to go!
I'm also looking forward to this event coming up in my new 'hood:
Lower Haight April Fools' Scavenger Hunt
They're mixing in an art walk with some competition. Love it! (Though it will be impossible to rival Erin's B-Day hunt...)
Off to take some Sudafed! Wish me luck!
Love, MegPie
This method is good, let's have been white-washed back into the original look.
Posted by: power cord | 03/22/2011 at 10:50 PM