My Fretwork Complete!!!
I'm so excited to have my fretwork back! I purchased this beautiful piece of Victorian fretwork about a year ago at an antique store. Half of it was broken and busted but it was such a beautiful piece and I know it would fit perfectly in the anteroom (foyer) going into the dining room. The piece is HUGE and is about 5 1/2 ft wide by 3 1/2 ft tall. I figured any wood carver could fix the item or that we could find something similar to patch in. Here is how it looked when I bought it:
So I found this guy off the internet that said he could do the work. I drove an hour out of the cities to this old barn with nobody in sight. All of a sudden a big van comes up and the guy gets out. I real character I tell you. He introduced himself and said he told me he was ADD with a bunch of turrets all in one. He talked to me for nearly an hour and a half before I was able to get away. I left my item with this guy I had never met and $300 and hoped for the best. The weeks passed by and I would shoot him an email every now and then to see how things were going. He would write back a few days later explaining it was going, but slowly. The weeks eventually turned into months (3 to be exact) but I wasn't really in a huge hurry since I have been painting the house all summer. Well then on a Friday night, about 9pm I get a call from a number I didn't recognize. I let it go to voicemail. When I listened to the message it was the guy telling me my item was done! He also informed me he had been working on it for the past 22 hours! I was so excited! I went out there the following day and was so happy to see my beautiful baby all restored. He has not only turned those tiny tiny spindles but had also matched the stain nearly identical and put a coat of sealer on it. So after 3 LONG months here she is all finished!
If you like what you read on my blog and would like to contribute to the house restoration please click the donate button below. All donations will be GREATLY appreciated!!
So I found this guy off the internet that said he could do the work. I drove an hour out of the cities to this old barn with nobody in sight. All of a sudden a big van comes up and the guy gets out. I real character I tell you. He introduced himself and said he told me he was ADD with a bunch of turrets all in one. He talked to me for nearly an hour and a half before I was able to get away. I left my item with this guy I had never met and $300 and hoped for the best. The weeks passed by and I would shoot him an email every now and then to see how things were going. He would write back a few days later explaining it was going, but slowly. The weeks eventually turned into months (3 to be exact) but I wasn't really in a huge hurry since I have been painting the house all summer. Well then on a Friday night, about 9pm I get a call from a number I didn't recognize. I let it go to voicemail. When I listened to the message it was the guy telling me my item was done! He also informed me he had been working on it for the past 22 hours! I was so excited! I went out there the following day and was so happy to see my beautiful baby all restored. He has not only turned those tiny tiny spindles but had also matched the stain nearly identical and put a coat of sealer on it. So after 3 LONG months here she is all finished!
Honestly can you tell the new from the old?
Can't wait to get it up!
If you like what you read on my blog and would like to contribute to the house restoration please click the donate button below. All donations will be GREATLY appreciated!!
Awesome! Looking through all your pictures reminded me of my house when we first moved in, although mine wasn't that bad. Your photos gave me that same knot in my stomach I had then. Hang in there. It will be terrific when you are done.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful baby, indeed!
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