The dining room in old homes was very important to the families' image. Formal diners were an event every night or so. Having an impressive expensive looking dining room leaves the impression that your family is well off. Homes built before 1940 really exaggerated their wealth with their public rooms. They would use the most expensive material they could afford, the change between public and private rooms is clear through the cost of materials used. In the Beckett room the use of wallpaper, paneled walls, the symmetry of the grad dining room, as well as the wood on the walls and floors all show class. It also shows that the owner was in touch with the style of the time. Panel walls in colonial the neoclassical houses was very popular. The dining room being the center of the home shows Beckett's emphasis on entertainment. The dining room leads to almost every room in the house, but is closed off through doors and arches; a feature popular during this time. Now Beckett did have style, but the 75 plus years since his family occupied the house did a number on the heart of the house. As times change, going out to eat became popular, people were distracted by technology, and soon fancy dinner parties were a chore, and no longer important.
The dining room shows this. The floors are dull with scratches, and all the wood in the room has been has been painted over with a dark brown color, and yellow. The lighting features have been removed from the stained ceiling. The wallpaper looks more than 30 years old and just adds the finial touch to the dark unfortunate looking dining room.
Major areas I will focus on- Floor repair, repair wood paneling/waistcoating, molding, and wood in the room, make the in wall cabinets not look like its lived a tragic life, remove wallpaper, and fix up the ceiling along with lights.
Removing wall paper-
We are going to use nontoxic enzyme strippers on the plaster walls. Plaster walls with a wood lath (a thin strip of wood) that is nailed to wood-frames then covered with a few coats of plaster. This style of wall was used in houses over 50 years old. Start by scraping off any pealing wallpaper, the go over the wall. This tool cuts grooves into the sheet of paper. Then take the stripper being used, and brush it along the molding. Then you can spread the stipper over the entire wall with a paint roller. Leave the stripper on for 30 minutes. The wall paper will start to loosen, use a scraper to then scrape it off. Then repeat with the stripper to get off the wall paper adhesive, then finally take the scrapper to get off any residue from the stripper and adhesive. Then wash the walls with warm water and soap. After the wallpaper is removed we are going to paint the walls a really light ivory, or "colonial ivory". A color the walls would have been during 1910, its simple and elegant.
Panelling and molding-
Luckily it looks like the molding (top and bottom wood strips on the wall) have been intact; and I'm going to keep them that way. I'm not going to be messing with any of the actual wood, except for some on the cabinets. I will be removing the dark wood stain. If Beckett did have the right idea of what neoclassical, and colonial houses were all about, which I have evidence to say he did; than he would have had white paneling. White paneling, and waistcoating, like the outside of the house was a sign of class. During this time all would work was white (except for the floors).
To remove the dark coloring we want to start with mild methods for removal, and work up to more toxic methods. Benzine or turpentine will remove any wax build up, and you can wipe the was off with a towel. This should remove the surface, but also try cleaners that dissolve the finish. These would be like Fantastik, then rub down the wood with steel wool and sal soda. Prime the wood with a latex and, stain-blocking primer. After the primer has dried, use a latex white paint to cover the wood. After that dried use a topcoat on top off the wall paint. The topcoat can be either oil or latex enamel.
For this hutch I want to extend the windows down and out, so there is no shelve. I'm using a casement window, one of the most traditional style windows for old homes. To do this I would remove the windows their now, and the shelves next to them. Create holes lining up with the hinges, and fit in each of the glass windows. The finish product will be white and look something like this, but with only one set that opens that's wider.
Ceiling-
Clean the ceiling the same why we did with the wood, but only use benzine or turpentine. Then just paint it with one coat of white. The ceiling is set up for a light, but without one installed. I would put in a simple slag glass inverted dome with gold patterns. This style of light was very popular with neoclassical and colonial architecture.
Wood floors-
These floors are oak, we need to refinish them to give it new life. I would be refinishing the floors, to start this the floor should be sanded with a drum sander. This is pretty easy, just don't leave the sander in one area for too long. Then use a polyurethane finish, use a water-based finish because it drys clear. It is durable, moisture-resistant, and looks like its covered in a plastic film.
Books-
Jackson, Albert, and David Day. The Complete Home Restoration Manual: An Authoritative, Do-it-yourself Guide to Restoring and Maintaining the Older House. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Print.
Labine, Clem, and Carolyn Flaherty. The Old-house Journal Compendium. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 1980. Print.
Web Sites
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,218040-3,00.html
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/home-accessories/wall-art/how-to-paint-wood-paneling/#page=9
http://www.pella.com/Documents/pdf/Installation-Instructions/80WW.pdf
http://www.genuineantiquelighting.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LP1&Product_Code=3203d&Category_Code=
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,203303-6,00.html
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