Winterthur – The Window on our Past

I don’t have any idea how many museums I have toured over the years but Winterthur is off in a category all by itself.  Nestled in the rolling hills outside of Wilmington, DE, Winterthur is the premier museum of American decorative arts and offers visitors the most unique collection of American home life you will ever see.  The 175 room museum puts on display every imaginable combination of furniture, furnishings and other decorative elements that have been on display all over our country.  I have never met anyone who has been there that wasn’t stunned by what they saw.  If you haven’t been there, it deserves to be moved to the top of your “bucket list”. (more…)

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Most homeowners with hardwood floors eventually get to the point where the original luster of their refinished floors begins to dull down.  This is normal, especially when small children, pets and an active social schedule get involved.  A few coatings manufacturers provide cleaning products to remove dirt and grime but these cleaners will not address a dull look acquired from constant use.  Even after the floors have been thoroughly cleaned, they still look dull.  You really want to be careful about your next choice.

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Kathy Cooper (Birds of a Feather)

Few surfaces present more of a design opportunity than wood floors. They make a perfect backdrop to add color, texture and design to a background rich in its own color and character. Many have taken advantage of this opportunity and produced stunning interiors.

I think everyone is accustomed to seeing area rugs but there is another item that has been off our radar for some time that is making a comeback – floorcloths. For those not familiar with floorcloths, let me be the first to tell you they have a rich history and for centuries they were used to decorate the floors from royalty to the common man. Part of what fueled their popularity was the availability of the products used to make them – canvas and paint or coatings.

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Many homeowners are learning that recoating a wood floor is a practical and common sense approach to improving the look of a surface known to give them headaches. Typically, the floors have been refinished within the last 15 – 20 years and are simply showing some fatigue and in need of cosmetic improvement, not a full sanding.

Lack of protection allows water staining.

The key is not to wait too long. In the photo to the right, the homeowner has waited until the wood has darkened from repeated exposures to water. As a general rule, if the floor has gotten lighter from wear, you should be good for a recoat. If it has gotten darker, you may need to look at a total sanding and finishing. So pay attention to the appearance of the wood to avoid being forced to sand it to get the look you want.

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I am an old house junkie.  Working on older homes has always been far more enjoyable than tackling something that is just coming out of the ground and usually surrounded by a lake of red mud.  Be honest with yourself and you will probably realize that there is an old house junkie lurking around in you as well.  Would you rather work in a nice, tree lined neighborhood where people are living and walking their dogs or would you want to work on streets lined with pick up trucks jockeying for the next open spot on a muddy lot that is barren of trees and littered with every type of construction material imaginable?  It doesn’t take much creativity to see that the former trumps the latter in spades.  So any time I see a group that wants to preserve, protect and promote these old neighborhoods and buildings, they get my support.

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