DIY Network

1919 Washington Row-House: Finishing Touches and Recap From "Restoration Realities" episode DRTR-110

	Media Watch a video recap of this restoration project

DIY's Restoration Realities helps Russell Clark and friend Sam Droege with some restoration projects on Russell's 1919 row-house in Washington, DC. In this fourth and final segment, the finishing touches are put on a front-porch project, and we review what was done in this episode.

The goal of this project was to help Russell Clark create historic lattice work for his front porch and install antique glass in his library cabinet-doors.

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Finishing Touches: Porch Railing

• With the newly made lattice panels installed, the porch project is almost complete. Russell also had wooden porch railings handmade to the original design of the row houses. Since the railings were made to fit, they simply needed to be secured to the vertical wood pieces already in place (figure A).

  Important: Double-check to make sure that your rails are level before securing -- especially if you're installing to an older porch that may have settled over time (figure B).

• Once leveled, the rails can be secured using nails or wood screws. We opted for a nail gun to save time.

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

• Next, the top rail was attached, nailing it secure from beneath the rail (figure C).

• Finally, decorative molding was added to the front and rear of the rail for the final touch to complete the front-porch project (figure D).

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	The row-house porch, BEFORE the addition of latticework and rails.
  	AFTER the front-porch renovation.
  	The library bookshelves BEFORE.
  	The library bookshelves AFTER the doors with antique glass were installed.

The interior project augmented the built-in bookshelves with antique glass that was held securely with new beading.

Materials and tools used in this episode:

Lattice Restoration

Framing hammers
Extension ladder
Saw horses
Air compressor for pneumatic tools
Pneumatic air nailer
10" table saw
10-12" Power miter saw
4' level
Chalk line
Framing square
Carpenter pencils
Reciprocating saw
Extension cords
Circular saw
1/2" VSR drill and or hammer drill
Cordless screw driver
Socket wrench set
Drop cloths
5/4" x 6x 12' treated wood stock
Lattice pieces 1-1/2" x 1/4 to 3/8" x any length over 36"
(16) treated 2x4x 10'
3" Tapcon anchors
Exterior oil-based primer
Mineral spirits
Rags
1-gallon pails
3/4" galvanized brads
3/4" galvanized staples
Polyurethane glue

Creating Glass Bead for Living-Room Cabinets

Air compressor for pneumatic tools
Glass cutter
Micro-pin nailer
Miter box
Back saw or fine-cut dovetail saw
1x6x6' of the same wood variety as the cabinets
Antique or art glass cut to fit

Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection when working with power tools or pneumatic tools.

RESOURCES :

Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes
Author: George Nash
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561585351
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Renovating and Restyling Older Homes: The Professional's Guide to Maximum Value Remodeling
Author: Lawrence Dworin
Publisher: Craftsman Book Company
ISBN: 1572180293
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Selecting and Renovating an Old House: A Complete Guide
Author: United States Department of Agriculture
July 2000
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN: 0486409562
Order this title from Amazon.com.