What's Going on at the old Town House? July, August & September 2020
July 2, 2020 - Day 1: Before painting the interior of our 1843 Town House, the walls and ceilings need to be prepped. Volunteer Karen Ponton, who serves on the Heritage Commission, brings water from home to wash the walls.
Washing the walls just once wasn't enough (on the right). Decades of dust and grime needed a second wash to remove it all.
Volunteer Ann Xavier, who serves on the Heritage Commission, applies some spackle. Notice the 2 black area of old blackboard cement on the wainscott. Now you see them...
Now you don't!
Finally, after 3 days of prep work, the walls are ready for some paint!
July 6, 2020 - End of Day 5: Almost done with the first coat of paint on one wall.
Painting the plaster ceiling in the stage area.
First coat of paint on the stage ceiling is finished.
And a second wall has its first coat of paint - almost!
End of Week 2: A third wall has its first coat paint. Paint color really brings out the honey tones in the wood wainscott and crown molding.
After two coats of paint, the walls and ceiling in the stage area are done.
Starting to paint the ceiling in the main room. Chairs are out for the Heritage Commission, which has started meeting monthly at our historic Town House.
Volunteer Nancy Sapack, who serves on the Heritage Commission, cuts in along the wood trim before starting the second coat of wall paint.
End of Week 3 - All the walls in the Town House are done. Half of the ceiling received its first coat of paint, and then the heat and humidity hit...
End of Week 4 - Thanks to a couple of days with less humidity, the first coat of paint on the ceiling is finished.
What a difference the painting has made! Everything looks clean and fresh. But the heat and humidity is back so the second coat on the ceiling will have to wait.
By the end of Week 5, the windows are getting attention. The inside of the sashes is being painted a deep red.
Broken ropes in one window were replaced. The weights were accessed through a small door on each side of the window and tied to new ropes. Seven of the 13 windows operate by weights and pulleys - and all work!
August 19, 2020 - The ceiling finally has its second coat of paint, just in time for tomorrow's Heritage Commission meeting at the Town House.
By mid-September, all of the interior window sashes have received a second coat of paint...
And the window sills get some needed attention. Almost done now - at least for this year!