TV coverage for our restoration project

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/4207977?wpid=12071

The renovation of our rare and historically important urban slave building appeared in a feature on WWAY TV recently. Check out the news here.

WWAY TV 3 coverage

Genius Engineering: Mortise and Tenon Joints

Because the fireplace would burn wooden framing placed under or around it, the craftsmen building the Slave Quarters were forced to used an alternative. They used Mortise and Tenon joints across the floor in front of the fireplace. This is a type of strong joint in which a mortise, or cavity, is cut into a piece of the frame. Then, a tenon, also called a tongue or tang, is made to fit inside the mortise. The joint pictured above allowed the craftsmen to support the second story without wooden frames being too close to the fireplace.

Close-up view of the mortise and tenon joint

Another view of the joint

The tenon board running across the room

Restoration Update: Board Preservation in Action

To preserve our board, the guys from Rogers Building are adding LiquidWood. Here are some shots of one of the original wall boards both before and after the product was added. While the front was in good condition, the back (pictured) suffered water damage. LiquidWood seals the fragile, rotting parts of wood to the strong wood. The fragile parts will harden and strengthen so that the board can still be used.

Check out these photos from the process!

This board has already had the sealant applied and has dried. Looking closely, you can see a bit of a shine that is not on the un-restored boards.

Andrew from Rogers is brushing any dust or loose pieces off the board so the sealant will adhere better.

Pouring on the LiquidWood

The LiquidWood has to be brushed to get in all the little nooks and crannies

Close-up of the board after application

Another close-up of the newly sealed wood

This Liquid Epox is then used to fill in spots for more support or holding nails.

Restoration Update: Board Preservation

Isn’t it incredible how they can restore original pieces of the Slave Quarters? Using LiquidWood and WoodEpox, our construction guys from Rogers Building Corporation are able to fill in spots of old wood to reuse the boards in the house.

A board that has already been sealed with LiquidGlue

This board was preserved using the same method

See the difference between the wood and the Epox

Here you can see how the Liquid Glue (the dark brown stain) seeps in and the WoodEpox (the cream) fills in to preserve the wood

A very damaged board was able to be restored, but look at all that WoodEpox it took

After the WoodEpox is applied, a sealant is added to further protect the board

The writing was from categorization during the 1990’s restoration

An old-fashioned doorstop. This baseboard has a projecting piece of wood which would prevent the doors from slamming back into the wall

These curved wooden pieces go above the windows

Curved window frames

Getting ready to preserve some boards

Luckily, many boards can be preserved using this process

Close up of the damage to wooden board

More boards in various states of preservation

Slave Quarters Restoration Update: New Floors!

Our second story floors were not in the best condition and sadly had to be ripped up. Check out the difference between the original second story floorboards pictured above and some of the updated floors. At least we won’t have to worry about falling through these new ones!

Here’s some more pictures of the restoration so far:

East upstairs room of the slave quarters

This room still has the original flooring, but it will eventually be taken out because it is too weak

Old flooring on the second story

New flooring on the second story

Some weak spots of the original floor had to be covered while they worked

Upstairs fireplace- there is a hole at the base so you can look down onto the first floor

Looking up through the first story ceiling/second story floor at the bottom of the fireplace

Looking down through gaps in the floor

Second floor panorama

Construction on the second floor of the slave quarters

Framework and door for what was a wall. Can you spot the difference between the original and the new?

An old frame that was no longer even attached to the floor

The original shutters of the slave quarters

Most of the shutters are intact, just very aged

An upstairs bedroom in the slave quarters

Upstairs fireplace with some newly redone work

Ongoing restoration around the window

The window is actually somewhat detached from the wall

Top of the stairs

Original framework in the staircase

Slave Quarters Restoration

Check out the new pictures of construction in the slave house on our Behind the Scenes page!