New floor, door and knocker.

[plasticpigeon]

I thought I would share some more stuff I've been doing. I've recently repaired a front door, original to one of the houses on my street, that was thrown out buy one of the neighbours. It even still has the original huge nightlatch lock on the inside. This is after one top coat of green, it obviously needs at least one more and a white border to the transom light. I've dug up the vestibule floor, and relaid the tiles on a solid concrete base. Many tiles were cracked so I repaired with steel bars and anchorfix. Chipping the cement of the back of many of them was a real bother, cutting the cement into squares and then chipping off with a pneumatic chisel. I can't decide if I should clean them with brick acid or leave then in their slightly dirty state and seal to make then look like they've never been up!

The most exciting thing for me, as it is for many men (and some ladies as well of course) is the knocker. This one is cast iron and was painted in gloopy black. I have tried out what I think is a traditional finish called Kahala which I believe was a brown lacquer onto cast iron to make a cheap imitation bronze. Whether or not it is traditional I think it is more interesting than straight black.

I put some pots out. The hebes were in the garden so were free, but I'm not sure. I quite like the idea of something a bit taller and thinner, any ideas or should I leave them. Here are some pictures.

 

[JBean]

I love the letter box / knocker - it looks fantastic!

 

[angrybird]

That looks lovely! I love the letterbox too.
Have you thought about topiary it's quite easy to DIY if you have the patience

 

[mims&pip]

Your knocker (and everything else!) looks fab I do love a bit of reclamation when it involves repatriating an item to where it belongs, such as your super door! I'm in agreement with angrybird that topiary would look good. We had a pair of those spirals flanking the front door at Southsea - although we cheated I'm afraid and bought them ready formed at a nursery - but sadly one of them failed to thrive after a couple of moves (think the A30 fumes in Wilts finished it off ) and we consequently only have one remaining. We currently have a pair of Bay trees and these look good too.......

Mims x

 

[JBean]

Yes, I agree some simple topiary might be good, and period-appropriate. But don't use boxwood - it has a pest and a disease (the caterpillars of the boxwood moth and the box blight fungus) which are both new to the UK and are ruining box all over the place. You could spend ages training it only for infection / infestation to strike. Yew is a good if slower alternative.

 

[plasticpigeon]

The topiary is very nice, but also very expensive, as in over £50 per bush. That is a bit steep for me I'm afraid. i shall have a look what is selling in my local cheap garden centre. i bought a lollipop bay fron there for £12 so I might get lucky.

 

[Zebra]

The quarry tiles look great just as they are pp. I wouldn't clean them up too much.

 

[DavidB]

Like the letter box / knocker and the finish looks great. You've done a great job with the tiles and I like the pattern. How about a bay tree cut into the shape of a ball? I always like them. Just need careful shaping though...

 

[jocelyn plummer]

It is all looking very good there PP- brilliant!

 

[plasticpigeon]

Thank you for the kind words. I have put the knocker on properly now, and a wind up bell on the inner door. A good combo I think. I have painted the surround to the transom light white to match the bay, but now I think it might be better green. Any ideas.

 

[parkview094]

Thank you for the kind words. I have put the knocker on properly now, and a wind up bell on the inner door. A good combo I think. I have painted the surround to the transom light white to match the bay, but now I think it might be better green. Any ideas.

Hmm, whilst I think the combination looks very smart, I see where you are coming from. Did you consider picking out some of the panelling on the door in white? Something like this:

...but with just a single shade of green.

 

[88v8]

I think it's fine with the transom picked out.
Or all green.
Or with the door mouldings picked out although it would take a long time, seeing as it has to withstand the inspection of someone looking at it from a few feet away. And some might think it twee.

I like dark green. Our previous house was Brunswick green on the north, and green/cream to the south & west. For that matter I like pretty much anything that's not all-white. Brilliant white. Modern non-period whiter than white.

Ivor

 

[mims&pip]

Personally I'd prefer it without the transom picked out in white, although I think the bay itself looks fab! I think it may look twee with the door mouldings picked out, but that's just my 2 cents :roll:

Dark green is one of my favourite house colours too, although we've only ever painted one house in a very deep green - the Victorian house we had before our 'forever' home. When we sold that and bought the forever house we were going to go with the same colour but our neighbour (who ran a nursery school from the property) had already opted to paint her house the same colour, so we went for black instead

Mims x

 

[plasticpigeon]

Interesting. I don't think I would pick out any mouldings in white. But I'm undecided on the transom. If I paint it green it will stay that colour, but I am leaning towards that decision. I have no idea why the white works on the bay and not so much on the door frame, I don't know if there are rules on this sort of thing, but I think I havve to try the green, I think it would for some reason give the door frame better proportions.

 

[Feltwell]

Looks great PP, I'd go with a green transom though and wouldn't pick out the door panels. Green & white works beautifully on that bay. You're putting me to shame - I *must* have a go at my bay and "front" (side) door, they look so shabby right now.

Are you tempted to stone clad the bottom of your bay like next door?? :roll: You've got to wonder what the hell people are thinking when they do these things!

 

[plasticpigeon]

There is a lot of that rubbish stone cladding or cement stone cladding around here. I blame a mixture of apathetic ignorant homeowners and persuasive ignorant builders. As always the houses which have had the most amount of work done to them are the worst. Maybe it would be better if there was more unemployment in the building industry!

 

[angrybird]

I blame Jack and Vera :lol:

 

[plasticpigeon]

I think it's fine with the transom picked out.
Or all green.
Or with the door mouldings picked out although it would take a long time, seeing as it has to withstand the inspection of someone looking at it from a few feet away. And some might think it twee.

I like dark green. Our previous house was Brunswick green on the north, and green/cream to the south & west. For that matter I like pretty much anything that's not all-white. Brilliant white. Modern non-period whiter than white.

Ivor

The white I've used is very white isn't it. It said undercoat on the tin, and that is what I intended it to be, but even the best laid plans often go awry.

 

[88v8]

I've never given much thought to white. Never painted a house white, have preferred shades of cream.
But I read somewhere that the white pigments we have now are a modern development, in the past they were much more subdued.
Allback do a White, a Vintage White and an Old White.

Anyway, yours looks fine in whatever white it is. Perhaps your neighbours will be inspired to restore their houses who knows.

Ivor