Ceiling, Walls and Furniture

I feel like this was a fairly productive weekend.  I finished putting the 'planks' on the ceiling and thanks to a quick opinion poll got some feedback on a stain color for them.

 I decided to go with the two middle stains, the darker one is chestnut so I put that on  first and then sanded it down and put the oak on top of it.

Here's a good look at it with my method of making sure the wood beams stay flat.  I like how it looks, dark enough to be interesting but not so dark its overwhelming.

Since that had to dry for a while I did some work on the fireplace with the charcoal I ordered.

It doesn't look super dark there but in comparison with the picture below which is from last week, I can see a definite difference.

I also took some of the charcoal (which was on my fingers and a brush) and rubbed it on the walls over the candle sconces.  I've noticed anywhere you use candles you'll get soot marks on the walls so a little more realism I hope.

Then once I got the fireplace glued in place I tested all my lights again.

The next thing was fixing the back wall onto the house.  This involved a lot of cursing.  Why do things that fit when they're dry never fit right again when you have wet glue on them?

Once that was mostly dry I started to fit the upper walls.

Before I add the plaster and beams I want to draw out where the beams will go, something that makes sense with the windows.  I still need to work on the trim for inside the windows.  But I think that'll be a bit easier once the walls are up and glued in place.

When the mail came Saturday I got one of my Etsy purchases for the house.

I think they'll look good with produce in them, or raw wool for the room with the loom.

I also decided that since it would take a while for the walls to dry I should work on the furniture.  I started with the bedside table and drilled some holes so the wires for the candelabra would remain hidden.

The bed was next.

I've got some vintage handkerchiefs to use for sheets and possibly for bed hangings. Definitely for sheets though.

A settle for next to the fireplace.  The glue is still drying on the carvings I added.

The last thing was the chest for at the foot of the bed.  Also still drying.

That's it for me this weekend.  If I get really ambitious I might stain a shelf unit for the kitchen.  But likely that'll wait for next weekend for when I get more time.  I have wooden plates and goblets that'll need some staining too.

How's everyone else doing?

Drill & Route out channels for lighting wires.
Finish shutters & interior trim for all windows on main cottage.
         First Floor
         Second Floor
Build Fireplaces & chimneys

        First Floor

        Second Floor

Cut bricks and stone for outside of lower walls and tower.
(Test Magic Brik) - in progress
Add brick/stone to fireplaces.
        First Floor
        Second Floor
Age fireplaces.

        First Floor

        Second Floor

Bedroom mantle
Plaster upper walls and third floor of tower.
Add timber to upper walls and third floor of tower. (testing)
Paint stone.
Add grout to stone and brick.
Ceiling beams on first floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for lofted ceiling on second floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for the tower.
Stain purchased furniture
          Bedroom
          Kitchen
          Stillroom
          Weaving/workroom
Build furniture:
          Make sink
          Make curved table for tower room
          Make loom
          Adjust tables for lab
          Make stool
          Make telescope 1/2 done
          Make orrey 1/4 done
          Make tapestry
          Make rush mats
          Make bedding
          Make books & scrolls
          Make paper pottery
Furniture in place finalize lights.
          Make sconce
          Make candelabras
                 Standing Candelabra
                 2 small Candelabras
Add flooring
Plaster inside walls
Build base for house
Create 'slate' roof
Create front garden
          Make tree?
          Make stream?
          Make lake/river to go alongside house
          Make stone wall to go around garden
          Iron front gate. 

Stain For the First Floor Ceiling

Trying to figure out what stain I want to use on the ceiling boards.

I showed the different samples with one of the dark walnut ceiling beams.  From left to right we've got Rustoleum Traditional Cherry, Rustoleum Summer Oak, Minwax Chestnut Gel stain, Rustoleum American Walnut and Minwax Early American.

For contrast I like the Summer Oak.  I think the cherry is a bit too red.  Same with the American Walnut.  The Early American just looks a little odd to me.  Not sure why.  I like the Summer Oak and the Minwax Chestnut, that's what I used on the panels in the bedroom.  They're both lighter without being red.

What do all of you think?

First Floor Interior

I started out with the door again.  The strap hinges I bought were gorgeous but one had broken.  I bought another two and put them on and then they broke.  Displeased is the mildest word I could use to describe my mood.

Since I'd already put holes in the door for them I decided to leave the strap hinges and put small ones between the side of the door and the doorframe.  Same effect, but sturdier hinges and then hopefully things would both work and look good.

You can just see where I added the new hinges.  Then I cleaned up some of the glue that had gotten on the door.

My goal for the weekend was to get the first floor mostly finished and the second floor started.  I got the bay window attached to the front wall

There was some spackling and plastering to hide the joins.  Then I glued the front wall and floor to the long side wall.

This is obviously a very high tech method of weighing the walls down so they stay in place while the glue dries.

While I was waiting on that to dry I added plaster and the windows to the removable wall.

I'd been planning on Tudor style paneling for the bedroom and had gotten them all measured out so I could stain everything while the glue and plaster were drying.  I started all of this on Friday night so I'd have plenty of time Saturday to get more done.

I had stained the panels with Minwax gel stain in Chestnut. I'm not sure I like the gel stain or not.  It's definitely different.  But I got them cut and glued into place on the walls at least for the lower half of the walls.

I have one more panel to do by the door to the tower but I wanted to get a bit more done before I put that one on since it's going to be holding a sconce.

I decided that since I was going to have ceiling beams I didn't want to make the final upper panels as small as the lower ones.  I thought it would look too busy.

Here's a test of my ceiling beams to check the fit.

You can see here where I added a beam to the corner.  I'm planning on having more of those, at least in the corners.  But you see what I mean about the beams?  Where they meet the upper panels would look very odd since they wouldn't match the vertical beams completely.

Simpler was a lot easier too!

I added a thin mantle of balsa wood to the fireplace in the bedroom.

I like how the chestnut stain contrasts with the dark walnut.  I really don't want everything to blend together.

Getting that done also meant adding the front door walls and getting them glued in place.

I worry that I'll knock any door handle off with moving things around so that'll be one of the last things I add.

And I'd considered doing a stone wall behind the fireplace but I decided to just plaster and add some beams for interest.  They're supposed to be structural as well as interesting, the top plate of the wall I think they call it.

The fireplace still isn't in permanently.  It needs aging and a few props before I glue it in place, not to mention the wires fed through the holes in the floor.



Then it was time to start the ceiling.

Lots of gluing and measuring and gluing again.  I'm obviously not done.  Right now the dark walnut beams are just sitting in place to check the fit of the boards.

So I got a few more things knocked off my list.  And maybe during the week I'll have time to add more of the boards to the ceiling.

Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!


Drill & Route out channels for lighting wires.
Finish shutters & interior trim for all windows on main cottage.
Build Fireplaces & chimneys
Cut bricks and stone for outside of lower walls and tower.
(Test Magic Brik) - in progress
Add brick/stone to fireplaces.
Age fireplaces.
Bedroom mantle
Plaster upper walls and third floor of tower.
Add timber to upper walls and third floor of tower. (testing)
Paint stone.
Add grout to stone and brick.
Ceiling beams on first floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for lofted ceiling on second floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for the tower.
Build furniture:
          Make sink
          Make curved table for tower room
          Make loom
          Adjust tables for lab
          Make stool
          Make telescope 1/2 done
          Make orrey 1/4 done
          Make tapestry
          Make rush mats
          Make bedding
          Make books & scrolls
          Make paper pottery
Furniture in place finalize lights.
          Make sconce
          Make candelabras
                 Standing Candelabra
                 2 small Candelabras
Add flooring
Plaster inside walls
Inside window trim & shutter
Build base for house
Create 'slate' roof
Create front garden
          Make tree?
          Make stream?
          Make lake/river to go alongside house
          Make stone wall to go around garden
          Iron front gate.