West Front Carpentry Work

Paint removal of the west front of the Mansion was completed on June 7. Since then, our team of preservation carpenters has been hard at work completing wood repairs on the top levels of the scaffolding. Luckily, the siding is in good condition, thanks in part to the sand-painted coating that has provided protection over the years.

At the same time, there were some gaps in the siding boards, small areas of deterioration, and some earlier wood fills that needed replacing. The solutions are not one-size-fits-all. Different types of repairs have ranged from simply re-securing existing elements with screws or nails, to the application of hide glue or hide glue mixed with wood flour (very fine sawdust), to the insertion of small thin wood fills and larger wood blocks secured with adhesives. It is a painstaking process that requires much thought and attention to detail.

By the end of June, our carpenters had completed 182 repairs at the pediment level and the third level of the scaffolding. As of the first week of July, they have moved down to the second level of the scaffolding and begun repairs there.

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