How to Restore Historic Porch Columns | This Old House

[@WillN2Go1]

Just butting in... If you have columns made from strips that have come apart - don't fret. I restored a column from the 1880s (on the Robert Owen Coop House in Ann Arbor Michigan). A corner of the porch had sagged due to carpenter ant damage, some how this led to one of the columns bursting apart. I was about 20 years old then, didn't know much; as part of my monthly coop chores I fixed the porch. I was surprised how easy it was to re-glue the column. I light scraped or sanded where the strips met, did a trial fitting by barely getting them together and wrapping a rope around them - they went right back together perfect circle... Okay. I mixed up some resorcinol (sp?) glue (I think the best stuff available in the 1970s) glued it back together. The task in the video is much more difficult. Thought I'd add my account just in case someone comes here looking for information and they have the situation I had.

[@gusmanthecat1]

Absolutely amazing. Professional restorers are amazing.

[@MrDbone75]

Good evening everyone from wellington Somerset in the UK

[@kountryedge]

Good evening beautiful UK, my home away from home! Have a blessed evening! From the state of Indiana

[@Peter-.H]

@David Bone: thank you for the kind words. Wishing you a good day from Montreal, Canada.👍

[@TootieProduct]

Evening from Taunton UK just down the road what a coincident!

[@AxcelGamer97]

That's some beautiful heart pine.

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

and this boys and girls is where the giant cigarettes are made 4:58

[@fadetounforgiven]

Kevin: "All right, let's start the surgery." Employee: uses chainsaw.

[@2993LP]

Rip and tear, until it is done.

[@borys444]

Such a work of art. Much better to restore then it is to replace. Really shows true craftsmanship.

[@Engineer9736]

I don’t think any difference would be visible if they just replaced the whole pole. Otherwise the new part on this salvaged pole would stand out from the old part.

[@alexmacdonald7554]

What kind of orbital sander is that and what grit pad did you use? I’m working on my columns and it’s been a pain trying to smooth out the surface.

[@00mandrew]

The craftsman is using an electric da sander. I’d work with a range of 60-120, sometimes 40 when working with wood.

[@barbaraoczachowski9333]

Can u please fix my columns in Windsor ON?

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@eduardojimenez8951]

Love it 😍

[@bigvegass]

Having to restore=guaranteed jobs

[@paulwatterson5992]

What kind of epoxy?

[@benjaminvivar7855]

For some reason I’d like a cinnamon roll.

[@verdatum]

I wonder why mahogany. Seems like a pricey wood if it's just going to be completely covered in paint.

[@d.o.t.]

Good question! The old stuff was heart pine. It's rot-resistant, dimensionally stable... and very, very hard to find big pieces of these days, since it takes decades, if not centuries, for a tree to produce an amount suitable for a project like this. Sapele is comparatively plentiful, and has *better* resistance to rot and insects.

[@verdatum]

@@d.o.t. That's very interesting. When I think Mahogany (sapele or true), I think "costly imported wood" but I suppose that there are plenty still-more expensive woods out there, including massive pieces of slow-growth heart pine. Thanks for the insight!

[@zack9912000]

"they like us to restore." means regulations there make it very expensive to replacd with new updates to the home or even dead accurate recreations.

[@PorscheCaymanB]

I'd replace them and use the old wood for another purpose. So many resources/time/money were used to "restore" the columns.

[@Engineer9736]

Rick James Conclusion?

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

Where are Jenn, Tommy and Rich? They've been missing from the uploads....

[@kountryedge]

So besides having a solid piece as the original, the homeowners chosen to have a generic piece. It isnt "original" at all, what so ever, if half of the orig. is a replacement, even moreso if the replacement itself is pieced together. Yeah, this concept is nutty.

[@philareilly]

S. Garr. Read the thought experiment “ship of theseus”. It offers up some interesting ways to look at this very example

[@kajem575]

Not only that,it's not even the same species of wood.

[@scotttovey]

Just be sure to have your side arm handy if you decide to press the matter in a face to face confrontation. Blowing up people's delusional little worlds like these historical wackos have, tend to set them off. I bet they get their egos off pushing this lie upon people and forcing them to spend more money. I think in the next American civil war, we need to pass Amend the US Constitution that makes idiocy like this illegal. I'm all for preserving past architecture as some of it is well suited for eye candy. But if they had replaced those columns with cedar, they would stand a fair chance of not needing to be redone for 100 years.

[@2pugman]

@@scotttovey In our historical portion of town, you have to get a permit to paint your front door.

[@scotttovey]

@@2pugman Do they make sure you use lead based paints to keep it historically accurate? I'm being facetious. I'm glad I seen this video and read the comments. There's no way I could live in a place being historically preserved.

[@213gixxer]

You guys never come to la I’ve put in request and no Help

[@dalesworld1308]

That column didn't need all that taken off.

[@rupe53]

dalesworld ... listen to what the guy says about why they take off a little extra and it makes perfect sense. Besides, he has 8 of these to do and it would be easier to make all the replacement parts the same.

[@OprichnikStyle]

2:46 Let me show you... ITS FEATURES

[@christophermorin9036]

You can actually purchase old Telephone poles for cheap. Just sand them down and fill any splits or holes. Then get some manufactured column feet and headers. Edit: I just searched google, and I found listings for Telephone poles for $5, Pressure treated poles being sold for $2 a foot, FREE poles for pick up, etc. It's a really good option especially if your columns were heart pine, since most telephone poles are Pine to begin with.

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

old telephone poles are treated so they dont hold paint or stain well

[@WallStreetBeggar]

@@M4st3r0fN0n3 They're also...usually really toxic to work with. Not to mention the quality of wood, cracking, splitting, etc is completely normal in utility poles. Not quite woodworking quality wood.

[@MoneyManHolmes]

Just fill in any flaws with their peanut butter substance!

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

@@MoneyManHolmes dont forget the ramen and super glue too

[@MethHeadMatt149]

"Restoring" it by using a different species of wood

[@rupe53]

chinchilla149 ... I think the point of restoring it is to use all wood in a solid column, which can't easily be bought these days. Most of what's commercially available is hollow and fiberglass.

[@charleslane2735]

What are you supposed to do if It's not able to be saved at all??🤷‍♂️

[@augustreil]

Then, do to safety and structural issues, the Historical society grants you a special permit to deviate from the original specs.

[@ManBearPig617x]

Build a time machine and get a new column

[@myronsmith2114]

You only need to save one nail. They make the rest and insert said nail totally historical

[@zack9912000]

They make you jump through massive government red tape and you have to get written approval..No on would do this nonsense if the laws didn't make it so expensive. Historical society is just another group that wants their hands greased. There are so many ways to make recreations that no one could tell the difference but they want their money.

[@rupe53]

@@zack9912000 ... in most areas the historical society is either low paid or volunteers. It's the politicians I worry about.

[@christianbernoe4590]

It didn't show checking for lead paint on the original pieces. Personally I wo how have stripped tall the pieces down to would then milled from those measurements. Just saying.

[@GhostReaper2043]

screw restoring them just replace it with a one that looks a feels like the original. I bet you probably won't be able to tell the difference.

[@augustreil]

Agree, especially if they use Mahogany, Cedar, PT for the whole piece. It would last forever.

[@zack9912000]

Worked on a number of these kind of homes and the historical society and government red tape, triples the costs of any basic repair. They want their palms greased.

[@Alex-by6hn]

Thats so unnecessary

[@dielauwen]

These guys are amateurs. Never made a mast for a boat. Find me a telephone pole. My father was a master on the lathe. He would laugh.

[@shadowblack1987]

Historical? My house in France is 600 years old lol

[@Engineer9736]

It’s not a match who has the oldest house. 200 years is historical and 600 years is historical.

[@LucaBrasi231]

No dusk mask, no covid -19 mask...This Old House use to be classy...WTF happened?

[@davidmiedema2950]

This excerpt is from season 29 episode 22 wich premeired 10 may 2018.... so no, no covid 19 mask....

[@LucaBrasi231]

@@davidmiedema2950 sure jackass nice try

[@zack9912000]

masks don't stop covid, that's been proven. Unless you are wearing N95 or better its passes right through. Covid was so over blown by the media and governments

[@UpnorthHere]

@@zack9912000 Total lies. It simply does NOT "go right through." Masks have been proven to reduce spread of airborne respiratory infections for over 100 years. The N95 standard should have been mandatory from day one -- could have saved countless lives, but the Trump administration was ridiculously slow to provide guidance, despite months of warnings.