Restoration at Sweet Home Chicago

Hand crafted Oak Staircase
( Click on to enlarge )

Original Stained Glass Window ( right )

This staircase is the crown jewel of my American Foursquare and so it was a labor of love that I undertook to clean a century of dirt and grime from it. I didn't count the spindles as I think it would be overwhelming if I knew how many I had before me.

The color of the staircase was a dull dark brown and I used an orange based paint remover that very gently lifted the grime and revealed the warm oak color.

The spindles were the most painstaking because of all the intricate details and I had to use a toothbrush to get in all the crevices. I did go back and count how many spindles after I finished. Sixty-three. Arg--g-g-g-! It took me a month to finish. I can imagine how Michaelangelo felt after painting the Sistene chapel on his backside.

The Master Craftsman who created this work of art built it to last. After a century only one spindle was slightly lose. No fault of his I'm sure. No doubt it was my children who used to grab on to it for support when they were young.

Besides enjoying the newly restored finish that took countless hours of my time I revel in the amount of money I saved by doing it myself.