Vintage Door Casing Question

[Joe Unni]

Hey all!

Here's the project at hand...

1927 two family in a suburb of Boston.
Homeowners wish to have door casings restored to what they may have been in 1927. It appears that the casings may have been replaced during the 1950's sometime and (per their designer friend) don't go with the 8" base/cap which doesn't appear to have been replaced.

Not being a casing profile expert, I'm wondering if you can point me in the right direction as to what type of profiles were created in the late 1920's and/or sources for this type of millwork. They're open to stock casing as well as custom milled. The current casing is 4 1/4" wide. They'd like to keep that same width as they don't wish to incur the cost of replacing the base. Another piece of info that might be helpful...they're stripping paint from all of the base and would like to have the casing match the base (wood and color) as closely as possible. Southern yellow pine seems to be the common underlying wood throughout the house. They will be staining everything.

I hope this is clear enough. Let me know if not.

Any info you could provide would be very helpful.

Thanks,
-joe

[Mike Cutler]

Joe. Is there any way to get a picture of what is currently installed at the base?

What is the style of the house and the neighborhood? What area of Boston is it in? This would be a big help.
While a 1927 house may be old in a lot of areas, it would be a fairly new house in some parts of Boston, and the surrounding area
Boston has a number of historical socities, one of them may be able to help you.
Williams and Hussey is a company that manufactures Moulding machines, John Miliunas restored one a year or two ago. They are also a tremendous resource for period moulding, and stock hundreds of profile cutters of period moulding that is no longer avaiable. If it turns out that they have the cutters you need, maybe John would run the moulding for you if you sent him the cutters.
I live in a Bungalo style cape, built in 1921.One of the fun parts has been renovating it. One of the not so fun parts has been renovating it. There are no instant solutions for me at Home Depot, nothing is built to modern dimensions. Everything has to be a "one off" project.
Have fun. post back and we'll try to help out a little more.

[Chris Rosenberger]

Joe,
Have they checked the attic & basement for a piece of the original casing?
Many times I have found old molding laying between floor & ceiling joists.
Also look on the inside of closet doors.

[Mac McAtee]

Joe,
Have they checked the attic & basement for a piece of the original casing?
Many times I have found old molding laying between floor & ceiling joists.
Also look on the inside of closet doors.

You might check on the inside of closet or storage room doors, if there are any closets or storage rooms. Perhaps they didn't change the molding that couldn't be seen from public areas.

[Keith Cope]

You might also check with architectural salvage companies in your area.

[Joe Unni]

Thanks for all the responses. It looks like I'll be getting with the homeowner to have them check the closets. Great idea!!


Cheers,
-joe

[Wes Bischel]

Joe,

I'm not sure about the Boston area, but other places I've lived if the trim was pine it was meant to be painted - and installed accordingly even in the old days. Hopefully your clients won't find any surprises under the paint.

Checking the other areas of the home is a great tip. I was able add closets and such when we gutted the upstairs of our house and by using additional trim from the basement. If nothing else, it will give them an idea of what the trim profile was. Also, sometimes you can find ghost images on the floors under the "new" trim and other areas the trim may have been terminated.

Good luck,
Wes