Restoration turns to Preservation

This past month we have been pressing forward with the preservation of the wood fixtures on the roof.

It is incredible how quickly water can wreak havoc once it finds its way through the paint. To effectively repair the rot and paint damage, the scope of work has been narrowed to one straight run of the balustrade at a time. Generally, opening up only as much as you can complete in a reasonably short window of time is a good practice. This last month our focus was on the exterior balustrade on the east side of the north portico. We prioritized this section due to the great extent of paint peeling and wood rot. If you stopped by recently, you saw the scaffold tower, which doubled as additional shade to the benches for those waiting on their house tour. Being able to work off the scaffold meant that both hands could be used to make the repairs and provide a staging area for tools and supplies.

The greatest challenge wasn’t the repair itself, but rather the unrelenting heat that proved to be the impediment. No matter! In the end, the wood rot has been cleaned out and restored with fresh wood and a thorough application of paint. The scaffolding was disassembled and will most likely not make another appearance until this fall when the heat begins to wane.

To see more of the work that is being performed by the Poplar Forest Restoration team, follow us on Instagram @poplarforest_restoration.