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Dutchman Inlay, or line cut with a knife? Answer- it was an inlay to close a former sconce cutout in a solid birch pilaster, the round sconce outline is visible in the top photo. Higher resolution photo available on request................... Continue
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Restoration of damaged woodwork, worn off or damaged finishes, reconfiguration of paneling to accommodate modern HVAC systems, removal of paneling for insulating beneath, movement of light fixtures, there are many reasons to restore woodwork. Our craftsmen inlay Dutchmen matching the species, cut, and graining pattern of the original woodwork, re-carving damaged moldings, panels, and carvings. Stripping of deteriorated, oxidizing, or lifting 20th century finishes, and refinishing by French Polishing, or modern finishes, or oil and wax, as needed. Touch-up by European fine artists renders damages invisible. Restoration of existing finishes, to maintain the patina. Selective removal of black or gray moisture-induced bacterial discoloration ("weathering") are some of the available treatments. .................... Continue
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Olek restores, or fabricates to match original doors and windows, spanning period styles including Medieval, Gothic, Georgian, Federal, Victorian, and modern. Ornate arched, carved mullions and flamboyant Gothic tracery are a routine part of our fabrication. Surveying for rotten, soft wood is critical. We are more conservative about the use of epoxy, it is generally promoting further rot and deterioration of the windows in a surprisingly short time. Proper restoration techniques relying on the use of matching wood for Dutchman inlays to replace soft (rotten) wood results in a restoration lasting 30-50 years or more...............Continue
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Olek restores and fabricates/replicates to match all styles of doors. The use of solid lumber and mortise-and-tenon joinery, rather than stave core construction with 1/8" veneer and coped and doweled joints increases the useful life from at most decades, to centuries. Ornate arched carved mullions, Gothic flamboyant tracery muntins, authentic antique period salvaged glass in larger sizes than are made today, leaded glass lites, and thick custom bronze kickplates with beveled edges, are frequently a part of our doors. Our clients include colleges, restaurants, historic landmark buildings, landmark residences, and museums. Any size or thickness, we carefully select lumber to remain straight and true, and finishes to last ....................Continue
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Whether you are restoring a damaged parquetry border in an ornate Victorian floor, refinishing a floor in a NY restaurant that can't afford to be shut down, or fabricating a new custom wide board knotty cherry or walnut floor, or machining old timbers or sheathing into exquisite flooring, we restore or create floors with character..................... Continue
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Preservation of building exteriors' woodwork may require use of old lumber, or lumber specially selected for natural rot resistance (without questionably safe preservatives), including antique salvaged pine, white oak, cedar, walnut, black locust, or salvaged chestnut (all better than mahogany). Plywood of all types is shunned. Replicating original joinery and construction techniques including mortise-and-tenon or hewn. Dutchman inlays are chiseled into rotten siding, sills, plates, and joists. Ornamental moldings and trim are replicated in kind. We restore and replace cedar shake roofing and shingle siding..................Continue
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Various decorative finish techniques have been used on furniture, woodwork, plaster, and the range of decorative objects. Decorative finishes are as old as furniture and homes. Although faux finishes, such as faux marbre (marble) and faux bois (wood) were once developed as inexpensive substitutes for the original, with the disappearance of fine artistic craftsmanship, such decorative finishing techniques often command a premium relative to the real stone or wood. But the techniques do allow finishing of other medium such as plaster, or masonry, where wood or marble might not be possible.................... Continue
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Various decorative finish techniques have been used on furniture, woodwork, plaster, and the range of decorative objects. Decorative finishes are as old as furniture and homes. Although faux finishes, such as faux marbre (marble) and faux bois (wood) were once developed as inexpensive substitutes for the original, with the disappearance of fine artistic craftsmanship, such decorative finishing techniques often command a premium relative to the real stone or wood. But the techniques do allow finishing of other medium such as plaster, or masonry, where wood or marble might not be possible.................... Continue
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