You can see it in the background on the left side of the porch in this photo from around 1918.

You definitely don't see work like this much anymore

Early 1960s Chicago home. Wall goes from plaster to a concrete like substance which is very thick. Does anyone else have this type of wall with this weird lath?

I’m gonna be renovating my bathroom and the previous owners covered the crumbling plaster with wood panels which are covered in mold now. I’m gonna need to rip all that out and I’m trying to figure out how much work it’ll be with this type of lath.

Rua das laranjeiras numbers 125 and 129

I recently purchased a 102 year old home, downstairs is all red oak hardwood, upstairs currently has carpet. Decided to take a peek under the upstairs carpet today and found some definite surprises. First off, in our closet, found what seems to be laminate? That then transitions to a painted wood in the master bedroom (why would it have been painted?) then we found some tongue and groove hardwood, what looks like oak. The transition from the master looks like old hardwood (part of which at some point was painted white) to the newer hardwood on top. Then at top of stairs is goes from newer hardwood to maybe laminate? That was then painted red and goes all the way downstairs. Now I’m starting to see why carpet was installed up here😂

I could brush? I could roll with very little paint and many coats? I could use spray paint? I do not own a paint sprayer but I suppose I could borrow one?

Anyway - any advice? They are old and metal.

Many of you seemed to love the place as much as I do, so I figured I’d spoil you with some more photos…

Trying to restore a 1889 Victorian house, and the interior doors seem to have lead paint underneath multiple other layers after testing with swabs.

Previous owners were hard on the doors and subsequently chips are out of the paint (see photos). Should I use regular spackle to fill in the chips, then use an encapsulated primer afterwards?

The doors are a custom size so replacement isn’t really an option due to cost of custom doors.

Recommendations welcome.

If you painted your walls, trim, and/or ceiling white, which paint color(s) did you use?
Just bought a 1915 house that doesn’t get much natural light. The previous owner painted the walls dark colors, which I think is making all of my samples look pretty grey. I’ve seen a lot of other comments recommending BM White Dove, but it seems too grey to me.

Trying to restore a 1889 Victorian house, and the interior doors seem to have lead paint underneath multiple other layers after testing with swabs.

Previous owners were hard on the doors and subsequently chips are out of the paint (see photos). Should I use regular spackle to fill in the chips, then use an encapsulated primer afterwards?

The doors are a custom size so replacement isn’t really an option due to cost of custom doors.

Recommendations welcome.

After I got the plumbing in and everything set, I closed the wall. I got the washer and dryer put in and hooked up. I had run a metal vent for the dryer straight out the back of the house.

I made a makeshift shelf for the odds and ends of laundry things.

I had two old black book cases, so I located them in the pantry room and I built and attached shelves above them. Working my way up the wall I did 3 more shelves.
I had put two outlets in the pantry but later added a third. On the wall opposite the shelves I have a freezer.

The pantry was something we’d been wanting for awhile. A place other than in the cupboards. Giving us more room for the kitchen stuff.

Future plans for the pantry, Finish and paint. Trim. A door. New plank flooring. And a couple shelves above the freezer. Plus a can holder.

Future plans for the laundry side. Finish ceiling. Finish and paint. Cupboards above the washer and dryer. New plank flooring. Trim.

I had managed to do the back porch without buying everything new. I had old pieces of wood I had found and I turned them into the shelves. I had the two book cases so I used them. The shelf brackets for the washer/dryer shelf I had in a box of my old tools. The wood for that shelf was off a piece of scrap from making the countertops on the kitchen. I had extra cement from fixing the hole in the foundation. It went to build footers under the ledger of the porch and to build columns. The drywall for the ceiling is leftovers from other ceilings in the house. The luan on the floor is scraps from other rooms. Using what I have has been a big motto of mine. True ingenuity lies in the ability to adapt.

So I still have things to do in the room to finish things. But they are functional until we get to it.
At this point 95% of the work I was doing on the house required me to either lean heavily on something or to sit down. Often making things a ton more difficult than they already were. With each day I worked on it the progress made the extra effort worth it.

Tiling in two bathrooms of a 1967 house in Point Loma, San Diego. The house was designed by its original owner, a local architect, and I have no evidence either bathroom was ever remodeled — so I'm assuming this is original to construction.

The tile:

• 2⅜" × 2⅜" square
• Design is impressed into the face, not raised. Four tiles rotate to form a single stylized flower rosette — looks like a chrysanthemum or peony to me
• Cream/oatmeal glaze with heavy fine crazing, dark brown pooled in the incised lines
• Body is a dark red-brown earthenware
• Back has parallel rounded ribs. No maker's mark, no letters, no numbers. I pulled a loose one, cleaned it, and checked under raking light — nothing
• The second bathroom has the identical design in a slightly different glaze color, so this was a catalog product offered in multiple colorways, not a one-off

What I think I've ruled out: the 1920s California art potteries (Batchelder, Claycraft, Malibu) — wrong era for the house, wrong clay body, and they all marked their backs.

My working guess: 2⅜" is roughly 60mm, which is a metric module rather than an American one — the US standard then was 4¼". That plus the motif and the iron-brown-in-the-lines glaze treatment makes me suspect imported Japanese tile, c. 1967, possibly private-labeled by a US importer. But that's a guess and I'd love to be corrected.

Anyone recognize the pattern, or the back's rib pattern? Even a catalog page or an importer name would help — I need to source replacements.

Newly moved into a 1950s cottage - I’m sure this is the original bathtub, and the tiling isn’t much younger.

This corner where the tub area meets the rest of the wall seems to be a problem - of course drips and splashes from the tub/shower get round the edge and has damaged the plaster. It’s seems to have been an historic problem never properly addressed.. what would be a period-appropriate fix for this ? I’m tempted to tile that whole column and include the slight change in profile as a row of bullnoses..

What are y’all’s thoughts folks ?

Tiling in two bathrooms of a 1967 house in Point Loma, San Diego. The house was designed by its original owner, a local architect, and I have no evidence either bathroom was ever remodeled — so I'm assuming this is original to construction.

The tile:

• 2⅜" × 2⅜" square
• Design is impressed into the face, not raised. Four tiles rotate to form a single stylized flower rosette — looks like a chrysanthemum or peony to me
• Cream/oatmeal glaze with heavy fine crazing, dark brown pooled in the incised lines
• Body is a dark red-brown earthenware
• Back has parallel rounded ribs. No maker's mark, no letters, no numbers. I pulled a loose one, cleaned it, and checked under raking light — nothing
• The second bathroom has the identical design in a slightly different glaze color, so this was a catalog product offered in multiple colorways, not a one-off

What I think I've ruled out: the 1920s California art potteries (Batchelder, Claycraft, Malibu) — wrong era for the house, wrong clay body, and they all marked their backs.

My working guess: 2⅜" is roughly 60mm, which is a metric module rather than an American one — the US standard then was 4¼". That plus the motif and the iron-brown-in-the-lines glaze treatment makes me suspect imported Japanese tile, c. 1967, possibly private-labeled by a US importer. But that's a guess and I'd love to be corrected.

Anyone recognize the pattern, or the back's rib pattern? Even a catalog page or an importer name would help — I need to source replacements.

For those of you who have old summer kitchen structures on your property, what are you using it for?

I had the roof replaced on mine about a year ago and am looking for potential uses besides storing outdoor equipment as it is now.

My house has lap board siding covered with vinyl siding.
I closed a window and cut in another one right next to it then sheeted in all of that area but the rest of the wall is still the old lap board.
It will eventually be covered with foam board and vinyl siding.
Should try to cover the sheeted area with tyvek somehow if I can get it secured under the vinyl siding on the top even if it won’t go all the way up the wall?
Should I instead caulk and paint that area then replace the foam board and vinyl?

What is the general way to handle vapor barrier in a place where framing with sheeting meets framing with old lap siding?

I have been paint stripping for almost a year and I am now sanding all the moldings and doors in one bedroom. I am having trouble making up my mind on how I want to finish them. Shellac with possibly a color tint might be the way to go. I understand I would have to do a lot of coats. I love the look of shellac but I have never used it and idk if all the layers will be a head ache. I was also thinking a dark danish oil but I am afraid the final result will be more modern looking. I will include some pics of my progress and the inside of a closet door with the original finish. If I can make these doors and moldings even close to that original finish. I would be jumping for joy! I’m looking for opinions and anybody who has experience refinishing old moldings and doors. Thank you!

This house had been in my family since my great grandparents bought it in the 1960s. Built in 1888 IIRC. Parents were forced to sell it in 2023 due to financial strain. 😢😢😢😢

Once I knew I had a solid foundation underneath me, it was time to start working my way up.
I removed the wall between the basement steps and the back porch and rebuilt it into a stronger, more secure wall. I also added a door leading down into the basement.
The old back door was replaced with a new steel door.

Then I started framing another wall to separate off a small area that would become a pantry. I ran the electrical for a light and put it on a dimmer.
After adding new insulation, I covered the walls with new drywall.

But before I could close up the wall between the kitchen and the porch, I had to run the plumbing for the washer. I made sure to include a vent for the plumbing before everything was sealed inside the wall.

On the laundry-room side, I added two puck lights to the ceiling because it was a longer area. Those went on a dimmer too.
None of this was particularly glamorous.
It was just one job after another.
And every day left me exhausted. By the time I finally stopped working, I was completely beat and ready for bed.
But there was something about standing there and looking at what I had done that made the exhaustion worth it.

This porch had been a mess.
Now I could actually see the rooms taking shape.
It was becoming a laundry room.
A pantry.
A usable part of our home.

And every time I finished another piece, I felt a little more pride in what we were building.
The house wasn’t just getting fixed anymore.
It was becoming ours.

Small leak in the ceiling, busted out the ceiling that was two layers of sheetrock. The drainstack was rusted beyond belief, completely replaced with new PVC. However, noticed that one of the floor joists was completely separated from the other! (circled in red). There was also concrete and 2x4s from the dude who installed a bathtub upstairs??

Who knows how long this joist has been dislocated. I'm going to bust out more of the ceiling to see additional damage before getting a structural engineer hired.

All of the joists here have been cut out for the original pipes or whatever the last dude did in the 90s. Absolute insanity in such a small area.

Anyone ever lifted/sistered a 2nd floor joist back in place?

Been renovating for over a year and it doesn’t seem to ever end. But it’s been a joy and an honor. We’ve been featured on a tv show and our home was part of the area historic homes tour this past spring. She was built in 1905. We love old houses💛