A Crown On The Mantel

 9 March 2021

Done! Amy did some color matching and painted the repaired crown with two colors. We actually tried to make it look unrestored, which meant intentional blemishes in the finish. A coat of shellac will go on when we're ready to complete the finish on the whole mantel.

The crowns were originally nailed into the wood shelf above them. I did the same, carefully predrilling a hole for the nail to pass through so as not to crack the old or new plaster.

Now I just have to fabricate two new corbels to go under the main mantel shelf and it will be ready for Amy to do the finishing.

We're also making progress on the area for our new storage building. We've been removing the larger trees, roots and all, by digging a hole next to the tree and then using gravity to help us push the tree over. This is the largest one, a 60 foot pecan tree that has been here since the property was a working gentlemen's farm. There are at least 6 other pecan trees still here, so we don't feel too bad about losing this one.