Guirey House gets Restored using Glass Media Blasting
By Alison King
Fans of
Fred Guirey FAIA's
House on Missouri that we toured in 2009 were horrified when MLS photos emerged revealing that the home's interim owner in 2010 painted over nearly every inch of the interior wood with white paint, including all the cabinetry and the hand-painted mural in the master bedroom. Only a few wood surfaces were left untouched. The damage was extensive and some speculated even irreversible. Shortly after altering the character of the home forever, they offered the home up for sale. Below are some Before and Afters showing the extent of alteration.
The ledges of the sandstone hearth had been used to display candles, which left a waxy dark residue on the stone during that short time.
Those of you
who toured the home in 2009 probably can't forget just how extensive and beautiful the original wood was. It was in fine condition before it was painted, but the interim owner knew exactly what they wanted: a Cape Cod look and feel. Why someone purchased an iconic modern home and tried to transform it into a shabby-chic Cape Cod was positively baffling to the design community. You can't turn back the clock, but you can turn a corner.
The Guirey House has since found a new owner, who has taken on the task of undoing the damage. I had the chance to visit to check on the progress.
These photos were taken partway through the rehabilitation. Several blasting media mixes were tested to get the gentlest and most effective result possible, but as you can see the white paint has stubbornly crept deep into knots and grooves. The final blasting media used turned out to be a blend of ground glass, which efficiently removed the majority of paint that would have otherwise plugged up sandpaper.
The crew finished with 120 grit to smooth the texture and top the knots. Then they hand scraped the grooves with a pull tool and sanded to remove the remnants of the white. It took about 5 days to finish the detail necessary to remove all trace of paint.
When we see the final result I'll let you know!
Roland Maier of Sterling Sodablasting headed up this phase of the rehabilitation. The end result is yet to be unveiled, but you can call him at 602 576 2044
to consult on your next tough but tender blasting job.