The Grand Staircase Plan: Consistently Inconsistent

I have a bit of a fun (for me) update this week. Preservation and restoration are often a whole lot of hurry up and wait. It’s a game of plan and pivot on repeat. That is certainly the case between last week and now.

Before I wrote last week’s post, I had exhausted all possibilities of finding a Dip N’ Strip in the state of New York. First, that name cracks me up. If you’re unfamiliar, dipping to strip is a method of stripping old paint and finish off wood or metal. The pieces are dipped in a vat of chemical stripper, and they come out ready-ish for refinishing. It is a very aggressive method of stripping wood, but it can be useful in certain situations, like ornate balusters that have a ton of little nooks and crannies.

The state of New York has declared the process an environmental hazard, and I do not necessarily disagree with them. I believe that the main issue is with the disposal of the used chemicals. Several dip and strip businesses in New York managed to hang on until the last minute by following stringent EPA guidelines, but after some time, even that wasn’t enough. Now the service is no longer offered on the up-and-up. Believe me, I climbed every mountain, forded every stream. I even followed a rainbow or two, but none led me to my dream.

Then, I had a lightbulb moment. Last week, a regular reader Vanessa (shout out to you, Vanessa!), mentioned dip and strip again, and it jolted me back to life. It occurred to me that there are other states in the USA, and I live within easy driving distance of some of them. Enter Pennsylvania from stage left.

A little Googling led me to a Dip N’ Strip in Pittsburgh, and away we go. I will be taking 20+ balusters on a road trip to Pittsburgh on March 12.

While the balusters are away for their spa treatment, my friend, Dale, will come over to help me with some regularity. I talked about how that came about on this week’s episode of True Tales From Old Houses. Two people can work so much faster than one.

This week, Dale and I will photograph, detach, and label the balusters carefully. Then, we will work on removing the paint mess from the handrail and newel post.

In the next few weeks, I will strip the Greek key accents and scrape the side panels.

I cannot promise that the plan won’t change again, but that’s how old house projects roll. It’s all about problem-solving and embracing consistent inconsistency.

Thank you for following along.