STRIP AND CLEAN

The old windows were covered with over a century’s worth of crusty and peeling paint, and so the first step was to strip them down to the poplar wood beneath. John Nalewaja used Citristrip, a nontoxic citrus stripper, then gently sanded with 100-grit paper in the direction of the grain. The poplar was treated with Daly’s Benite wood conditioner to better control penetration of the oil-based primer that came next. The dry primer was lightly sanded with 220-grit paper.

GRAIN AND FINISH

To match the door to the room’s original cherry trim, Nalewaja faux-grained the wood. Glass panes were taped off, then a base coat of Benjamin Moore’s ‘Dark Mustard’ semi-gloss was applied, allowed to dry, and lightly sanded. Next, Moore’s ‘Tobacco Brown’ was combed over the base with a graining tool. The result is a warm, chocolatey color with red highlights, mimicking the cherry. One coat of semi-gloss varnish was added to seal and protect the grained finish.

The glazing was in good shape, so the glass panes were simply cleaned and reputtied so they wouldn’t rattle.

BUILD WALL POCKETS

Plywood walls were built to create the guest bedroom, with soffits to hang I-beams and the sliding track system. Wheels were attached to the beams, and the doors hung on the overhead tracks. Then the finished walls were papered to match the rest of the space.

The pocket doors have been outfitted with reproduction brass hardware.