moose
like some cat from Japan
Is Valspar any good? Dulux seems to have gone to shit lately.
Show us yer house and house-related meddlings
- Thread starter mauvais
- Start date
mauvais
on reddit or something
We've used Valspar, usually the trade one, and it's been fine, both for colour and white.
The last paint we got was Farrow and Ball and the painter was pleased with it, said it was much better than when they'd used it in the past. Previously we got F&B matched by Valspar.
The last paint we got was Farrow and Ball and the painter was pleased with it, said it was much better than when they'd used it in the past. Previously we got F&B matched by Valspar.
Aladdin
Well-Known Member
Cloo
Banana for scale
I am hoping the really good tiler we used a few years ago, who lives just round the corner, is still about (I wouldn't blame him if he's returned to his native Hungary!) - I'm inclined to ask him to look at the tile and the fireplace and suggest how he thinks it might work best. It's a bit awkard as they are big tiles (20cm), and either side of the grate is 18cm, and to get it even you'd need, I think 4cm of tile, then 14cm of tile on each side and I don't know if that might look a bit shonky, so I'd value his opinion on it.
Sugar Kane - the house was built circa 1911, I guess it's possible someone bought it an older surround for the front room at some point. I can't remember what our neighbours have in their front rooms.
mauvais
on reddit or something
FWIW I think it could well be Edwardian, they sometimes had quite dominant but simple stuff like that and I've seen similar in exploring styles for our own Edwardian house, albeit usually in wood. However I'm not an expert. Ours are all cast iron and a bit art nouveau in places but I can't be sure they're original either.
Aladdin
Well-Known Member
Ah..ok... I am only going on the shape and corbel or what appears to be a corbel.
I'm only looking at it on my phone.
Cloo
Banana for scale
I think the patterns on it aren't that clear in the photo, but they do look quite 'nouveau' to me, which is what makes me think it's 1910s.
Aladdin
Well-Known Member
That was an aesthetic also commonly used in Mid to late Victorian pieces. That etched design...often floral.
It also has a look of black fossil marble...but I could be wrong.
The 3 circles on top of each plinth are something that carried into Edwardian pieces for sure.. the flattened corbel effect too.
I guess its something that if you dont like it you could sell it on.
Looby
Well-Known Member
We did F&B in our bedroom. Mr Looby was horrified at the cost until he started painting. He said it was amazing to use and it still looks brilliant. Except for by my side of the bed where the wall has various hair products sprayed all over it.
mauvais
on reddit or something
The fireplaces are worth a lot of money but we had something a bit like this, big brown marble thing - wasn't original, it was nicked from a pub and meddled with, so probably went in in big pieces. Despite best intentions and a friend who wanted it, it came out in very small pieces and mostly went in a skip.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
I found it quite sticky compared to Dulux, which I much prefer to be honest. It took three coats in the living room but it does look nice. Only downside so far is that it tends to chip quite easily if you're not careful.
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equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
Definitely agree the patterns look nouveau. I wonder if someone put those designs on an existing fireplace left over from an older job. Be interesting to see what your neighbours have.
Aladdin
Well-Known Member
Art nouveau was from late Victorian period 1890 up to 1910 ish. So it could be that the etched decoration was put on at that time.
Or perhaps as happens even now, someone liked an older style.
It's an interesting fireplace either way...with a story to tell
Aladdin
Well-Known Member
I wouldnt describe the etched bit as either art nouveau or art deco. It's rather an inbetween style?
It could even have been etched years after it was made. People did all sorts of things to update styles.
But as the house is 1911 then the fireplace was probably installed around then. It doesnt mean the fireplace was made in 1911 though. Older stock was commonly used. It could have been a bit older...and "updated" with some etched design.
It's a nice fireplace. With probably no damage. Should look good with tiled insert.
Here is a late19th century style quite similar...pillar shape & corbel plus dots.
Styles were fluid enough and people used what they had.
Upstyled...Just as people nowadays recycle older things .. people in 1910 also did that.
Anyhoo...I will shut up now. Sorry Cloo for derailing...
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teuchter
je suis teuchter
I would call the etched parts Art Deco because they are geometric and symmetrical. No organic elements or complex fluid curves. You see that kind of decorative linework in stuff from the 20s and 30s. Maybe it could have been added to an earlier fire surround, but what you are calling the flattened corbels, it's hard to see exactly from the photo but they look like they are made from semicircular profiles; it's an abstracted version of the kind of thing seen in your Victorian example and again that kind of geometrical stuff to me is very much 20s and 30s.
You got me looking for examples of that kind of linework though. I expect it has a name, which would make it more google-able, but I'm not an expert in this stuff. Interestingly, googling 1920s design or Art Deco linework brings up loads of examples of that kind of thing but it's nearly all modern "art deco style" vector art galleries and so on (like below). Makes me wonder if we've come to see it as emblematic of that era when in fact it wasn't so much in reality. Maybe someone reading this will know more.
You got me looking for examples of that kind of linework though. I expect it has a name, which would make it more google-able, but I'm not an expert in this stuff. Interestingly, googling 1920s design or Art Deco linework brings up loads of examples of that kind of thing but it's nearly all modern "art deco style" vector art galleries and so on (like below). Makes me wonder if we've come to see it as emblematic of that era when in fact it wasn't so much in reality. Maybe someone reading this will know more.
platinumsage
HaveMyPassword123
We had tiles like that in our original 1938 fireplace. Not saying yours aren't older though.
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Aladdin
Well-Known Member
Yep its a rabbit hole alright.
This was why I was saying nothing was a tight timeline.
See this?
Mid Victorian fireplace with an etched design.
That would be something done around 1880 to 1890 ish?
It is really interesting how popular designs carried on with ordinary people.
The ultra stylish and wealthy could afford new styles but most people were making do and restyling what they had or just liked older styles... bit like now.
Eta.
Etched detail from another Victorian fireplace. This one is slate.
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Aladdin
Well-Known Member
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Those tiles are everywhere!
post a picture of your front room
I'm like a kid in a sweet shop looking at this thread. I'm judging you all.
www.urban75.net
Cloo
Banana for scale
Lovely - we need to do something about our frontage - we're thinking of getting a repaint while scaff is up for extension if we can afford it as paintwork has gone to shit and we are the scraggiest looking house in our row. Currently red painted over brick - two doors down have had a nice blue/grey done recently and gsv's keen on something like that.
Re loft extension I've had an email back for a potential builder (general builder rather than loft specialist) that family from son's school recommended, so will be interested to compare them on price. Will speak to school family if we might consider them - see if they're still happy with the work a year on!
Re loft extension I've had an email back for a potential builder (general builder rather than loft specialist) that family from son's school recommended, so will be interested to compare them on price. Will speak to school family if we might consider them - see if they're still happy with the work a year on!
