Monday, January 16, 2012

That thing in the basement

When we moved into the house there was this giant metal thing in the basement and we had no idea what it was. After a week or so we realized it was a divider that went by the front door. Apparently it was taken out when the floors were redone.

For a while now we have been thinking about putting it back up or possibly using it somewhere else in the house. Today we decided to prop it up next to the front doors and see how it looked.







We like the look at lot. What do you think? Unfortunately the divider is filthy so it will need to be sanded down and repainted. This brings us to our next question, what color should we paint it? The color it is now isn't half bad but you can tell it used to be black at one point too. Would that make it seem too obtrusive if it was that dark?

End of line.

17 comments:

  1. Oh man I'm totally jealous of that. I think you're right, I'd paint it the same color as your trim around the door.

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  2. I think it looks fantastic! I vote for a lighter color so it stands out. It's too good to fade into the background. I'd love to find something like that for the house we want to build someday...

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  3. Awesome! That divider is amazing. I've contemplated putting one in the house but wasn't sure how it would work with the flow of the room.

    As for color, black could be a bit dark. But maybe a gray or light blue would be nice?

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  4. How cool! It would make a great headboard, but it looks GREAT beside the door. My advice would be to paint it metallic Silver. that way it gives it a modern "pop" :)

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  5. What a great thing to find in the basement! I'd definitely use it, and I'd paint it a light accent color or a shade or two darker than the color you used on your walls. I agree with everyone else that black is too dark.

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  6. Wow! Looks great right where it is. Personally, I'd paint it an antiqued gold.

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  7. It's gorgeous. So very jealous Can you just polish it up? Assuming it matches the rest of the hardware and/or window sash in your main floor spaces? Lee Valley has a metal polisher that is amazing. Or get it re-dipped at a car part rechroming shop (I'm certain that's not the technical name).

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  8. Very cool find, I would vote for painting it matte black, but I'm personally just in a everything metal should be matte black phase.

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    1. I am in that same phase too. Jenn Ski has a great divider in her house that is flat black. I recently saw a picture of it and that is what made me pull this out to see what it looks like.

      http://jennskistudio.blogspot.com/2012/01/diy-floating-shelves-part-4.html

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    2. My divider was originally a brass color, then it was painted white, and then another person painted it black.

      I think black will probably looks best for this one.

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  9. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I am kinda leaning towards a darker color but I am still unsure. I will most likely take better pictures and change the color in photoshop before I paint it. I will be sure to post those when I get them done.

    Cleaning it is going to suck but it is much needed. It has been painted way to many times and it has a little bit of rust on it. I may see about sandblasting it but having it acid dipped is not a bad idea either. Sandblasting will be much cheaper though. Once it is cleaned I will need to have the top legs extended since it use to be mounted to the beam right above the door. I obviously can't do that now since we have proper double doors unlike before.

    I will make sure to keep everyone posted about the progress though. Thanks again for all the feedback.

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  10. It was white when I lived in the house but looks like it's had a rough few years. The white was cool because it would pick up the ambient light at night and sorta glow.

    I have similar fretwork screens in my current house that are white and matching railings that are black. The white definitely becomes a statement where as the black recedes. You can see both in this pic.
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1288710420234&set=a.1084298550065.2014283.1304419111&type=3&theater

    Whatever you decide, it's great that you are reviving it to it's former glory!

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  11. I think gold or white would look great, though if it were me I'd be tempted to go really bold and paint it a bright yellow or turquoise or even hot pink.

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  12. That's a marvelous piece -- would cost you a bundle to try and replace (hello, Reddi-Screens.)

    Whatever color you select, prepping the surface is key so go with the best method. I'm with others suggesting a metallic gold. You could go from brassy to bronze-y for a tone that would look good for years, even with color changes in your decor.

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  13. I love this thing! What a really cool find - I think I need to go down in my basement and just stand there until something really awesome shows up!
    About the color - so many great ideas. I would probably go for dark like the door frame, but not black - maybe a dark, dark brown, or better yet, a dark charcoal gray. Love it!

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  14. this is really cool...chanced on ur blog while looking for information about northcrest....you guuys hve a wonderful home..:)

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