No Cover Charge
at This Strip Joint
 |
| Worker
brushes off layers of paint to a drawer. This process doesn’t
compromise the strength of the joints. |
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| Furniture
and doors lined up waiting to be dipped. |
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| Light
sanding is all that’s left to do for this door. |
By H.D. Nelson
Furniture, molding,
and door stripping have been very popular. Today there is a heightened
appreciation for quality woodworking that is rarely practiced. Those
owners with older historic homes that have a lot of exposed ornamental
woodworking and molding want to preserve this historical beauty. When
the layers of paint have accumulated to where you barely notice the
fluting in a door molding, it’s time to have the wood stripped
of its multiple layers of paint, stains, or lacquers. For do-it-yourselfers,
this is a tedious and sometimes hazardous job. It is better to let
a professional do it.
If however you’ve
been looking for a professional wood stripper, you have probably had
difficulty in locating one. Your search is over: Houck’s Process
of Portland has been around since 1979, and is now the only EPA-approved
stripping company in this area. The owner, Ron Bauer, has a secret
formula that satisfies all of the strict DEQ requirements as wood
stripping can be caustic. Ron has just opened a new 3,000 square foot
shop.
Most of Ron’s
work includes doors, moldings, furniture, and windows. Ron recommends
not to remove glass from pieces that you’re going to have stripped.
He can accommodate pieces as big as 8’x5’ and long pieces
of molding up to 12’ in length. Along with his employees, he
is busy taking old woodworks and revealing the hidden beauty in each.
His shop is able to complete the work necessary in 1 to 2 weeks. All
of the wood stripping is done at his location.
Ron is well respected
in the business, and has done work for Portland City Hall, the old
Federal Building, the Federal Building in Medford, countless residential
pieces and jobs as far away as Colorado. Ron’s process doesn’t
interfere with the glues in joints; it removes only the outer covering.
Ron’s secret formula is less flammable than the old volatile
stripping agents.
Do-it-yourselfers
have to be careful in using over-the-counter wood strippers. They
are difficult to work with, messy, and don’t perform like a professional
stripping operation. Often times, you can end up ruining your wood
with water when it gets in the joints and the wood cracks as it dries
out. Also you don’t know if you are removing lead-based paint
when you do the work yourself, which can be a hazard to your health.
The cleanup and disposal of old material that is stripped off can
also be a hazard to the environment. These are reasons why it is best
to leave this job to the professional. Although when removing windows
and doors take care to clean up all the paint chips. They could contain
lead if your house was built before the ’70s.
Ron’s process
is completely safe. There is no after-gassing of fumes when the wood
is returned to owners. The only time Ron hasn’t been able to
strip a coating off of wood is when he runs into a rock hard lacquer
put on some Malaysian furniture. Ron doesn’t even want to guess
what the ingredients of that are! Any type of wood can be successfully
stripped through Ron’s process. But, don’t bring in particle
board — it swells up and fails to respond to the treatment.
One of Ron’s
most unusual jobs was stripping the doors and woodworking at the old
U.S. Post Office in downtown Portland. The pieces were large and the
pigeon holes for mail presented unique challenges. But Ron’s
process was up to the task and the woodworking turned out to be beautiful.
(Now, if only the U.S. government would leave the old Post Office
intact and drop the plans to close it to the public.)
Kudos to Ron for
doing his part to reclaim parts of American history reflected in the
woodworking that graces historic buildings and homes. This type of
woodworking is no longer a part of the typical architectural options
and is costly to replicate. Through Ron’s work, we are able to
enjoy these beautiful architectural and aesthetic details.
Houck’s
Process of Portland is located at 2712 SE Steele. Hours of operation
are Tuesday- Friday 10am-5:30pm, Saturday 10am-4pm. Call for directions
to the location 503-232-5151. |
