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I’m owning up to a partial truth: this is actually Week 17 of our renovation project, but I’m moving it up to the Week 16 spot. Day trip visits are exhausting, and overnight stays have not been kind to our wallets – and we’re frustrated that the summer is slipping away without yet having the option to stay in the house. We decided to take a break and enjoyed a glorious weekend at our friend SD’s family cottage on Stoney Lake. It’s nice to be reminded what relaxed weekends can be like.

New varied-width plank ceiling (Week 17… er 16) | Gorsline House

And sometimes good things come to those who wait! 90% of the new ceiling was installed when we visited the house this weekend. The remaining boards won’t go up until the bath tub is placed and plumbing connected.

Wide plank beadboard ceiling (Week 16) | Gorsline House

We made the decision to use beadboard wainscoting in the bathrooms late, and I had already placed an order for the ceiling planks, all with an 11-inch face. On the advice of our pre-confederate curator friend RV, I made a second order for 9- and 10-inch faced planks with the same 1/4-inch bead profile to be integrated into the mix.

You would think that installing a varied-width plank ceiling would be similar to installing a floor, but because our ceiling will be painted (in keeping with tradition) the uniform colour runs the risk of exposing a repeated pattern of A, B, C, especially when seen across a room that’s 36 feet deep.

Varied Tile Pattern

I found this sample pattern online and thought the sequence would use enough of each plank size while avoiding frequent repetition. However, I assigned the white bands as A=11″, the stippled bands B=10″, and the gray bands C=9″, giving a sequence of A B A C B A C A C B A B C A C A B A C B (and repeated as necessary). The pattern forces 30% more of the 11-inch wide planks to be used, maintaining the ratio of material we had ordered. (And yes, I know I’m neurotic).

We ended up with many more boards of every width than we needed, but the pattern sequence helped to make good use of what we had on hand – and gave us the look we wanted.

Beadboard-clad stairwell (Week 16) | Gorsline House

KA let us know we had the option for either varied widths or consistent widths of board to be used in the stairwell once the ceiling was nearing completion. After pouring over the photos of the original staircase, we thought consistent widths would look closer to what was previously there.

Stairwell (Week 16) | Gorsline House

I really like the look of the bare wood, but it will all get painted out. White pine will oxidize to a deep gold colour, which goes even darker with a clear finish applied – and I’ve never been a fan of clear-coated pine. Besides, the preference for ‘bare wood’ floors is relatively new, and it’s obvious the original owners of the house made ample use of floor paint to keep the place clean.

Master Ensuite (Week 16) | Gorsline House

We asked KA to install 11″, 10″, and 9″ plank widths from the floor with a 6″ flat plank to cap off the bathroom wainscoting, but the uneven floor forced the bottom board to be cut back to keep the top edge level. So much for varied widths! Even so, the bead gives a nice detail in an otherwise cramped space, and won’t be too difficult to clean behind the bath tub.

Muntin Repair (Week 16) | Gorsline House

I know paint hides of a lot of sins but the glue on this replacement looks a bit mucky. The profile is pretty close to the surrounding muntins though I’m not sure where KA found it (I doubt if it’s the original).

Putty Repair (Week 16) | Gorsline House

Too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the soup. It looks like too many curious (or helpful) fingers have poked this glazier’s putty to the point of needing another repair.

Sorting chair rail on the front stoop (Week 16) | Gorsline House

We have been avoiding a full audit of the remaining woodwork stored in the shed, so R and I dragged all the pieces we could find back to the house. We laid everything out around the perimeter of both parlours and were thrilled to find that every bit is accounted for. One long stretch of moulding will need to be cut for the wall of the west parlour where the china cupboard was taken out, but KA thinks we could get by with portions of the baseboard moulding, which is very similar in profile.

The rail with iron wire hooks on the right was originally in the hall across from the stairs. Surprisingly it fits like a glove and will go back where it belongs. At last, some major progress again.