Intersection Perfection
As my friend, Glen pointed out when I first scored my home, "Those sliders with the front patio are everything!" and it's true. The amount of light that comes through the corner sliding doors in the living room really open up the space, and the cross-breeze created from the doors being open keep the house cool and comfortable. The Blomberg sliders are original to the home, and while not dual-pane, or energy-efficient, I was so pleased to have the modest, slim black frames still in-tact. Personally, I cannot stand to see mid mod architecture with new vinyl windows and doors installed. The chunky frames completely kill the sleek, modern architecture of the home.
Clean-up Time
Before I took on the polished concrete floors, beech wood laminate flooring had been installed in this area. Flooring adhesive residue had to be hand-scraped from the perimeter in order to properly grind and polish the floors, and after the concrete was complete, a lot of grime, tape and glue remained on the door frames.
Removal of this debris required further scraping, chiseling, scrubbing, and sweating. I used a few key tools to get the job done -- wide blade hand scraper, retractable razor scraper, wire brush, toothbrush, warm soapy water, and a soft cloth. The initial pass required the wide blade scraper, which cut through the large chunks of glue, while the finer details were handled with the retractable scraper. Once all of the debris was removed, I cleaned the sliding door tracks with the wire brush, then scrubbed all areas with a toothbrush and warm water with dish liquid. All areas were wiped down with a soft, damp cloth.
With all surfaces dry and cleaned up, things were looking much better already, however some rough, unfinished edges remained on the floor next to the door frame. I wanted to create a more tailored transition here by painting a thin black edge along the floor, so I applied a line of painters tape parallel to both door frames, leaving 1/2" gap on the floor. 2 coats of Black Magic were painted, making for a clean, finished look.
Handling with Care
The door hardware also needed some attention as it had seen a lot of use over the years. The wood was worn and faded, and the surrounding metal was no longer black, but splotchy silver-violet. I removed the handles and completely disassembled them in order to get the cleanest look possible. The wood was sanded and stained. The metal pieces were sprayed with flat black spray paint and all pieces were sealed with 2 coats of clear matte spray.
Lastly, I sprayed the clean tracks with silicone spray and had brand new screens installed. Chris at ScreenMobile provided outstanding service and a wonderful quality product. He built the screens right on-site and had the job done quickly and efficiently.
The end result is bright and crisp, intersecting planes of glass with doors that are sparkling like the day they arrived from the factory. With spring now here and 300+ days of sunshine in the greater Sacramento area, I'm certain I'll be getting plenty of use and enjoyment out of this cleaned up corner feature of my home in the months ahead.
