A BREAK THROUGH IN RESTORING HOUSES

[Pete R.Oehmen]

Once I realized that the Hacienda putz houses were more numerous than I previously thought
I also noticed that many of them had a real problem. They might be intact but they had long
lost there luster. Upon closer examination I discovered that the discoloring and fading were
due to a series of dark reddish brown splotches. With the aide of my trusty microscope I
delved into the miniature world of science. To my amazement I learned that this is a familiar
problem that book collectors run into all the time. Foxing and Scaling have long been responsible
for the demise of many rare manuscripts and pieces of art.

I could get into a lengthy dissertation on the science of these maladies but I’m going to keep
this as interesting as I can. Mildew and mold create foxing whereas scaling is an iron particle
problem. Mildew and mold are caused by fungi because the house, it grows on, was exposed to
water, dampness and any other form of humidity. Iron particles in the stucco (Gesso) coating of
the putz house will create a growing black spot.

Let me address a couple of “Need to Know” things first.
RULE #1. Before you use any of these treatments ALWAYS, and I mean, ALWAYS use the dry
baking soda procedure first. This removes an dirt and dust from the surfaces that need to be \
treated. Then make sure that you blow off any residual baking soda. If you don’t remove these
dirt and dust particles before you apply any liquid you will create MUD and that’s as bad as
the issue we’re trying to correct.

RULE #2 Always practice on an area that wouldn’t show if these material harm the surface of the
putz house being restored. (SEE FIGURE F) The back of the base or a small portion of the back
roof. Only do a small area then let it dry to make sure there are no ill effects. Once you’re confident that
technique works on this particular house you can proceed by doing larger areas. (SEE FIGURE F)

Materials that you’ll need to treat the foxing and scaling
A. Household bleach. I use Targets “Up & Up - regular bleach concentrated” for the tougher
stains. (SEE FIGURE A )
B. Hydrogen Peroxide
C. Distilled Water
D. Plenty of Q-Tips, and I mean lots of them.
E. A very fine tipped steel pick.

[Pete R.Oehmen]

PROCEDURE FOR REMOVING FOXING:
1. Pour some bleach into a small, re-sealable container. Do the same with the Hydrogen
Peroxide. We’re only doing this so we don’t have to lug the big bottles around every time
we need to get our Q-tips wet.
2. Wet the tip of the Q-tip with the bleach making sure the tip is not soaked, just nice and
damp. Gently ROLL the Q-tip across the are needed to be restored. Let the bleach work
for a couple of seconds then take a dry Q-tip and ROLL it across the wet area to pick up
any damaging wetness. (SEE FIGURES B & C) Let sit for a minute or less and see if there’s
a difference between the newly treated spot and the untreated area. Do this as many times
as it takes to really see a difference. (SEE FIGURE D)You can now use the Hydrogen
Peroxide over the cleaned area using
the same exact process as you did with the bleach. Always dry the area with a Q-tip after
you’ve applied any of these liquids.
3. Now we need to naturalize the chemical that we applied with the distilled water. Use the
same ROLLING technique as before.
NOTE #1: Do not Dad or Rub the surface with the Q-tip. Doing this could do damage to the
surface by either pulling off the glitter/mica or leaving behind cotton fibers from the Q-tip.
NOTE #2: Do Not get bleach on any painted surfaces because it will either make the paint run
or dull the paint. Just be careful a you’ll be fine.
NOTE #3 This process works on other similar surfaces other than the Haciendas

[Pete R.Oehmen]

PROCEDURE FOR REMOVING SCALING:
Now that you have a nice white surface you may notice some black granular protrusions sticking
up out of the stucco/gesso. These are small bits of iron impurities that were a buy-produce of the
original production of the slaked plaster of Paris. If left in the newly cleaned areas they will eventually
leach out a black rust ring. To alleviate this problem simply take a decedent powered magnifying
glass, look closely at the surface and when you see that black knob/grain of rust pluck it out
with the fine tipped pick. (SEE FIGURES G & H) Just be careful not to remove any of the surrounding material.

Additional before and After pictures SEE FIGURES I, J, K, L, & M

I dedicate this gift to the wonderful people of our hobby in the name of my putz house muse, Linda Starek.
Linda has been an inspiration to me with her insights of procedures and materials. She contributed to the
refinement of Coconut thus helping to bring our houses back to life. Thank you Linda you are a God sent
to our hobby.

[Pete R.Oehmen]

Additional photos...

[Pete R.Oehmen]

More examples...

[paulrace]

Thanks for the fantastic tips, Pete. There were about four things in there I would never have thought of, including picking out the little iron bit so they wouldn't cause further damage.