ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996             TAG: 9609200090
SECTION: FALL HOME & LANDSCAPE    PAGE: 5    EDITION: METRO 

COUPLE FINDS A BONUS WHEN OLD BECOMES NEW

Shortly after Tim and Michelle FisherPoff bought their 64-year-old home in southwest Roanoke, they noticed that some of the paint had flaked off the inside of the front door. The wood looked like good solid oak, so they decided to strip off the paint - all three layers of it - and see what happened.

"We didn't know what to expect," Tim FisherPoff said.

The door and sidelights have large beveled glass panes surrounded by molding and an inset panel also framed in molding. In the middle of the door is a heavy brass knocker. So, he said, "we knew it had to be nice wood."

The FisherPoffs found more than they bargained for. Not only had the paint kept the door from weathering, leaving it in pristine condition, they also discovered that the molding, which appeared smooth because of the layers of paint, was actually decoratively carved.

"We were surprised about the molding," Michelle FisherPoff said.

The couple used a heat gun and chemical stripper to remove the old paint. Because some of the original varnish came off, they stained the door to even out the color, and then sealed it with marine-grade polyurethane.

Using the heat gun made the job fairly easy, they said, although the side panels, which could not be removed, took a little more work than the door.

While using the heat gun, they were careful to wear masks so they wouldn't be exposed to fumes from the paint, some of which might have been lead-based.

They found out the hard way that the glass in the door was not tempered. When the heat gun was aimed at it, it shattered, and the pane had to be replaced.

The FisherPoffs say they believe it was a lucky accident. Because the original pane was so easily broken, it could have caused a serious injury later on.

LENGTH: Short :   41 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:   DON PETERSEN STAFF Tim and Michelle FisherPoff striped 
          the paint from their  front door and found decoratively carved 
          molding and the oak in perfect shape.