Sunny Skies and White Paint

The unusual cool and rainy days in late July have given way to a hot August. While we may prefer otherwise, our painters are taking advantage of the dry weather.

Today they are painting the louvers on the south face of the central tower.

Louvers: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The painters will begin repairing the wood and painting the wood on the exterior of the Cathedral on Friday - weather permitting.

The goal of the exterior painting is to return the Cathedral to its 1914 look: tan bricks and not-quite-brilliant-white paint. The paint will be similar to the paint used of the finials.

The white paint on the louvers will probably seem rather stark at first. Although the louvers make up a small percentage of the Cathedral's facade, any change can be shocking.

This weekend may be your last chance to see the brown paint on the louvers. You may click on the photo to see a closeup of the damaged wood and the current paint.

In a few weeks, it will look much more like it did in 1914.

If the dew point is 5% less than the ambient temperature...

Monsignor Gier discussed the upcoming exterior paint job with our painting company today. They will be parking a lift between the Cathedral and the School on Friday.

We hope they will be able to start painting on Friday. The recent rains have raised the humidity to an unacceptable level for painting. The painters explained that the dew point must be at least 5% less than the temperature for the paint to dry properly.

Once the south side of the Cathedral is painted, they will move the lift to the north side.

A Side Note: Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities' new site and buildings are nearing completion. Although their construction has nothing to do with the Cathedral's Renovation, we celebrate their progress.

A tale of two photos: 2006 & 2009

You might enjoy comparing two interior photos of the Cathedral, one taken in 2006 and the other in 2009. The obvious change is the interior paint.

It has been several months since the completion of the paint job. We have had some time to "get used" to the bright colors. What do you think of the paint? We would love to hear your comments. Please leave them in the comment box.

Not much is happening with the Renovation. The painters are working on other jobs before they begin painting the exterior of the Cathedral. Perhaps the 105 degree temperature is not ideal for painting.