One of my neighbors died last year, a fine Southern lady who lived in a beautiful house, as you'd expect, and I'd always admired the old Turkey rugs running up her stairs.
So, when the house went up for sale I asked her daughter if I could buy those rugs for the Compound, yes, it has a stairwell too, which was in need of Moslem runners. She said maybe, but thought the rugs were a "selling point."
Yes, yes indeed, there was a logic here I couldn't refute, but she kindly said she'd tell the new owners about LSP interest. Lo and behold, as of this evening the incoming owners gave me the rugs; they didn't want them, those rugs were not for them.
Now they lie on the Compound's stairwell. Do they fit? Yes, they do, in just the right proportion and with extra length to spare for a maybe 6'+ hallway runner in the upper story of the Manse. OK, excellent, ruggery is go in LSPland, but what about the existing carpet and what lies beneath it?
Serious question because who knows what damage 1980s vandals might have done to the wooden infrastructure of the stairs. You know, plywood glued onto original pine flooring, sorta thing. Worrying. But there was no need to worry. The original stairwell is pretty much undamaged and only needs a clean and polish and carpet tack removal. Not hard. Next step? Clean the ruggery.
Ma LSP, who knows a thing or two about rugs, says Woolite or similar, matched with a soft brush and a garden hose does the trick. That sounds scary to me, but I'll do a test run on a portion of the Moslem stair covering and see if it works.
If not, a stern beating followed by a hoover. Next? Remove the nasty old carpet, repaint the walls of the stairwell, clean and polish the wood of the stairs as appropriate, and then lay that rug down.
This, dear readers, is my plan. Will it be easy? I recall no one ever saying life would be.
LSP
