I am continuing to work on the Iconostasis as I have time this summer. Having the kids out of school for the summer makes things very busy.
I added another set of columns and a center false beam. We then added crown molding to each “wing” and to he center beam.
I took out the curvy bits over the tops of the icons and cut an arch in each one before reinstalling. One of the things we were deciding on at this point, was whether the icons should stay in the front or be pushed to the back of their enclosure. For a week or two, we left one set in the front and one set in the back. We eventually chose to move the icons towards the back. We sanded down the old finish and stain back to bare wood. We will have to go over a few more spots still, but the bulk of the old color is gone.
All that remains now is to add a few pieces of trim, finish sanding, stain, and apply a finish.