2nd Coat...
A few days later, the floor is looking really good! The second coat of finish is going on now, and we've adapted our living space around it. The ladder to the second floor deck is a bit awkward, but it gets us to our biggest living space for now...
After this coat, the floor will dry for about 24 hours and then we'll put on coat #3. The week will be interesting as we will need to stay off of it. But the end result will be beautiful!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Dust to Poly...
Much more dust was generated today! It seemed like we just kept hauling out full bags of dust from the maple hardwood floors. They are really nice looking now...with some neat characteristics of different types of maple on various boards.
Once we sanded 40, 50, 60, 80, and 100 grit passes over the floor and edges, it was time to clean up. A good twice over vacuum job did pretty well. Then it was time to get out the polyurethane. One first thick coat went on today. Then tomorrow afternoon we'll do a second. A third will follow on Sunday afternoon. We hope to be able to gently walk on it by Sunday evening!
Its tired time...that was lots of work!
More pictures here and in my album!
Much more dust was generated today! It seemed like we just kept hauling out full bags of dust from the maple hardwood floors. They are really nice looking now...with some neat characteristics of different types of maple on various boards.
Once we sanded 40, 50, 60, 80, and 100 grit passes over the floor and edges, it was time to clean up. A good twice over vacuum job did pretty well. Then it was time to get out the polyurethane. One first thick coat went on today. Then tomorrow afternoon we'll do a second. A third will follow on Sunday afternoon. We hope to be able to gently walk on it by Sunday evening!
Its tired time...that was lots of work!
More pictures here and in my album!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Floors!
When we moved into this house, we agreed that 'sometime' we would love to refinish the floors in our house. Sometime has come! With much help from Duane, a.k.a. the Sandman, we spent the day on phase one of floor work.
Over the past two nights, the family has all kicked in to get all of the furniture moved out of the living room and dining room. That, in itself, is a big task!
This morning, I removed the baseboard and made final prep for Duane's arrival. We started sanding just after 9 and worked until about 5:00. The photos tell the story! More sanding is ahead tomorrow, but we made great progress getting the finish off today. The floor is in excellent shape, and made of very good quality wood, says Duane.
Enjoy a few pictures knowing there are more to come!
-EJK : )
When we moved into this house, we agreed that 'sometime' we would love to refinish the floors in our house. Sometime has come! With much help from Duane, a.k.a. the Sandman, we spent the day on phase one of floor work.
Over the past two nights, the family has all kicked in to get all of the furniture moved out of the living room and dining room. That, in itself, is a big task!
This morning, I removed the baseboard and made final prep for Duane's arrival. We started sanding just after 9 and worked until about 5:00. The photos tell the story! More sanding is ahead tomorrow, but we made great progress getting the finish off today. The floor is in excellent shape, and made of very good quality wood, says Duane.
Enjoy a few pictures knowing there are more to come!
-EJK : )
Friday, October 15, 2010
Windows...
I've spent a good part of the past week and a half rejuvenating our windows. I scraped paint and removed old caulk. Then replaced caulk and primed. Finally, I painted all of the 'old style' windows on the house. That makes about 12 of them. Now to put the storms back on and we'll be about ready for winter!
I've spent a good part of the past week and a half rejuvenating our windows. I scraped paint and removed old caulk. Then replaced caulk and primed. Finally, I painted all of the 'old style' windows on the house. That makes about 12 of them. Now to put the storms back on and we'll be about ready for winter!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Progress...
This has been a big one. I'm finally putting things back together. After exposing the rotten wall, I removed all of the bad wood and began to rebuild. I'm ready now to reinstall the siding panels, redo the wiring, and put the inside wall back together.
Many pictures are ready to view here:
View my photo album
This has been a big one. I'm finally putting things back together. After exposing the rotten wall, I removed all of the bad wood and began to rebuild. I'm ready now to reinstall the siding panels, redo the wiring, and put the inside wall back together.
Many pictures are ready to view here:
View my photo album
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Another Curveball...
Yep. We call it the house that keeps on giving! Anticipating a repainting job, I recently took a walk around the house to inspect the stucco and wallboard and see what prep was needed for painting. In the process, I got out the stepladder to repair a small piece of wallboard just below the second floor deck off of our bedroom. The piece was hanging slightly loose, so I grabbed a hammer and expected to tap the nails back in.
I soon learned that the wall behind it was really quite soft...and no nail would do any good in it. While on the ladder, I reached up to grab a support joist from the deck above me. It was totally mushy...instead of the solid 2x10 it should have been. I headed into the garage to take a look at the inside of the same wall. After pulling off some sheetrock, I was greeted by a nasty, wet, rotted pile of framing. The stud, the wall sheeting and the insulation clearly had been quite wet. And, as a nice bonus, now it was all crawling with carpenter ants.
A couple of hours of digging later, I had lots of sheetrock removed and found hundreds and hundreds of ants. What a mess. One stud of the wall was totally rotted, as was the sheeting between the stud and the exterior wallboard.
Over a few days, I emptied off the shelves in the garage and kept exploring. The wet rotten mess turns out to span about 10 feet horizontally. It is about 3-4 feet vertically below most of the sliding glass door to the deck. At the worst spot, the rotten wood extends nearly 9 feet down the garage wall.
I've now stripped several sheets of wallboard off of the outside of the house and am just about ready to remove all of the rotten lumber and replace it. I will use a few sheets of plywood to replace what was there as well as rebuilding a portion of the wall. Once rebuilt, I'll invite an exterminator to leave a collection of poison for the ants in case I didn't get them all.
Oh what fun. Wait, I still need to paint the house!
Aargh...
Yep. We call it the house that keeps on giving! Anticipating a repainting job, I recently took a walk around the house to inspect the stucco and wallboard and see what prep was needed for painting. In the process, I got out the stepladder to repair a small piece of wallboard just below the second floor deck off of our bedroom. The piece was hanging slightly loose, so I grabbed a hammer and expected to tap the nails back in.
I soon learned that the wall behind it was really quite soft...and no nail would do any good in it. While on the ladder, I reached up to grab a support joist from the deck above me. It was totally mushy...instead of the solid 2x10 it should have been. I headed into the garage to take a look at the inside of the same wall. After pulling off some sheetrock, I was greeted by a nasty, wet, rotted pile of framing. The stud, the wall sheeting and the insulation clearly had been quite wet. And, as a nice bonus, now it was all crawling with carpenter ants.
A couple of hours of digging later, I had lots of sheetrock removed and found hundreds and hundreds of ants. What a mess. One stud of the wall was totally rotted, as was the sheeting between the stud and the exterior wallboard.
Over a few days, I emptied off the shelves in the garage and kept exploring. The wet rotten mess turns out to span about 10 feet horizontally. It is about 3-4 feet vertically below most of the sliding glass door to the deck. At the worst spot, the rotten wood extends nearly 9 feet down the garage wall.
I've now stripped several sheets of wallboard off of the outside of the house and am just about ready to remove all of the rotten lumber and replace it. I will use a few sheets of plywood to replace what was there as well as rebuilding a portion of the wall. Once rebuilt, I'll invite an exterminator to leave a collection of poison for the ants in case I didn't get them all.
Oh what fun. Wait, I still need to paint the house!
Aargh...
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
NEW ROOF!!
With great relief, I sat on the ground and watched 9 guys pull shingles off of the roof of the house! Tuesday was unbearably hot. The day started with hot fog rolling over the roof as the crew took off shingles. But early afternoon, the heat index was getting dangerously high, and the crew decided to call it off.
By 3:30, they had tar papered the back and front of the house, now stripped of shingles. But that was it for Tuesday.
Wednesday, the full crew of 14 arrived at 6:15 AM and got to work. The temperature was slightly better, but still very hot! We set up a sprinkler in the yard to cool the crew.
Over the course of the day, the roof was transformed to a shiny new surface. The last of the crew cleared out by about 6 PM. That was a BIG job at about 46 square!
Lots of pictures tell the story very well!
Enjoy...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/ReroofingTheHouse#
With great relief, I sat on the ground and watched 9 guys pull shingles off of the roof of the house! Tuesday was unbearably hot. The day started with hot fog rolling over the roof as the crew took off shingles. But early afternoon, the heat index was getting dangerously high, and the crew decided to call it off.
By 3:30, they had tar papered the back and front of the house, now stripped of shingles. But that was it for Tuesday.
Wednesday, the full crew of 14 arrived at 6:15 AM and got to work. The temperature was slightly better, but still very hot! We set up a sprinkler in the yard to cool the crew.
Over the course of the day, the roof was transformed to a shiny new surface. The last of the crew cleared out by about 6 PM. That was a BIG job at about 46 square!
Lots of pictures tell the story very well!
Enjoy...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/ReroofingTheHouse#
Monday, August 02, 2010
Final roof prep...
The roofers are coming on Tuesday. I anticipated having to remove insulation from the front of the house over the porch. So Monday's project was to cut an opening over the porch where there had been an ice dam and a leak last spring. I decided to open the roof and inspect the top of the porch ceiling so that I could clean it up without disturbing the plaster ceiling.
Great news on this project...there is NO insulation in this area and the attic is clean and dry. After a few photos, I replaced the roof decking and am ready for the roofers tomorrow!
The roofers are coming on Tuesday. I anticipated having to remove insulation from the front of the house over the porch. So Monday's project was to cut an opening over the porch where there had been an ice dam and a leak last spring. I decided to open the roof and inspect the top of the porch ceiling so that I could clean it up without disturbing the plaster ceiling.
Great news on this project...there is NO insulation in this area and the attic is clean and dry. After a few photos, I replaced the roof decking and am ready for the roofers tomorrow!
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Timber?!
Okay, so the roof is about to go. And this is an opportunity! There is a second chimney on the back of the house that has had the job of venting just the water heater flue. But the brick chimney is covered with stucco, and is deteriorating pretty quickly. So before the roofing crew comes, I decided to take down this chimney and just leave a new flue running through the roof.
A big job...and lots of bricks. Not to mention the weather is sitting with the heat index above 100°F most of the week. But with the roofers coming next Tuesday, this is the time to get the job done!
Dad helped me build a chute on the roof to slide the bricks into the trailer in the yard. A few hours of prep and assembly and we were ready to go.
The stucco came off, but it was a tough pull. Once piece bit my leg, leaving me eventually with 5 stitches to show for it! Dang...good thing there aren't may nerves in the shin!
Two days and three loads of heavy bricks later, the chimney is capped. Dad engineered a nice aluminum square cap that I placed on the top of the remaining chimney inside of the attic. The photos can tell most of the story!
Enjoy...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/ChimneyRemoval#
A big job...and lots of bricks. Not to mention the weather is sitting with the heat index above 100°F most of the week. But with the roofers coming next Tuesday, this is the time to get the job done!
Dad helped me build a chute on the roof to slide the bricks into the trailer in the yard. A few hours of prep and assembly and we were ready to go.
The stucco came off, but it was a tough pull. Once piece bit my leg, leaving me eventually with 5 stitches to show for it! Dang...good thing there aren't may nerves in the shin!
Two days and three loads of heavy bricks later, the chimney is capped. Dad engineered a nice aluminum square cap that I placed on the top of the remaining chimney inside of the attic. The photos can tell most of the story!
Enjoy...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/ChimneyRemoval#
Friday, July 30, 2010
Basement Floor
Okay, so the stench in the basement was too much! Not to mention the sale on basic laminate flooring at Nards. Thus...the carpet came out. Then the vinegar went down. Interestingly, pure vinegar does a great job to tune up smelly concrete floors!
A day or so of work and the carpet came out and the floor got clean. Another day to lay the new floor. Apart from the significant slopes in a corner, the laminate went in easily.
Photos on this one can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/BasementFloor#
The best sign of success...heading downstairs and not having the nose tell you to go back up!
Okay, so the stench in the basement was too much! Not to mention the sale on basic laminate flooring at Nards. Thus...the carpet came out. Then the vinegar went down. Interestingly, pure vinegar does a great job to tune up smelly concrete floors!
A day or so of work and the carpet came out and the floor got clean. Another day to lay the new floor. Apart from the significant slopes in a corner, the laminate went in easily.
Photos on this one can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/BasementFloor#
The best sign of success...heading downstairs and not having the nose tell you to go back up!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Room Swap!
OK, so everyone needed some more space! We carved out some room on the first floor by making our office into a nice bedroom for Ben! He was thrilled to have more space, and Zach was thrilled to end up with his own space as well. The move was pretty reasonable, but it displaced some office gear upstairs. Erica is managing her way through the store material that is now upstairs. Meanwhile, we placed the family computer in the living room on the desk and make room for Ben!
Upstairs I have removed the carpet from both Meron and Ben's rooms. It was time for this to go...odor and all. It helps their rooms to stay more clean and makes them look better, too! The maple hardwood is in pretty good shape...and this is one step closer to being ready to refinish the flooring.
So we have Josh, Meron, and Zach upstairs now and Ben in his own land on the main floor. Everyone has 'their' space, and things are good! Ah, the times they keep us changing!
Here are a few pix to highlight the story!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/RoomSwap
Upstairs I have removed the carpet from both Meron and Ben's rooms. It was time for this to go...odor and all. It helps their rooms to stay more clean and makes them look better, too! The maple hardwood is in pretty good shape...and this is one step closer to being ready to refinish the flooring.
So we have Josh, Meron, and Zach upstairs now and Ben in his own land on the main floor. Everyone has 'their' space, and things are good! Ah, the times they keep us changing!
Here are a few pix to highlight the story!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ekphys/RoomSwap
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Catching up the blog!
Where to begin...
Recently: carpets out for Meron, Zach, and the basement; room swaps to give each of the four their own spaces; new and larger pool; bigger rabbit hutch; trees trimmed
Soon to be: back chimney down; front porch ceiling insulated; new roof!!!
I'll get some pictures together!!
Where to begin...
Recently: carpets out for Meron, Zach, and the basement; room swaps to give each of the four their own spaces; new and larger pool; bigger rabbit hutch; trees trimmed
Soon to be: back chimney down; front porch ceiling insulated; new roof!!!
I'll get some pictures together!!
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