Showing posts with label universal filler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label universal filler. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2019

Staining the Deck White

Two weeks ago I started the process of staining my deck white.  If you follow me on Instagram then you have probably seen a photo or two of the progress.

I am using Behr Solid Color Wood Stain in Ultra Pure White.  We use Behr paint in Semi Gloss in the color Ultra Pure White for the trim and shutters on the exterior of our house.  So we knew that we wouldn't end up with clashing white tones.  
This deck will require two coats. The first coat is blotchy but the second coat fills in the lighter spots and makes everything look the same color.  My plan is to get a single coat on everything before doing a second coat.  We are doing it this way because the first coat of stain really highlights any imperfections or problems.  

This was especially true of the top board.  It gets the most sun, rain, and snow so it was not looking its best.  To remedy the cracks and splits in the wood, R has been using a universal filler that we buy at ACE Hardware.
It is called Evercoat Home Fix Universal Filler .  We have used it on cracked exterior wood trim and window sashes.  It can be used for both interior and exterior use and we have been happy with the results.  The above photo is after filler was applied and then sanded off leaving filler behind in the cracks and crevices.
I will be so happy when we can finally store the ladders in the barn instead of under the deck.  We have ladders of just about any height and not a day goes by that we don't use at least one of them.

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Friday, March 30, 2018

Rot Repair, Sanding, and More Priming

This weather just isn't cooperating.   Nice sunny skies but cold, very cold.  I was able to finish priming the second set of shutters.  But now I am just waiting for a day where the weather is sunny and at least 55 degrees before I can even think about putting two coats of semi gloss paint on them.  We have spent a lot of time making these shutters and hunting down the hardware for them so the last thing I want to do is rush the top coat.  This will be a test of my patience but I must resist the urge to paint before the weather is warm enough.
Best way to resist the urge?  Move on to another project.  I started raking the flower beds around the garden shed because that is where R was working and I like to get the hosta beds raked before they start growing.  None have pop through yet but I did find some tulips and hyacinth bulbs that are starting to come up.  Also the daffodil bulbs that R and planted last year under the hedge row of lilacs out by the street have popped up.  We can't plant tulips like we want to, due to the fact that we have a lot of black walnut trees that are toxic to a lot of plants.  Tulips don't do well but daffodils do just fine and they are more deer resistant, too.  So to add some variety I try to plant different daffs every year.  This fall I am going to plant white or very pale yellow ones.  AND more hyacinths....love hyacinths.....the scent...is only second to lilac.  Love them both.

R has spent the last two days working on filling in the rotted window sills in the garden shed with universal filler.  We have used it before and it holds up to our extreme winter weather.  Should we have cut out the rotted sills and replaced them?  Probably, but this is a garden shed and we have bigger fish to fry then to do a restoration on the shed.  We have made big strides with the garden shed that everyone said "tear it down!"  So for now, filling in the sills with filler is just fine.  It is not like George Washington slept in our garden shed.

On Thursday, R put the first coat of filler on and today he sanded and shaped it, and then refilled again.  It's a process of layering.  
R touched up the flower boxes with the sander before he put it away.  Depending on the weather on Saturday, I might start priming just the inside of the flower boxes.  I can do that in the work room and not have to worry about the cats stepping on the wet paint.  I probably just jinxed myself and the cats will all decide that they must sleep inside the flower boxes.
Within the next month, we have a tree trimming crew coming for 8 hrs to trim our large trees.  We have a very large ash tree that has two large low limbs that need to be removed and also a few dead limbs that are too high for us to get to.  They will also remove two black walnut limbs over the sun room and remove all the small limbs that grow downward.  The bulk of their work will be on two huge silver maple trees that have a lot of storm damage.  These trees are important because they are situated where they give us our afternoon shade in the summer.  Do I wish that they were not silver maple and maybe oak or sugar maple?  Yes, but I cannot go to the nursery and buy a 100 year old tree.  So we are making these trees work by removing limbs that will cause us problems in the future or limbs that could compromise the health of the trees.

I am currently collecting bits and pieces for a focal point design piece for the back of the house.  There isn't a rush on it because we have to reshingle and hang eave troughs first.  Here's a hint...it involves our scrap pile....Surprise!!

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