Pickets done!

[From Craig]  In response to all of the "we want to hear about your getting your house ready for sale" comments to Merikay's last post, I've volunteered to do some of that.

Long-time readers may recall a post last Halloween, in which Merikay noted that our house has 516 pickets in its deck railing, each of which had to be sanded and then stained before we could put the house up for sale.  We stopped work on that project when the weather turned. Today we finished sanding and staining the last 71 of the 516.  Here are some of them:

Which is not to say our deck sanding and staining are done.  We still have 2 1/2 flights of stairs plus two areas of deck boards before our deck work is done.  

Between Merikay and I, we will try to keep our home preparation fans in touch with our progress.  It's just that we're getting close enough that we want to be careful that our blogging doesn't affect our coming home sale in any way...

Beware of What You Wish For!

I have pretty well run out of projects that I can do on my own around here.  Some of the things I could be doing have to wait until Craig does other work first, or are Craig's projects and I am just a helper.  Much of the time I'm not even that, and I get restless wishing I could do something to make the house ready for the market.  

I guess I could be doing more housekeeping, but the large clouds of dust and dirt that go with renovations are very discouraging.  Particularly to someone who hates housework as much as I do!

I could be getting rid of stuff, but I want Craig to be involved. He is busy with the repairs and not ready to start going thru things yet. He assures me it will not be a problem, it's just not time yet.

Most of this summer I kept wishing there was a project that I could be working on that would contribute significantly to the improvement of the house.

I guess I got my wish. Sanding and staining the deck railings is very much MY project.

Craig will, and has, helped with some of the sanding.  He is using his new belt sander for the top surface of the rails, but I am doing the picky stuff. We found that the staining works best when we do it together. Craig on one side and I on the other. That way we can catch the drips and missed places. We work well together.

We finished the first section of fifty-five uprights today.  The color will fade to a more golden color with time. 

I have also gotten part of the next fifty-plus partially sanded.  I'm using two small hand sanders.  It's slow, but not difficult. These are among the easier sections because I can get at both sides in comfort.  I used the eight foot step ladder for one side of the first section, but it was easy to move, and I'm quite used to step ladders.  I just can't go up high on the extension ladder.  Craig will have to do some of the outsides of the upper deck rail.

I try not to think about the whole job.  I'm working on one upright at a time, one section at a time. 

This is how they look before I sand.  They have been power washed and need the oil staining to protect them from the sun and rain.  

In my last post, I mentioned I thought the rain we were getting was the end of the wild fire season.  I was quite wrong.  That rain did very little to dampen the grasses and brush.

The weather has been wonderfully warm all week, but last night we started getting some pretty gusty winds.  That increases the fire danger. 

As much as I love the warm temperatures, and want to get on with my project, rain will be most welcome.

I do so envy all you houseless people out there.  Especially those without decks!

Someday ...

All Hands on Deck

While I've been cooking, Craig has been sanding the deck.

He started the deck refinishing project the week before we went to Yosemite by renting an orbital sander.  Unfortunately he and that sander did not get along and he promptly returned it!

When we got back from our trip he spent most of a week trying to hire someone to come and do the sanding for us. But it seems the local "Deck Doctor"  doesn't sand decks, and would not recommend anyone who did. He said he just does repairs and stains without sanding.

We had the decks replaced some years ago, and at the time we stained them with an oil base stain.  We were told we would need to sand them and re-stain every few years to keep them looking good.  But time flies by, and except for sanding and re-staining the top surface of the rails we have not done anything to them. Over the years the stain has faded, worn off, and the wood has discolored in places.  If we just put on more stain the discolored areas turn black.

Last week Craig rented a drum sander and it worked much better for him.  

In one afternoon he sanded the upper deck and part of the lower deck.  About 450 square feet.  Enough to start with.

He then worked with his belt sander on the edges.

He sanded for several days.

On this day the weather was a bit cool in the morning. A reminder that winter is coming and soon it will be time to shift to indoor projects.

Finally it was time to stain. 

I applied the stain with a roller one board at a time. 

Then Craig wiped off the excess. 

Working together we finished the areas he had sanded in one day.

Before he sands the rest of the flat deck area, which is mostly under cover, Craig is going to work on the two flights of stairs, and the small deck outside the kitchen door. He wants to see if he can buy a larger belt sander for that.

It's hard to believe the railings were once the same shade of "redwood" as the deck is now.

My knees are old, and I cannot kneel without great discomfort. But I can sit, and so I am now in charge of sanding the railings with a hand sander.  

Only 516  2"x 2" upright rails! 

I'm pretty sure I won't finish until spring. I will work on them section by section. Sanding and staining as I go. Working when the weather allows.

I couldn't find a pair of goggles to protect my eyes from the sawdust, so I dug up the ones I used for skiing. Maybe I should use this for a new profile picture! 

Craig is working hard!

There just are no "little" jobs to do around here!

While I was in San Diego, Craig started power washing all of the cement driveways, stone walls, retaining walls, deck railings, and decks. He continued last week while I did my jury duty, and will finish this weekend.  Two weeks of power washing!  He has done the same complete job in the past, but there has been some build-up of moss and black algae. He sanded and stained the deck railings a couple of years ago, and the decks a few years before that. So, much of this job is required but deferred maintenance.

Two years ago I bought a product that is supposed to prevent the growth of the algae and mildew, called Wet&Forget. I did a test spot, and it is still relatively clean. I have sprayed it on the walls, and am waiting for an order of two more gallons from Amazon so I can do all the driveways as well.  Hopefully this will help keep them looking nicer thru next year without having to redo the power washing.

Much of the wash time has been spent on the zillion upright 2x2's of the deck railings.  He will sand the railing tops and the deck floors, but he doesn't want to have to sand the uprights. 

We have large decks, and many railings!

I was on a jury for three days, but was able to get one little project done: a wall. I painted the garden wall after Craig had cleaned it. It is very rough stucco, and the painting was not easy! There are more railings along here too.

I'm not sure what the next step will be.  Some sanding I suppose. When he gets to the stain application I will be helping.

We are currently planning on taking a trip in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure exactly when or were other than to go to Yosemite National park  Sept. 18-22. I have reservations! Hopefully lots of people will stay away because of the hantavirus, so it won't be crowded.

We want to go down to LA first to get a small repair done on the Alfa at Alfateers and also to get an oil change at the Freightliner where Alfateers sends that kind of work. I'm not sure how that will work out yet, but I'm looking into interesting things to do near there for the week of September 10th.

Any "Must Do" LA adventures you can suggest?