Stuff

[etat]

Thought I'd share some pictures of part of what we've been workin on.  My pine floors now have 7 coats of  tung oil finish.  Started with 2/3rds mineral spirits and 1/3 tung oil applied with lambswool.  Later worked up to 1/2 tung oil and 1/2 mineral spirits.  Finished up with a couple a coats of 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 mineral spirits, and one third polyurathane varnish.  Used scrubby pads between coats, and a light sanding before the final coat.  The first few coats of tung oil soaked deep into the wood.

The rails at the top of the stairs were the cheap pressure treated stuff you get at the box stores.  Wore a mask, sanded em smooth, couple a coats of tung oil, resanded, shellac, and finished with a wipe on varnish mixture of polyurathane and mineral spirits.  Same for the BRIDGE.  The bridge rails are cut out of 6/6 pressure treated.  Kept em brushed down with antifreeze while redrying so they wouldn't split.  Same with the stair treads.  Once dry, I glued and bolted them together.  Reinforced underneath with steel.  The stair treads glued together, cut a bull nose with a router.  Lots and Lots of work, some probably dangerous due to the pressure treated. Finished the same way as the rails at the top of the stairs.  You wouldn't a ever thought, pressure treated looks pretty nice when dried and finished in this manner.  Looks kinda like old wood.  As I said, probably dangerous to work with but I'm sure I've got enough finish on it to seal the dangerous part of the chemicals in. I still like work on finishing the stair rails, and like finishing the newel post at the bottoms.  They gonna be WALNUT with brass balls on top!!!











Still quite a bit of trim work to do.  Starting to work on kitchen cabinets.  I still like the kitchen, and finishing the living room.  The bedrooms, baths, etc. just like a bit of tinkering work before being ready to move into.

[Danny_S]

Was the name on the handrail Suntrellis?

[etat]

The only thing on them was the little sticker that tells what kind of pressure treated wood it is.  It took lots and lots of time to get them finished glass smooth and mortised into the post and put together.

[Danny_S]

I was just curious because I used to make all those components for treated decking products. If it is Queen Anne Handrail it would have multiple grooves on the bottom for different size spindles and ballusters to fit into.

Anyways, no big deal.  VERY nice looking project you have going there. I tend to lean toward the softwood floors and such now. May not be as durable but nice looking and rustic.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I LIKEIT 8) You do nice work. Where do you find the time???

[etat]

Danny S., ya might a made it!!!  The top rails did have different sized holes, a large square hole mortised in, with a smaller hole inside that.  I had spindles that fit the larger holes, and took a knife and trimed them ends so they would bottom out in the smaller holes too.  

Fla., I just keep hammering at it.  One step at a time. Been working on thiss house one year and 3 months. Lots a late night work.  Can't imagine what it'd be like to have it finished.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Mebbe ya need to prop a fishin pole in the corner right near the front door. Looks like ya might have a need for it in a couple more months.  ;D ;D

[shopteacher]

CK, youse gonna have to buy a big case of them hospital booties for people to slip on over their shoes. That almost to pretty to walk on. 8)

[etat]

 Shop, I'm already SCARED to walk on it!!!!

When the manager of the lumber co.  sold me D grade pine I thought it'd be all full of knots and ratty looking. But he told me he had it in stock and would give me a good deal so I went ahead and bought it, without looking. (I trust the guy better than usuall).  When it arrived it was all 16 foot, tounge and groove and very few knots.  Who woulda thought that D would a been a good grade, sure made me feel stupid, but happy!!!!


here's another view of the bridge.  notice the built in arch so ya won't bump yer noggin.  wanted some compound curved logs but the was just too much trouble to come by.  You can still see where I will be doing some finish work.

[Patty]

VERY NICE!!    I was trying to see what you did where your wood floors met between rooms.

We weren't sure how to handle the different woods, and different directions of the wood at the place where the floors joined. We left just an open gap for awhile, then this spring we cut the gaps to 6" wide and laid granite in them. It turned out pretty good.

It is a long tedious job doing the finishing work. We moved in before the staircase, floors, and window trim were in. The staircase was the first to complete. I was whining big time every time I had to carry laundry up & down a ladder.  :

The flooring on the main floor is pretty much all done, just need to sand & finish the master bedroom and hallway, and lay the flooring in Norm's office. None of the window trim & baseboard are installed, but the wood is mainly cut & dryed and waiting for finish.

You are smart to finish it all before moving in. We didn't really have that option, and now it is hard to get to it. It is easy to overlook and put off the unfinished parts.

Good job, CK. I can't wait to see the walnut newall posts.  

[etat]

Patty, the newell post IS on the agenda.  I figure by the time I finish my cabinets I'll be brave enough to start with the 'walnut'.  

Between rooms, and where I changed directions with the wood I cut a piece of pine flooring.  I then set my tablesaw and made a bunch of backcuts, cutting about halfway through the piece from the back side. I'm 'hoping' this will allow for some expansion and contraction.  I sorta just invented it as I went along. My wife's 'crazy'.  She wouldnt' let me run all the floor in the same directions, oh no.  She wanted to make it hard on  me doing all that cutting!!!!