Ever since Burl bought a power-washer a few years ago he has threatened to power-wash our deck and refinish it.  That was an idle threat until about a month ago when he actually started that project.  Being the uninformed, clueless person that I am, I had no idea how much I “thought” I would enjoy power-washing – after all, it provides instant gratification with results and it was a home beautification project – plus I figured it would be done quickly in order to enjoy a carefree summer around the pool.  And it would allow us to work on a project “together”. 

By time the powerwashing was complete, I calculated close to 25 hours of labor but hey, it looks like the real wood it is instead of being dirty and gray.  Still being clueless, I figured applying the stain would be a breeze – NOT!  First of all, Burl “thought” he had gotten a stain that would apply a light color to the wood while allowing the grain to show clearly – what he got was indeed a waterproof stain but it’s opaque – so now we will have a redwood-colored deck.  But hey, I’m okay with that – what I hadn’t counted on was how labor-intensive it would be to apply the stuff.

Yesterday was the chosen day to start applying the stain and we decided to start with the floor of the main deck area so we can have it usable in plenty of time for a picnic we’re hosting next week.  Of course there was more prep work to do – vacuum, lightly sand, vacuum again – and then Burl said if I would cut around the edges, he’d roll it on the rest.  Problem was, where I put it on with a brush was darker than where he rolled it and his roller didn’t get down into the little edge parts between boards.  Had we been using a light or clear stain, it wouldn’t have mattered but once we started we had no choice.  Words ensued and in the end, I stained it all with a brush while he removed old fence posts. 

Finally finished about 9 last evening although I did have a few breaks in the action – and that was just to get about 3 gallons of stain on the floor.  Tonight I plan to do the main set of stairs and then we can open up the deck area to Mulligan for his food and water while we’re in Des Moines for a couple of days this weekend.  I’m guessing Memorial Day will mean more paintbrush than pedals – the bike will have to wait until this project is over and I’m determined to have it done before we leave on vacation.

Lest you think Burl is getting off easy, you have to remember that he’s getting his first taste of home projects with me – so he gets the job of opening the pool in case it ever gets warm enough to use this summer!  We obviously need more experience in working together harmoniously!