12/11/2006

Fun with toxic chemicals

I started really working on refinishing the staircase today. A lot of it is going to be hand sanding, so I bought a couple packages of sanding sponges so that I can get in the corners and concave profiles of the woodwork. I'm excited about working on the house again, and that's good. The living room is overwhelming at times, because there's no little projects to work on. Everything is BIG. Lots of walls, lots of windows, lots of floor, lots of woodwork, and the staircase...

This morning, I sanded the banister and about half of the newel post. Right now, I'm waiting for the toxix paint stripper to finish its job on the underside of the banister and some of the molding on the newel post. Once those little areas are stripped, it's all sanding. I'm really excited; the living room really will be done around Christmas!

As a take-it-easy project after the living room is done, I'll be repainting the small front bedroom. The walls and ceiling in there are already done, and there isn't much woodwork, so that will only take a short time. Then the office will be next while we save up for the bathroom. I'm trying for a promotion at work, and if I get it we'll be able to hire someone to do the plumbing and tile work in the bathroom a lot sooner than we were planning. ::crosses fingers:: It would be so strange to actually HIRE someone to work on the house and just watch as it gets done in a month or so!

2 comments:

The Litter Box House said...

Ooooohhh... You are refinishing your stairs. That's a project that I need to get back to work on. What kind of stripper are you using? Are you doing the steps? Or just the banister and newell post? Any advice you'd like to impart would be useful. I'm still in the process of scraping off staples, nails, carpet pieces, etc.

Andrea

Di said...

I wish someone had some advice for me! I've never done this before, or anything similar, so it's definitely a learning experience. I'm redoing the entire staircase, treads, banister, spindles, newel post, etc. I'm using methyl chloride stripper, which will burn bare skin and eat latex gloves. Works fast, though! You definitely need some sort of sharp scraper to get in all the nooks and crannies and lots of steel wool to wipe away the residue. Other than that, I'm still figuring ti all out! :)