Staining The Deck Rail

We waited all summer for more than a week without rain, so we could stain the power washed deck and railing at this old farmhouse. The newer Benjamin Moore deck stains require the wood be completely dry and this weekend we managed to solid stain the railing white and will wait until next Spring to paint the deck floor with Arborcoat "Platinum" colored solid stain.

We were happy to find an earlier acrylic version of this stain since it completely covered the railings in one coat and cleaned up so easily! All of the solid constructed; pressure treated wood here seems like new after it's cleaning of molds or mildew, sanding and painting. Although Bill has always been a strong advocate of oil based paint and stains, we are finding the newer options work well if you follow the application techniques.

Wood For Winter

Recently, we rented a local log splitter for $75.00 to split a dying ash tree felled at the farm and much hard wood we collected at our own house. We filled an old barn foundation and tractor shed for the coming winter with four of us on hand.

Leveling An Old Brick Walkway

The curved brick walkway leading to Old Farm, was upheaved from accessing the nearby septic tank at some point. It became easy to trip on, so Bill removed the affected bricks to the side, re-leveled the ground, and filled the cracks with Sand Mix Cement after the bricks were back in place. Below is the walkway earlier; just after planting the garden.