Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Deck Makeover

The cabin had an old deck that was rotten and nearing the end of its days, so before working on the siding and windows, it was demolition time.


At this stage the entire deck was flexing up and down as Andrew whomped on it with his Jesus bar.


We decided to replace it with a simple landing and stairs instead—obviously a lot cheaper, but also more fire safe, a big concern for us after last summer. Two friend/carpenters, Dragan and Stefan, helped at crucial points along the way.

.




He sealed the wood with soybean oil sealer, which is a lot less toxic (and smells better) than standard wood sealer.



For the railing, we used the same authentic grape stakes that we've been using elsewhere for fencing (an idea gleaned from the neighbors across the road).






It will probably be completed later today, but the carps switched gears and are working on the barn now.

7 comments:

  1. That is SO beautiful, what is that wood? The precision, the craftsmanship! Is the sealer making it red? I'm using that on our porch next time, (we used Australian Timber Oil and it did not fare well) you must tell me what kind it is. I am deeply ashamed of my porch now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great pictures! And two blog entries a month! Is that an April Fool's joke?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aw, thanks Gnome. It's redwood! The sealer didn't really change the color, just made it a little richer. We'll have to see how it works long term. I need to find the can, but I'll be back to tell you what brand it is.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's so much more fun to destroy things than to build them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. True. Is that why you call yourself Slammy?

    Here is a link for the soy oil sealer we've been using: www.ecoprocote.com.

    Time will tell of course, but we really like it so far.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your deck looks beautiful indeed. Well, I also used a soy bean sealer to seal my wooden deck. It’s great because it didn’t cover much of the surface and it looks so natural. Have you performed other makeovers in the past? I think it would be great if you extend it since you still have a lot of space in your yard. You can add a table and have meals there if you have a bigger deck. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Kylee. Thank you for your comment. This deck is overbuilt, which is usual for what I do. Since we live in a dry area prone to fire, a small deck is a good fit for our area. Cheers! —Andrew

    ReplyDelete