23 April 2021
Another beautiful sunny day as I point my nose out the window. It was warmer than the previous day! A super pleasant temperature for working outside. June is a perfect month to do outdoor work.
As I mentioned in my last step which dealt with stripping, I could not rent a professional sandblasting machine due to the Covid context at the beginning of June. I, therefore, went to buy an orbital sander.
I was super happy and was anxious to start sanding. I took the advice of my colleagues and chose SIAFAST ABRASIVE DISCS reinforced with ceramic to do the job. They are a little more expensive than a regular brand, but because they are more durable, the expense is well worth the cost. The process was easier but long since I had decided to do two porches at the same time.
After a few hours of work, we finished the first porch. We had to remove all the paint residues on the wood for the finished product to permeate well. However, I hadn’t realized that my sandblaster diameter would be too big for stairs. Result, I had to sand by hand and I admit that my arm is slower than a DeWalt!
My boyfriend and I relayed the work. I probably should have borrowed a second sandblaster for more efficiency.
When the sanding was all done, it was time for dinner. I placed towels on the wood for a trail to indoors. Why? The pores of the wood must be open for the finishing product to permeate well and when you walk on it with damp or wet feet, it closes them. Having nice traces of permanent footprints on your front porch is not what we were looking for, and we didn’t want to take the risk of having to sand it again.
I had thought of the yellow rope to prevent my son to climb up on the porch, but I didn’t think of knee pads for sanding. No one is perfect! Lesson learned.
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