REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2)

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Sunday, April 28, 2024 15:47
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Wednesday, February 28, 2024 11:12 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Boring day, and tomorrow will largely be a repeat of that. Lots of work done, but nothing that would really look any better on the pics than they did before since my camera doesn't pick up the defects like you'd see in real life.

The overlook will need 1 more coat and it will finally be finished. About 90% of the hairline paint cracks on the caulk on the stairs are gone. Tomorrow I should finish the overlook and get the final coat on all the trim and risers for the stairs as well as remove the hairline cracks.

If everything goes smooth, first coat of paint should be going on the top of the steps by Friday.



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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024 11:40 PM

BRENDA


Got back from work and what I could play of my pick up game of mah jong after 4pm.

My umbrella died on my way to work so I have to buy a new one tomorrow. It was really raining in my area but the ski hills and the mountains are happy. Though all that snow did cause a big mess on the sea to ski highway which takes you up to Whistler and Squamish. No one was hurt just very slow going and a few stuck vehicles.


Main mah jong game tomorrow.

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Thursday, February 29, 2024 11:06 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Yes! Progress...

The hairline cracks aren't any worse than they were after drying all night. If they were going to get worse, I'd already see it by now.

I'm going to do a repeat of yesterday. Hit those once again first thing, then I'll move on to the final overlook coat. Fortunately, I already hit the bottoms of the steps twice, so I won't have to do that again while hitting the caulk lines. It will get a 3rd coat when I put the final coat of paint on the risers and the trim.

That will probably be it for the day though. At this point there's a LOT of high-gloss white on the sides of the steps, and that's going to have to be scuff sanded pretty good before I put any paint on the steps.

I dunno... Maybe I'll hit the cracks in the caulk first, then paint the risers and the trim before moving on to the overlook. There should be plenty of daylight to get all that done. If I do it in that order I could start sanding down that gloss paint on the steps and maybe get some final step paint down a day early. I don't need daylight to paint those steps.

We'll see how it goes.



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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Thursday, February 29, 2024 12:34 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Nope. I was wrong apparently. I don't know what's going on here with that caulk and the paint, but they're not mixing well and I'm done beating this dead horse. I think I could put 50 coats on it and it won't seal it in. It feels like I'm trying to put latex paint on silicone or something. But it's latex painters caulk and latex paint. There must be something in that high gloss paint that is causing me a problem here.

I've got to get through all those layers of paint I put on it and sand it all down smooth. Then I'm going to hit it with a few coats of primer spaced out maybe even a day between before I paint anything.

I'll probably be sanding all day today now. I've got to do it all by hand with small sheets of sandpaper otherwise I'd just blow out the caulk and create an even bigger problem. I knew the caulk was a bad idea. Should have went with wood putty.

Oh well.

At least I should have pretty much perfect 90 degree angles when it's done instead of any peaks and valleys that caulk can leave after it dries.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Thursday, February 29, 2024 5:19 PM

BRENDA


Back and done for today. Rough morning at mah jong was close to winds and dragons twice but couldn't get rid of one tile for either hand. Though I did finish with over 4,000points this morning.

Bought another umbrella today but I didn't need. However I think I will tomorrow.

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Thursday, February 29, 2024 10:22 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


I did not sand everything. No way. I could get to the bottom 3 steps easily from the floor in a decent position to do that intricate work, but there's no way I was going to be situating myself on a step in awkward positions to get the higher ones.

Turns out I might not have had to though. It appears that after a bajillion coats, the top 3 steps finally got covered. If cracks do develop in them at this point, it will be less than the last time. At least I'm seeing progression at this point.

I really scuffed those bottom three down super smooth on the steps and the risers and hit it with primer. Then I put some finish paint on them. They appear to be good, at least now. I'm going to hit all the caulk with another coat before bed. Hopefully when I wake up in the morning I can finally make the decision to put the final coat of white paint up, and maybe I'll be more enthused about getting the final coat of paint on the overlook too.


I really want to just get this stairway done so I can move on to the next project at this point. I'm probably not going to be doing anything else in the basement until I get that generator plug outside. It's fine if I clean and sand down that baseboard that will go on the halfway points of the walls in that room, but I don't even want to bother putting that up until I know at least I have a good generator situation. I'll also be getting another circuit down in the crawlspace so I can get a 2nd well installed too. I'll probably have to wait until summer to actually do that when the water table is low, but I can at least get the electric set up for it in the meantime.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Friday, March 1, 2024 1:03 PM

BRENDA


Out in the rain to get things done.

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Friday, March 1, 2024 1:47 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Haven't started anything yet today. Not really in the mood, tbh.

Got that nagging guilt feeling about it though. I might end up forcing myself into it at some point.

Got a few cracks in the caulk on those bottom steps I sanded, but it looks like the top 3 finally got the coverage they needed. If nothing else, I'm sure I'll get around to putting another coat on all that caulk today.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Friday, March 1, 2024 3:59 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Looks like a blizzard is dumping a lot of snow on the Sierras. We'll probably have a close-to-normal wet season as a result.
Since last year was almost twice normal, we should be go to go for this year, water wise.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Friday, March 1, 2024 5:28 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Looks like a blizzard is dumping a lot of snow on the Sierras. We'll probably have a close-to-normal wet season as a result.
Since last year was almost twice normal, we should be go to go for this year, water wise.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM







That's good SIG. There's been a lot of snow in the mountains in BC over the last week and Washington State. So here's hoping we are okay too.

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Friday, March 1, 2024 5:29 PM

BRENDA


Got back a while ago and done for today. Got some supper as I ate the last of my left overs last night.

Also got a call from a friend to exchange Christmas presents on Monday. *L* Yes, you read that right. It's okay. As long as it is getting done before either of our birthdays.

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Friday, March 1, 2024 11:25 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


I'm finally getting my feet back under me. Steroids really threw me for a loop, and I hadn't been breathing or sleeping well for a few months.

Now I have a ginormous list of "things to do" that are so random... take dear daughter out for brunch (I promised) ... get that proposal from a contractor... look into food allergy testing for both of us ... bird dog my pathology report ... more yardwork... taxes ... kind of defies categorization. I'm trying to list them all so I don't forget them

Onward thru the fog.



-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Saturday, March 2, 2024 1:47 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Glad you're feeling better Sigs.

Make that to-do list, but don't go crazy with it. The work ain't going anywhere.



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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Saturday, March 2, 2024 1:09 PM

BRENDA


My to do list is short for today. Just my laundry done in a bit and the go for a walk before it decides to rain on me.

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Saturday, March 2, 2024 2:31 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Feelin' it today.

Got that caulk painted again, and I've moved on to the overlook.

Changing tacks on it for what I'm hoping is the final coat and I'm doing it in stages instead of trying to get everything done at once. Even in the cool temps of my house, this high-gloss paint is very unforgiving and just doesn't give you enough time to get a nice even sheen if you're trying to do too many things with it at once.

So right now I've painted everything between the face of the trim stopping just at the surface of the two boards with the poles from end to end on both the kitchen and the basement sides. I'm going to let that dry and set up a bit before moving onto the next phase which is hitting all the caulked holes around the poles and thinning the paint up the poles and painting the surface of those two boards while I do it. Final phase will be painting all of the poles without getting paint on the caulked holes or the surface of the two boards. I think this will make for a much nicer and shinier finish coat.

To be honest, the bottom board didn't look bad the way I did it before, but the top one was definitely spotty in between the poles and almost looked "dry" in spots when the light is shining on it. Hopefully doing it this way fixes that issue.



After that it's one final coat on all the risers and trim for the stairs. If things go well I should finally be painting the steps tomorrow. That is if I'm not helping out my buddy with a project. Not sure if I'm doing that tomorrow or Sunday.

ETA: LOL... whoops. Tomorrow is Sunday. 2nd weekend in a row I'm losing track of days. We're not doing it this weekend, so my day is free. I might help him out sometime this week.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Saturday, March 2, 2024 5:00 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


I think that's going to do it. It seems to be drying quite nicely right now. All that's left is painting the poles themselves.

I think I'm going to take the extra time and effort to only do one pole at a time, so I'll be going up and down the stairs quite a bit to paint both sides of all 19 of them. Looking great though.

If I paint the risers and the trim for the stairs, I'm also going to paint the surface of the trim for the overlook on both sides as well. I actually had 2 spots of damage to the finished trim on the kitchen side that I hit as I went along (I'm sure it was from installing those poles), and I used my little trim brush that I've been doing the overlook with to hit all the spackle on the basement side of the trim. I'd like one more solid and uniform application on both of them.

We'll see how much light I have when the poles are done. I might wait until tomorrow on that.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Saturday, March 2, 2024 5:29 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Glad you're feeling better Sigs.

Make that to-do list, but don't go crazy with it. The work ain't going anywhere.


.



HAHA! Don't I know it!

Definitely not gonna go crazy on that list. My worry is that so many oddball things accumulated over the past few weeks (months?) that something important will slip my mind. So writing them down as they occur to me, bc my memory is for shit and always has been.
Like dad used to say:
My memory is excellent.
It's just short.


-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Saturday, March 2, 2024 5:34 PM

BRENDA


Back and done for today. Was cold when I went out but not too bad when I got in. At least it is dry for now.

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Saturday, March 2, 2024 7:56 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Only 4 poles away from finishing that damned overlook.

Boy, what a job that was.

I'll have to paint the faces of the trim one final coat when I do the risers and trim on the stairs, but that will be for another day. I'm not working until 10PM again tonight.



So I still got this stairway project jamming me up, but at least the overlook will be done for good in about an hour.

I'll save pics for when the trim is painted.

--------------------------------------------------

Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Sunday, March 3, 2024 12:21 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Only 4 poles away from finishing that damned overlook.

Boy, what a job that was.

I'll have to paint the faces of the trim one final coat when I do the risers and trim on the stairs, but that will be for another day. I'm not working until 10PM again tonight.



So I still got this stairway project jamming me up, but at least the overlook will be done for good in about an hour.

I'll save pics for when the trim is painted.

--------------------------------------------------

Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.


Good job!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Sunday, March 3, 2024 12:26 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Well, dear daughter was soooo anxious to try out this all-day brunch place she got a flyer for, we went with my friend from the foothills.

Altho I can't taste anything I think my food was well prepared, and everyone was happy with what they got. So altho from my POV it's kind of a waste of time and money I'm glad that dear daughter and friend had a nice time.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Sunday, March 3, 2024 10:52 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Only 4 poles away from finishing that damned overlook.

Boy, what a job that was.

I'll have to paint the faces of the trim one final coat when I do the risers and trim on the stairs, but that will be for another day. I'm not working until 10PM again tonight.



So I still got this stairway project jamming me up, but at least the overlook will be done for good in about an hour.

I'll save pics for when the trim is painted.

--------------------------------------------------

Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.


Good job!



Thanks! Finally!

Yanno... I love painting, but putting the finishing touches on that thing was just not something I really enjoyed doing all that much. If I were using a paint that was more forgiving I'm sure it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but you really didn't have any time before it starting setting up on you, and if you drag the brush back over a spot that had started doing that, you get a really icky finish.

But it did force me to look at the job differently and try another approach. That 4 step approach worked wonders and allowed me to put a clean finish on all of the surfaces with no spots that look dull.

By far though, the worst part of that job was caulking the poles in. Once that was done the rest of it was not too bad.


In arguably even better news, I woke up this morning to not one single crack in the paint job on any of the caulk on the stairs. It only took a bajillion applications of paint to finally cover that, but we're finally there.

I'm going to begin my day now by putting one final coat on all the risers and trim, and one more coat on that caulk for good measure.

After that I'll get cleaned up and run some errands while that's drying.

Before I paint the steps, I need to get in those corners and scuff sand all that high gloss paint without taking any off that caulk, and I need to scuff sand the backs of the steps where they meet the risers too. I don't want any peeling action happening over time after I've gotten this far. Once that's cleaned up I can begin painting the steps themselves.

Not sure if I'm going to start painting them, tonight or not, but I really want to push myself to at least get that all sanded down and cleaned up so I can begin on the steps right away without worrying about the other steps.

We're almost there.


ETA: Oh... and boy... I really need to get around to fixing the risers and trim going up to the 2nd floor. That's a job I started about 11 or 12 years ago and never bothered finishing. Like anything else, it didn't look bad before because everything else surrounding it looked absolutely terrible, but now the unfinished job is glaring. I'm not sure if you noticed what I'm talking about on any of my previous pictures. There was some damage done to the paint the the risers (probably from my clumsy feet or hitting them with furniture when I was moving things around my house by myself). But I also got stain on the trim along the wall too and never went in with my paint and cut that back in so it was gone. I'll probably try to sand that all off by hand before putting a finish coat up there too.

That all may have to wait until later though. Our weather is finally turning for the better here, and there are more pressing issues I need to address that can be done now. I don't see any upcoming days in the next month that are below 40 degrees, with quite a few in the 50s or higher.

--------------------------------------------------

Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Sunday, March 3, 2024 10:59 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Well, dear daughter was soooo anxious to try out this all-day brunch place she got a flyer for, we went with my friend from the foothills.

Altho I can't taste anything I think my food was well prepared, and everyone was happy with what they got. So altho from my POV it's kind of a waste of time and money I'm glad that dear daughter and friend had a nice time.



Sounds like a good time.

Shame about the smell/taste for you though. Are you supposed to get that back when everything heals?

How you breathing now?

--------------------------------------------------

Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Sunday, March 3, 2024 1:37 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Well, dear daughter was soooo anxious to try out this all-day brunch place she got a flyer for, we went with my friend from the foothills.

Altho I can't taste anything I think my food was well prepared, and everyone was happy with what they got. So altho from my POV it's kind of a waste of time and money I'm glad that dear daughter and friend had a nice time.



Sounds like a good time.

Shame about the smell/taste for you though. Are you supposed to get that back when everything heals?

How you breathing now?

--------------------------------------------------

Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.



My nose is so damaged and scarred inside from repeated ... whatever it is that's going on in there ... I don't think I'll ever get it back. Not even a little. I don't ask about that anymore. Makes me sad bc I used to have a better sense of smell and taste than everyone. People called me the "human bloodhound". I could have been a chef or a wine taster.

But at least I can breathe thru my right nostril reliably all night long, which means I can sleep pretty well. The left is still constricted, not sure why, but I think Dr ENT will take care of that at my follow-up surgery/debridement in a couple of weeks.

All in all, a big improvement over how things were a month ago!


Oh BTW I read the online pathology report. I recognized a couple of words and looked up some possible diagnoses - all bizarre and rare- but realized it was all way above my pay grade. So I decided not to dx myself (which is something I've been doing for the family for decades, especially with the weird shit that goes on here.)

After listening to my surgeon, gonna shop the path report to my oncologist and my rheumatologist and see if they can arrive at a dx or two. While they're busy with that, gonna just stay as healthy as possible and keep living my life and meeting my responsibilities. But myself a nice outfit or two for going out, and some makeup.


-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Sunday, March 3, 2024 1:47 PM

BRENDA


Lazy Sunday around me with a sore left shoulder. Going to stick myself in a hot shower and see if that will help it.

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Sunday, March 3, 2024 2:00 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.



Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Only 4 poles away from finishing that damned overlook.
Boy, what a job that was.
I'll have to paint the faces of the trim one final coat when I do the risers and trim on the stairs, but that will be for another day. I'm not working until 10PM again tonight.
So I still got this stairway project jamming me up, but at least the overlook will be done for good in about an hour.
I'll save pics for when the trim is painted.

*****

SIGNY: Good job!

*****

SIX: Thanks! Finally!

Yanno... I love painting, but putting the finishing touches on that thing was just not something I really enjoyed doing all that much. If I were using a paint that was more forgiving I'm sure it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but you really didn't have any time before it starting setting up on you, and if you drag the brush back over a spot that had started doing that, you get a really icky finish.

But it did force me to look at the job differently and try another approach. That 4 step approach worked wonders and allowed me to put a clean finish on all of the surfaces with no spots that look dull.

By far though, the worst part of that job was caulking the poles in. Once that was done the rest of it was not too bad.

In arguably even better news, I woke up this morning to not one single crack in the paint job on any of the caulk on the stairs. It only took a bajillion applications of paint to finally cover that, but we're finally there.

I'm going to begin my day now by putting one final coat on all the risers and trim, and one more coat on that caulk for good measure.

After that I'll get cleaned up and run some errands while that's drying.

Before I paint the steps, I need to get in those corners and scuff sand all that high gloss paint without taking any off that caulk, and I need to scuff sand the backs of the steps where they meet the risers too. I don't want any peeling action happening over time after I've gotten this far. Once that's cleaned up I can begin painting the steps themselves.

Not sure if I'm going to start painting them, tonight or not, but I really want to push myself to at least get that all sanded down and cleaned up so I can begin on the steps right away without worrying about the other steps.

We're almost there.

ETA: Oh... and boy... I really need to get around to fixing the risers and trim going up to the 2nd floor. That's a job I started about 11 or 12 years ago and never bothered finishing. Like anything else, it didn't look bad before because everything else surrounding it looked absolutely terrible, but now the unfinished job is glaring. I'm not sure if you noticed what I'm talking about on any of my previous pictures. There was some damage done to the paint the the risers (probably from my clumsy feet or hitting them with furniture when I was moving things around my house by myself). But I also got stain on the trim along the wall too and never went in with my paint and cut that back in so it was gone. I'll probably try to sand that all off by hand before putting a finish coat up there too.

That all may have to wait until later though. Our weather is finally turning for the better here, and there are more pressing issues I need to address that can be done now. I don't see any upcoming days in the next month that are below 40 degrees, with quite a few in the 50s or higher.



I'm not sure I "love" painting, but I do enjoy it when I'm not having to rush, or in an awkward/ painful position. It can be almost meditative, and very satisfying to see a good result. When hubby was making furniture he did the woodworking and I did the finishing. Not with paint, but things like polyurethane, or polyurethane/tung oil, or varnish, tung oil, or wood wax. I also painted several of our rooms.

But I hate the way most paints work. Maybe bc the paints they are allowed to sell here are extremely low solvent. There's almost no "open time" ... time that you can rework a surface ... so it better go on right the first time. I found I absolutely need the right brushes and rollers for the right surface to get a good finish. Would absolutely love to get back to painting.

Also might try a different paint: milk paint mixed with tung oil. I used it in a couple of small projects and it dries like concrete. The only problem is it leaves a rough gritty surface and needs to be sanded afterwards.

But that will happen once I get the yardwork past the landscaping and cleanup stage and to a "maintenance" stage.

We had a rain event a week or so ago, and I checked how my little "stream bed" is working, and it is absolutely carrying water away from the downspout and around the base of the oak tree mound. No sign of that mysterious thirst hole!?

Time to finish rebuilding the stone "wall" and laying down more builder's paper weed barrier. Still a bit beyond me bc not supposed to be bending over or lifting heavy things -ENT doesn't want me to pop blood vessels in my nose ... but fortunately dear daughter is quite strong. I'll see what I can do. The more paper I lay down, the fewer weeds I'll have to contend with later.

Looking forward to getting back to it.



-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Sunday, March 3, 2024 3:41 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Heh... Yeah. Painting is usually very meditative for me. I love it.

But this high-gloss has a very short window of "open time" as you call it. No problem at all when you're painting individual pieces of trim on horses in prep for cutting and putting things up, but the more intricate the work is the harder it is to get a good coat on there. I thought doing windows (and jambs and trim and the reveal) was difficult, but the overlook was a whole different level. But like I said, I appear to have figured that one out by doing the painting in stages. That's something I'm going to carry over with me to windows in the future as well.

And you can't even imagine the bad positions I've had to put myself in prolonged periods of time to paint that overlook and these steps. It doesn't help that when I'm on a roll I tend to work into as late as the wee hours of the morning.



Anyhow... I'm putting off the errands until tomorrow. The white paint is finished (for now). I'm going to clean some stuff up and get myself prepared for putting the first coat of paint on the steps after the white has enough drying time to scuff sand the tops of the steps and clean that up. I've got to make sure I don't leave myself anything I need to do in the basement until tomorrow, and even then I'm going to have to keep that necessary traffic down to a minimum after step surface paint begins to go down until everything has a chance to cure.

Heh... I'm so glad that overlook is finally done, but had I to do it all over again I would have done those steps first so I could slide through the overlook onto my step ladder instead of using the painted stairs.

Oh well.



Good luck with your own projects Sigs. I'm glad to see you're feeling up to tackling them again and that you're breathing right out of at least one side.



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Sunday, March 3, 2024 9:07 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Well.... As much as the idea repulses me, I had to rely on tape to get the steps done. While I was sitting/laying/in and uncomfortable position no matter how I sanded the high-gloss off of the steps, I came to the conclusion there was zero chance I could cut those steps in freehand and make them look good.

So I'm putting my faith in blue tape to not only keep the paint from sucking up underneath it anywhere, but also that it's not going to rip off my white paint when I remove it.

*sigh*

I'm not using tape to do the rounded fronts of the steps though, and with my 1 1/2" trim brush I'm doing a pretty fantastic job on those so far.

But now I've locked myself in for a really long night for sure.

I'm cutting in the corners and the fronts without putting the paint down on the main steps as if I were cutting in a wall to the ceiling. I don't know where I came up with that idea, but it just kind of evolved into that while I was working. Maybe I got it from the idea to do the overlook in stages instead of all at once?

I'm going to cut everything in twice and then paint the tops of the steps once with my 3" brush.

The reason I'm doing this is because I'm confident that 2 cut ins will be all that I need around the periphery, and I want to remove that tape ASAP. Even though I'm still being really careful and not just slopping paint on because there is tape up there, I don't want that drying overnight because there's a good chance if I did that I would screw up the paint job if I took the tape off tomorrow. If I take the tape off after two back to back coats, it should pull off cleanly without ruining my brown stair paint.

Fingers crossed that the tape did its job. I know that I'm doing mine to the best of my abilities.

At least one thing is REALLY going in my favor right now though. That's the fact that I decided not to do high-gloss paint on the steps even though it would be super-washable. I didn't use it because of the slippery factor, but this semi-gloss sheen is about 100 times easier to paint with and has a lot of "open time" compared to that almost "chunky" high-gloss paint.



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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Sunday, March 3, 2024 10:29 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Man... I'm so glad it was 60 degrees outside the last two days.

Laying on that cold tile floor to cut in the rounded fronts of the last few steps is NOT FUN!!!



Got just the bottom step to cut in the first coat.

Second coat should go quite a bit quicker, but not too quick since the bottom few steps will still need to dry before I can be sitting and/or laying or whatever I need to do to get in the oddball positions I need to do all this various cutting.

Assuming the painters tape didn't screw me, these things are going to look practically done by the end of the work night tonight. My 3" Purdy brush puts on a much thicker coat than this cheapo 1 1/2" trim brush, so even though the tops are only getting one coat tonight when I plan on doing 2 more, the imperfections from that probably won't even show up on my camera.

Fingers crossed that tape does me right, because it's really looking pretty great already.



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Sunday, March 3, 2024 11:33 PM

BRENDA


Had rain most of the day around me but that was okay.

Guess it will be rain tomorrow as well and for now I am organized for tomorrow.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 2:19 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


That damned tape...

I'll eventually have some touch ups to do now. I HATE using painters tape because it just sucks at its only job. I didn't pull off any of my paint because I know how to prep and my paint wasn't going anywhere, but sure enough, paint got behind it like it always does because it sucks. It ain't like I'm using cheap stuff either. That's one of the few things I don't cheap out on in life.

Most of it's good, but there are a lot of bad spots. Most people probably wouldn't even notice it if I didn't point it out to them, but it just kills me to put that much work into something and leave it looking like that. At least the stuff on the side of the wall is almost perfect. You wouldn't notice it at all from upstairs. It's only when you're in the basement and looking at where the steps meet the risers where there were real problems.

I'm going to be at it all day with artist paint brushes...

I've got the surface of one more step to do now but I needed a break. I was basically trapped down there since I can climb out with my step ladder on that 2nd step, but there was no way I was going to get back down without messing up the paint job once I went up. So I'll hit that and clean up and it should still be before 2 AM anyway.

I'm not doing any work tomorrow. I want to let that cure for at least a day before putting the 2nd coat on it. I'm sure my body is going to be wrecked anyway with all those weird positions I had to put it in when I was cutting in. Especially all that time sitting and laying on the cold tile floor.

I'll have pics soonish. The pics I took before I went upstairs suck because the paint is still wet to varying degrees on the steps and when I take a pic after doing that last step it's going to be pretty dark because I turned the basement lights off before I went upstairs.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 11:13 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Ugggghhhhh....

Yeah. I'm in pain.

I don't even know what I'm doing up right now. A nap is certainly on the menu for today.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 12:30 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by JAYNEZTOWN:
This is a Soviet Marxist Sodom and Gomorrah 'Supreme' circus


please take it all so serious


Salem



Night Court - the Speedy Case



Duckman



Election - Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves



TNG



One Piece



Talyns End



She-Hulk



Tales Crypt - The Third Pig



Law & Order






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Monday, March 4, 2024 1:21 PM

BRENDA


Got snow last night but I have things to do. Like get my taxes done and meet a friend for lunch.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 1:27 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Taxes suck, but enjoy the lunch Brenda.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 1:41 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Picture time!


Whoops... I thought this was the before pic from when I had to take that top step off so I could get it down to the right height and flush with the 1st floor. Apparently this was the after pic. I remember taking this one now just to show how much dust I was kicking up to the 1st floor. That obviously wasn't from sanding the steps, so I can't remember now even what all that dust was from. That may have been from sanding all the patchwork on the ceiling.

But you can see just how gross that bare wood was before I started.


Grimy, gross and terribly built. You can see on the left side the gaps I needed to caulk.


Pretty sure I've shown this one before. I'm really glad I take all these pics because those disease infested steps are otherwise only a memory now.


I think I showed this pic before too. Showing how bad the steps and risers were installed. Unfortunately, without ripping it all out and buying and cutting new pieces some of the steps go out further than other ones do, but it's never tripped me up and I don't think anybody would even notice it if it weren't pointed out to them.

Hell... I don't think that I even noticed it after all these years until I was lying on the ground painting them.




The finished overlook after I put the final coat on the other day.


The 1st coat of paint on the steps after I woke up this morning. I won't be cutting in anymore, but I'll put another coat or two on the tops just for longevity even though this paint covers really well with my good brush.

No pics from the bottom today unfortunately though. I'm going to let it cure until tomorrow morning before walking on them again.


And here's a cool shot from up in the kitchen through the overlook:





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Monday, March 4, 2024 3:45 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


One more pic...

I managed to snap one from a weird angle from upon the upper staircase.



I can't wait to get a few coats on that and finally put my restored vents in place.



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Monday, March 4, 2024 3:55 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Wow, that is some seriously fine work, SIX!

My only concern is stairstep paint durability. The paints in our region aren't very durable. Maybe you have access to better paint than we do. I mean, people literally across our county line can get different paints than we can. But around here the only ones that stand up to that kind of wear and tear are AFAIK epoxy paints. If it turns out you need to repaint the steps, go with nonslip epoxy.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Monday, March 4, 2024 6:01 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Been reading about that storm that whalloped northern and central CA, cause we haven't seen any of that here.

The northern sierra snowpack jumped from 78% to 85% about six days ago, and from 85% to 101% in just the past two days.

Unfortunately when I tried acessing the site just now I get an internal server error so I can't get the latest update for central Sierras but IIRC went from 75% to about 85%. I think we're good for the year!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Monday, March 4, 2024 6:36 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Taxes suck, but enjoy the lunch Brenda.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.




They do indeed. But they are out of my hair now. So yay! Had a good lunch with my friend and exchange of Christmas gifts. *L* Even got a nice walk around the mall we were in looking at the Easter stuff.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 6:38 PM

BRENDA


Back and done for today. The sun is out and most of the snow is gone which is good.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 7:51 PM

BRENDA


Funny thing happened in a dollar store today. My friend saw some Easter containers for putting treats into that were shaped like poop. She mentioned and I said, "Yeah, I saw them but wasn't going to say anything."

The really funny thing was when she got to the containers that she said were jelly beaned shaped and I called them kidney shaped. She was not impressed with me as she said, "Why would the Easter bunny bring things in something kidney shaped."

My response, "Well, that is what they look like to me."

We both got a good laugh out of each incidents.

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Monday, March 4, 2024 9:20 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Wow, that is some seriously fine work, SIX!



Thank you.

Quote:

My only concern is stairstep paint durability. The paints in our region aren't very durable. Maybe you have access to better paint than we do. I mean, people literally across our county line can get different paints than we can. But around here the only ones that stand up to that kind of wear and tear are AFAIK epoxy paints. If it turns out you need to repaint the steps, go with nonslip epoxy.



It's probably the same with my paint. This isn't the most expensive paint in the world for sure, and it wasn't labeled as floor paint. I know there's no way this would hold up to heavy traffic, and I wouldn't even want to be walking frequently on it barefoot.

I bought those stair tread carpet things to put on top of them when they cure. I think I mentioned I got them on clearance a while back, and then they went on sale for an extra .50 off and I got the money back on them. So I paid $2.49 each when they normally were $6.00 each. At first I had bought enough to put one on the tile floor and wrap all the way up to the 2nd floor, but I went back and bought 10 extras in case they wear out over time.

They're big. I think they were 8" x 34". They cover probably 7/8ths of the step front to back, and there's so little showing on the sides that somebody would have to go out of their way to get their grubby paws on the sides of them.



I had to do a similar solution out in the porch where I painted the floor too (even though that probably is only temporary). I got my grandma's old oriental rug covering most of the floor and a big welcome mat inside the door from the outside with a smaller one at the door into the kitchen.


With those pads I imagine this paint will hold up well. That's what all the prep work is about. If I didn't spend such a crazy long time preparing the steps before working on them I'd probably only get a year or two before it started peeling off with or without carpet pads.




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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 12:06 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Snowpocalypse on a high mountain pass in CA.

Even if you don't normally look at X posts, you really should see the video. I'd hate to be there. You'd need to be well- supplied to survive this for a day or two.

https://twitter.com/TheLastMohicans/status/1764342680652595411/mediaVi
ewer



Quote:

"There are some areas in the highest elevations that could still see 10-12 feet," Alan Reppert, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist, told USA TODAY.


-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM



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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 12:43 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Thunderstorms here, apparently. I didn't know that until I heard them. Looks like they could be severe too.

Glad I heard them because I was actually thinking about spending a quick half hour to put down a second coat of paint on those steps since I'm still up and I'm sure it's been long enough.

The last thing I want to do is trap myself out of the basement and not have access to the crawlspace in case the power goes out and I need to get the genny started.


Bummer...


ETA: Wow... looks like 1/2" of rain we're going to get in the next 3 hours.

That's like a month or two of rain by you usually Sigs, ain't it?
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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 10:38 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


LOL... What a non-event.

We got some rain and there was some boomage going on, but hardly the wind storm with possible tornadoes they were talking about. I could have painted the steps last night.

Oh well...

We'll get them done first thing today and then I've got a house to clean.



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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 1:07 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Probably better I didn't paint the steps last night. I was going to start on them earlier but thought better of it and decided to do the touchups of the white on the risers and trim first. I'm probably spending too much time on it trying to make things perfect when it's an impossible task, but it's worth it. From a regular distance that people's eyes would be at you're not going to notice any imperfections now. It's only when your face is right up on it like when you're painting that you could see anything. The biggest and most important things to take care of are the inside corners where the risers and trim meet the step and the very ends of the risers on the other side where the stairs end, although that part of it probably wouldn't matter all that much once a banister is installed.

Like you could see from the last pic I uploaded yesterday, the camera doesn't even catch these imperfections, but even from a distance they were noticeable to the naked eye. I'm just about done with it now. I decided to take a break because I really had to clean off my artist brush. That high-gloss just gets so clumpy so quick and its really noticeable with such a small brush.

Once that's done I'll paint the surfaces of the steps again and move on to errands and housecleaning. I think I'll give it until Thursday morning to dry again and put on one final coat and that will be it for the steps.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 1:25 PM

BRENDA


Out soon on a sunny but cold day. Need a refill on my seizure meds and some groceries.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:18 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Work on the stairs done for the day. Just one more coat to go and then some long curing time before I can put those treads down.

No huge deal, just no walking on the stairs with shoes for a month or two, and regular cleaning to make sure there's no crap on there that could scratch it under my feet until then.

I think that paint will last me a very, very long time with those treads on there. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll actually put an actual carpet runner down the center of it, but I'd have to be sure there was never going to be a water issue again before I bothered with that.

Probably Thursday on that last coat. I might see about going to my friend's to help him tonight or tomorrow night since we didn't get together over the weekend.

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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:52 PM

BRENDA


Back and done for today. Little cold out but dry with some sun.

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