polyurethane, September 19

.

When we moved into this house, in 1985, every square inch of every surface needed work. Aside from the fallen-in roof of the family room, it was "all cosmetic"......

We paid someone to address the family room roof immediately, and dealt with the rest over the next year.........

At least one-person's-full-time-labor-for-a-year later, things looked pretty nice.

We had some floors refinished. By some fly-by-night rip-off artists. After a few years, the floors started to look bad again, and by now, they are awful. We haven't been able to face the whole find-someone-to-do-it, deal-with-moving-everything, deal-with-the-dust thing.

A couple of years ago I decided it would be better to give the study a lick and a promise rather than NO attention.

I sanded the floor (by hand, on my hands and knees).

Just saying -- that was not only hard but at least 80% ineffective. Probably more like 95% ineffective. Not recommended.

But I didn't move anything large and there wasn't that much dust............

I put a coat of polyurethane down, and I do believe that what I did was better than continuing to do nothing.

I meant to put down another coat last year, but what with the dog going to the doctor every week and our trip to Alaska, well, I didn't.

I figured I'd better do it this year.

I went to Ace Hardware, and got a small broom (both of our brooms had somehow become outdoor brooms) and a quart of water-based polyurethane that said it would work on floors.

Last time I did this, I smelled it as I put it down (on my hands and knees with a brush), but then didn't smell it. I should have gone to the basement for the old can and should have gotten the same kind; this one stinks more.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I came home, got organized, turned on the fan, and when I went to open the window in the study, I discovered this, between the window and the screen.

My.



On my screen, this is just a little bit over life size. It is the biggest spider I've ever seen in our house. Well, almost in our house.

I'd say it is an inch of head/body, which is a lot for a spider in this climate, especially a house spider.

It didn't move when I opened the window, even though its web was messed up (as it was partially stuck to the window).

Let's hope it didn't/doesn't come in the house..............................


I swept the floor with my cute new little broom (hoping to trap a minimum of dog hair in the polyurethane).

I put down one coat of poly, waited two hours, and put down another.

The floor looks better (wish it all looked as good as this bit, but I've carefully avoided the glare from the window, and coincidentally avoided the most beat-up parts of the floor), and surely is better protected from any liquids that may be applied to it in the near future.



But it does stink. (At the time of this writing, not yet 24 hours after the second coat........) The new carpet still stinks, and now we've added this. Sigh.

I hate exposing us and the planet to toxins. I did inquire about low-VOC products, but the person I spoke to, contrary to his organization's motto, was singularly unhelpful...................

I didn't worry too much about which polyurethane to buy, remembering last time that it basically didn't stink.

Sigh.


The fact that you so often can't make something better without making something else worse is one reason I'm much rather read a book than do housework/repairs/whatever. !!!

.