Tag Archives: deck staining

The Stain Game

So I realize that house projects have been a little non-existant lately. Sorry. We’ve got so many in our heads, but time and funds don’t work on the same timeline. Wouldn’t it be awesome if they did?

One project we Tom finally did get around to was staining the deck. I felt like we were really tempting the Weather Gods by waiting until November, but it seems like it turned out okay! We had absolutely beautiful weather in Cincinnati last weekend – upper 60s (may have even hit 70 at one point!), sun, and clear skies, so Tom high-tailed it to Lowe’s on Sunday morning to pick up deck cleaner, deck stain, and brushes. He spent the entire day working. I cheered him on from inside the house, because somebody had to keep Molly company out of trouble.

Here’s a Before pic of the deck from the summer:

boxes on railings

And After:

We used Olympic Maximum in Cedar Naturaltone. I like the way it turned out – much warmer-looking. And, no more rain soaking into the wood! The downside? It freezes on the surface! It’s going to be a fun winter navigating a slippery deck in order to potty train a puppy…. oh well! All part of the experience, right?

Now I can cross this one off the Things I’m Putting Off, But Desperately Need To Do list! Woohoo! Have you conquered a project lately that you were a little less-than-motivated to do? Here’s hoping that Pantry Reorganization comes next… (ugh).

Things I’m Putting Off, But Desperately Need To Do

1. Reorganize our pantry.

I got off to a good start at the beginning of the year, hauling home a huge amount of totes and bins from Target, but due to other members of the family not paying attention to my system (Tom, I’m looking at you), it demands a re-do. Our pantry has also become a bit of a catch-all. I don’t there’s anything too unrelated to kitchens / dining in there, but now I’m scared to look.

2. Create a filing system.

Tom and I have had separate filing methods since we got married 5 years ago. He takes care of his, and I take care of mine. And the problems with this are numerous…

– We now have a lot of joint accounts and shared assets, from savings accounts to our mortgage payments.

– We constantly lose W2 forms during tax season because they wind up all over the house.

– I use a pretty simple Banker’s box system; Tom… well, I’m still not really sure what his filing system is. But statements have turned up in some pretty random places around the house, including a drawer of our nightstands.

I have no idea where to start. As soon as I start thinking about this project, I feel completely overwhelmed. I feel like I need to take at least a week of vacation to sort it out and do it properly. Please, oh please, help me find the inspiration, determination and endurance to complete this task!!!

3. Stain the deck

While Tom will probably take the lead on this one, I should probably offer my services. At least to pick out a nice stain color 😉

We’re waiting for the weather to cool down before tackling this one, but then I see college football and Bengals games eating up our weekend afternoons…

4. Seal the driveway

There’s been some debate recently about how important this one is. Do we really need to seal our driveway? I guess it would help it last longer, because the last thing we want to do is pay thousands to have it re-poured in a few years. Thoughts? Any tips on driveway sealing?

What tasks are you putting off? Let’s inspire each other to conquer them!