Floor Show Begins

Today I laid the first coat of Estapol 2008 on the bedroom and office.  The project began several days ago when I began sanding the two rooms.  Much plaster had been dropped on the floors from the ceiling and wall work and it had to all be removed because the slightest hint of white plaster would show through the varnish.  Working on my knees with a belt sander took care of the surface contamination but I then had to put much work into removing many tiny particles of plaster from between the tongue and groove boards.  On Friday I inspected approximately 300 nails and drove down any that were at floor level, then filled every nail hole with wood filler. The next day I sanded the floors.  After much vacuum cleaning I left the house on Saturday ready to begin work on this Monday morning.

Holes filled in, ready for sanding

Laying down the first coat

I started work this morning with a proper paint bucket, measuring cups, disposable gloves, good quality brushes that I would throw away after one use, etc.  The mixing was very important: Part A and Part B in a ratio of 1:1.  It all worked out very well.  I was bothered a bit by tiny bits of white plaster showing up here and there but managed to deal with them.  The fumes were powerful, but my respirator mask seemed to block them out nicely.  Each floor took about 3.5 hours work using a 2" brush.  Just as I was finishing Reg showed up at about 3.30 PM and we had a beer on the verandah.  The fumes bothered him greatly, causing a burning sensation in his throat and causing him to cough, so he stayed inside the house only long enough to grab his beer from the refrigerator.

I will return tomorrow to lay the second coat, which must be laid between 6 and 24 hours after the first coat. 

I'm including photographs of the fish pond with its water lilies still flowering at the beginning of winter, and a Kookaburra that perched on my telephone line while I was having a cup of tea on the verandah.

Visiting Kookaburra (a Kingfisher)

Kookaburra just to right of verandah post