Veranda Finished

I am pleased (and relieved) to report that the veranda restoration project has been completed.

3 Stages of Floor Treatment

Overhead Timbers Also Painted

Phase 1 was the sanding and repainting of the veranda posts, rails, and overhead beams.  For good measure I also repainted the heavy beams supporting the veranda.  The sanding effort took two days because the remnants of the ivy that had overgrown the veranda even into the ceiling had to be removed.  Working a belt sander for hours in the vertical position was a challenge.

After the Christmas break I began Phase 2, the refurbishment of the veranda floor.  The main problem was that the old wax had to be scraped off by hand along the perimeter of the house which had been protected from the sun and rain.  This took 2 days of work that was very hard on the hands.  The outer 2/3 of the floor was bare of wax due to the weathering and did not require scraping.

Then I began working with the belt sanders.  I sacrificed about 8 belts that became quickly clogged by the remnants of the old wax that I had not been able to scrape off.  One photo shows three stages of the process: weathered bare wood at the top left, old wax at the top right, and the wood after sanding in the foreground. It's amazing how the jarrah came back to life after a light sanding.

Red Color Restored After Light Sanding

2 Trailer Loads of Free Bricks

Free Dining Chairs

The veranda had not been waxed since before my departure on the circumnavigation in 2008.  The "Verstain" wax is longer available so the sanding work was to prepare for a modern deck oil.  I used  "Cuprinol" brand true oil-based treatment rather than the water-based "oils" available on the market.  The Cuprinol had a moderate level of jarrah stain.  Its pleasant smell told me that is was basically linseed oil.

The temperature during two days of the sanding was over 100F,  with one of those days exceeding 105F.  The other days were in the high 90's and somewhat humid.  That was bad for me, but great for the floor because the boards were dry, warm, and hungry for the oil.

 

The decking was in remarkably good condition considering that I had laid it down before 1980, a full 35 years ago when I was baby in my 30's.  All of the nails were still tight and the jarrah timbers were solid and strong even at the outer ends that had been exposed to the weather.

At the end of the decking work my back was sore but intact.  It wasn't helped by the transportation on short notice of 2 trailer loads of bricks given away for free by a neighbor of Brenda and Stephen just after Christmas.  I had to take them immediately or they would be gone.  The bricks match the driveway very well, and I will use them one day to build a brick path between the back of the house and the steps leading to the garage and carport.  

That same neighbor (Mark) had 4 dining room chairs on his verge free for  the taking.  In their setting beside the road they looked rather flamboyant with their red fabric but I figured that they would present well on the reddish jarrah floor of the veranda.  The photo shows the result.

Bob the Builder