Front Door Project Completed

Before (L) Stripped (C) Completed (R)

I knew this project would be challenging. I just didn't know how challenging. I am super happy with the end result.

The photo to the left shows the door in its before state. Full of dirt and grime and very dark with seriously messed up lacquer.

The middle shows the door completely stripped. I believe it is oak.

The right pane is the stained, polyurethaned and cleaned finished door.

The stained, polyurethaned and cleaned door.

Here's the completed door in a photo on its own.

I decided on a mahogany stain. I wanted it somewhat red but not as dark as the trim inside the house. I used a rag to do two passes with the stain.

The inside side of the door is definitely a lot darker but it is in good condition and don't feel I need to tackle that.

There are three coats of outdoor polyurethane. It was rainy during the sealing steps so it tool longer to get all three coats on.

Detail of the window panes

The biggest challenge were the 12 panes of glass. There is an inset or gap around each pane of glass. I still don't know how this is achieved. Cleaning up that gap took the most effort and time. I ended up using skewers (basically toothpicks), a toothbrush and several passes to get it out. It isn't perfect but it is definitely much better.

A similar process had to occur when applying the stain and then the polyurethane. I didn't want an accumulation of product or I would be back where it all started.

The windows got a few scratches from my cleanup and I cracked one with the heat gun. I hope to polish them out...the crack is gonna have to be what it is.

My first day at the hardware store

I have started part-time employment at my neighborhood hardware store. It is a national chain with several franchises here in the Twin Cities.

I spent a few hours last week doing on-line training. Today was my first day in the actual store. I was assigned as a cashier and shadowed a very friendly associate for a few minutes before turning the roles and he shadowed me.

The store is definitely a neighborhood kind of place where most people walk to the store and purchase smaller items. My largest sale in my 5 hour shift was for $95. And that was for a single item.

There were several house account customers. Mostly local apartment building types looking to purchase small repair project items.

The store is very busy with these small sale transactions but most interesting (and confusing) to me were the number of returns. Nearly every other transaction involved a return. I'm still not sure I got the process down completely because there a variety of steps ... or it may be it just seemed that way to me.

Before my shift was over I was on my own. Thankfully there is always someone to help just a headset call away.

Also, my first day I interacted with 3 people I knew including the owner of Isles Bun and Coffee, my old ophthalmologist and a customer from Juiced Nutrition. There was a fourth customer that I know from my store but he didn't see me.

I guess I did okay because I got my schedule for the rest of the week. Now I just need to learn where everything is in the store!

Front Door Project

Making progress on one of my most difficult projects. Stripping hundred year old varnish and dirt from the front door.

The door weighs a ton and I have to take it down and put it back any time I leave and at night.

I first tried sanding off the mess but that didn't work. went on line and saw a demo using a heat gun. That worked well for the larger flat sections.

I was nervous about using the heat gun near the glass. And that proved valid. I tried and was fairly successful for a couple of panes but on the third I created a slight crack in the glass because of the heat from the gun.

I switched to stripper chemicals (citrus and 3M Safe Stripper). I've also sanded and applied post-stripper wash.

Detail of the mess around the glass panes.

Using heat gun. Pile of scrapped off varnish.

Post heat gun treatment.

Aquatennial Fireworks (short videos)

New garage door

New door

I have gone several years with a door to my garage that doesn't lock and doesn't even latch. I have never had anything stolen but there have been so many posts on the NextDoor website where people have had their garages and cars broken into that I thought it was time to replace the door.

It wasn't just the door but the jam was also messed up. I found a complete exterior door at the Habitat For Humanity's ReStoreIt store. It was the correct size and opened the correct way. It only cost $45!

The locking door knob and dead bolt cost more than the door. The project came together without too much hassle ... which is a miracle at this place.

Old door

While I was working in the backyard, I repaired a couple of sections of the patio (not pictured) and replaced the pressure-treated wood mini-retaining wall with railroad ties that I found for free on the NextDoor website.

Walker Sculpture Garden (re-open)

Cabin time

sun rise

sun set

fern cup

Grand Marais selfie

Matching t-shirts

poop eating butteflies

this year's puzzle

Uno up north

Uno was fascinated by the outdoor view

the tree that blocked our way

The last photo is of a tree that blew over in a very quick severe storm. We were headed back to the cabin from Grand Marais. We had to turn around on a very narrow road only to find that another tree had blown over the road behind us. We were trapped but while we were contacting help, someone came and moved the second tree that then allowed us to leave safely.