Today, I'm writing about my SO. He has been immersed in a project that has become larger than he anticipated, I'm afraid. It (the project) probably seemed doable at the time he made the decision to make this a DIY project. Who would have thought that sanding, staining, and varnishing teak and mahogany pieces of wood would become so time-consuming, challenging and perplexing?
To his credit, he approached this task with the same dogged determination and attention to detail that he displays with any project he tackles. Most of the initial, major sanding was done off-site because we currently do not have the proper facility to manage large quantities of sanding dust. After the wood was prepared and he brought the pieces home to our tiny basement area, he did his homework and found the stain color that was the closest match, as well as procuring the highest quality marine varnish he could locate. Next came the actual staining, which was relatively quick and easy.
Now to the challenging part - varnishing. The varnish application process has been a work in progress, with lots of learning curves along the way. Unfortunately, for both of us, he discovered.....a little late into the game.....that regular household dust was a problem. I do not know what other mere mortals' homes are like but ours is most definitely not a no-dust zone. If it were, I'd do a fraction of the sneezing and nose-blowing that I do. Just being alive and moving produces dust, enough so that if the sunlight is just right, you can see all of the dust particles that naturally swirl around each living 'thing'.
This dust issue wasn't evident to him, initially. It took a number of varnish coats to realize that dust particles do, indeed, show up big-time on freshly varnished wood - especially in the right light. It was then that he became highly aware of the dust particles' effect on a fresh coat of varnish and began utilizing the vacuum sweeper and special dust-prevention tools.
Even now, after he thoroughly vacuums the work-space area, the vigilance required to keep dust to a minimum is huge. And, all of this effort in a home that has plenty of naturally-occurring dust, cat hair, cat dander, and other minute particles that routinely float about in the air.
Since there will be about ten coats of varnish in all, perhaps we should install a vacuum chamber that would suck all of the dust from our garments before we enter the condo. This might also remove other items from our bodies (guests' as well) such as fabric and hair, which could lead to interesting scenarios.
Imagine Cranky Kitty's shock and surprise should she get near the vacuum chamber.
Imagine my home a no-dust zone. Can pigs fly?
Ancora imparo
