Stage 5: install quarter rounds on the six steps

I finally got around to buying, painting and installing the quarter rounds for the front porch.  I wasn't in a rush to finish this project, but I didn't think it would still be technically going on this year.

To be fair, last summer every day was either brutally hot or very wet.

Anyway, I bought the quarter rounds but didn't get around to painting them until this year.  I was pleased to find that the local Crafty Beaver not only had them but would cut them to size.

For a while, I thought my nail gun was broken.  Turns out it was just a faulty battery and I had a spare.  But the nails kept jamming.  Turns out that while nailguns prevent you from putting the nails in upside down, they cannot prevent you from putting them in backward.

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Finally a break in the heat

Like anyone looks here

Holy Mole, this heat. Mid-90s since Thursday and that is no fun.  IF I could have got the kids to school early enough, I would have been able to sneak in a run but the little 3 year old terrorists put up such a fight getting up, out of bed and dressed that by the time I get back, it's just about time to start work.

Most mornings I only have a 10 am call but lately I've had little things here and there which prevent me from going out until lunch time when it is too hot.  Ironically in the winter I wait until lunch time so it is ever so slightly warmer.

One day I had enough time to trim the lawn which I felt was good use of my time and needed.  I have a lot of PTO to use up and I may start taking a random Tuesday or Thursday off here and there to work on house projects but also to be able to go for a run or bike ride without worrying about getting back in time.

I am 90% done with the porch painting.  I just need to finish the stringers, which should take less than an hour.  Update: it took less than 30 minutes although I think I might give the risers a second coat at some point.

I need to do the threshold as well.  I'm going to get a heat gun to remove the paint, since I also need to remove the paint I put on the pedestals and I can get one for $8 at Harbor Freight. Then I just have to decide if I paint it green or stain it to match the door.

I probably will attempt the wood lattices at some point too, since I have way too much paint.  Then it's touch and clean up time.

Since Father's Day, my mom has not been here.  We got into one of our Pushed the Other Too Far spats and she went home.  While we can definitely use the help she provides around here, we can also live without it.  Especially since it is much less stressful with her gone.

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Project Paint the Porch: Stage 4 almost done

I am so close to being done with the front porch, yet I have so much more to go.  I have not been able to get myself out there before the sun hits the front steps so I work a little too quickly and call it a day before I complete every stage planned for the day.  But it's still progress.  I finished all but two of the risers earlier this week.  The lowest two were smaller than my paint edger so I had to do those using a regular paint brush like a cave man.

All that is left now are the stringers., but that is mostly for using up the paint.

After I get the last sections done, this week or next.  It's time for touch-ups and clean up.  I suppose I could have done a better job of being more precise but given that this is really just a stop-gag solution, I need to remember not to be so hard on myself.


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Not much more done this week

It was supposed to rain Tuesday and didn't.  It wasn't supposed to rain Wednesday and did, albeit not too much and not very long.  I painted one of the six sections of spindles.

I didn't work on it Thursday because it was a bit warm and I had other things on my plate.  Today it rained and even though my porch roof does a great job of protecting most of the porch including the spindles, I didn't want to take a chance with the moisture in the air.




I probably won't get much more done this weekend because the kids will be in the way and it is also supposed to rain.

In my perfect world, I will get up in the morning and get everything prepped while my mom takes moose and squirrel to daycare.  Then between calls and issues, I take a break and work on one of the spindle sets.  The challenge is that the Deckover doesn't spread as easily as traditional paint so it is slow work.

It is forecast to rain a lot next week.  Figures since the people from Home Comfort are supposed to come and work on my deck railing.

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Caught a Weather related break today

It didn't rain as expected so I was able to get a second coat on the steps.  The railings look fine with just the one coat so except for touch ups I'm essentially done with the Mountain Spruce part of this paint job.  Though I'm debating if I want to tackle the lattice or skip it entirely.  I seem to have overestimated the paint I needed though I probably saved some hassle by getting the 5 gallon instead of single gallons.  I was lucky that I waited until Home Depot had a pre-Memorial Day sale which was exactly like their Memorial Day sale and got some rebates on the paint, along with a 10% off coupon I had because they think I just moved or something.

If the weather is cool as expected tomorrow, I can work on the spindles.  These I need to take my time with and use painters tape so it might be a case of working one set at a time.  If i can finish the north end of the porch, I can put the porch swing up.  I should be able to the other porch furniture out now since it shouldn't be in the way or can easily be moved when I'm working on a section.

 I'm settling into a New Normal around here, or at least trying my best.  Weeks ago I cleaned out my desk and moved everything that is staying at the office into my storage cabinet and now I work 100% from home.  If I have to be downtown for something or a friend wants to met for lunch, I can go into the office and hunt for a seat or just use the cafe areas off the breakrooms.


The good news is I can log in at 7 and check emails so I'm not as ambushed when I get started as before.  My hours are still 8-5 CST though but I figure the extra time justifies when I run an errand during lunch that goes over an hour or the Traffic Gods don't favor me.

 On that note, I tried to cancel my gym membership.  I expect the process to be painful but not as bad as some of the lower end gyms in the world.  They wanted to charge me for June's billing cycle even though I let them know well before the end of May (they would try this even if I canceled May 1).  luckily the credit card they have on file expired though I'm sure they will still try to go after me for it.

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Project Paint the Porch: working as I can

As expected, the porch painting is going slow.  We were out of town for Memorial Day (including the days that bookend that weekend for traveling), though the weather was so hot I would not have been able to work on it anyway.

At least as far as the steps are concerned, I want to work under the required conditions of not too hot or humid and no chance of rain for 24 hours.  For various reasons, I decided to skip to Stage 3 and finish the railings before the spindles.  I still have to do a second coat on the steps though I'm debating if I need to do a second coat on the railings.

I'm hoping that I can do the spindles with more patience and care so I don't drip paint all over the green part.  I want to be finished by Father's Day so it looks good for the neighborhood yard sale.  Plus I want to get our front deck furniture out.



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Project Paint the Porch: Stage 1 begins

I wanted Atlantic

I have done the first coat on the porch though not as far as I had hoped.  The edger I got, from Aldi of
all places, held up pretty well until I was almost done and then it came apart with two small sides left.  It isn't an easy thing to fix with paint on it so I did the best I could but decided not to do the steps and just focus on the whatever the formal name of the porch platform is.


I didn't start as early as I could have for a couple of reasons.  First, I went for a run before work because my kids miraculously woke up early and we were able to get them off to school.  My New Normal is to log into the office around 7 am or earlier and just check emails though I officially start at 8 CST.  I got back right at 8 and decided to cool off and then mow the postage stamp sized amount of grass in the backyard.

I didn't start on this yesterday because the humidity was right at 79-80 and I didn't want to take a chance, especially since I had just power-washed the porch on Tuesday.  Today was much hotter but the humidity only about 40 right now.

I also couldn't start on the painting too early because part of the prep involves using a leaf blower to clear any dust and debris.  While it only would have been for 5 minutes at the most, I don't want to be the neighbor that makes that kind of noise before 8 AM.

I need to do a second coat, which I should be able to do this evening before nightfall.  When we get back from Michigan, I'll have all summer to finish though I do not plan to take that long.  The weather looks decent next week so I should be able to get the spindles knocked out then.  After that, it's the railings and risers.



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Project Paint the Porch: Stage 0

The time has come to paint the front porch.  This is actually a stop-gap solution because we
eventually will have to repair/replace the porch at some future date.  I'm hoping that future date is sometime after we sell the house.

My neighbor used a product called Deckover and it looks pretty good on his old steps.  I thought I'd give it a try.  I wanted to change the color of our house and shift from Green to Blue or grey or something that isn't green because our house has an overabundance of green.  However Nightingale pointed out that it would look too funny if we didn't paint all the trim around the house and it would be too much work to do so.  Hence we are going with Mountain Spruce.

My plan is to do this in stages since I need to do it when the little DN are at school and the weather cooperates.

• Stage 0:  Power wash and Prep the area
• Stage 1:  Paint steps green.  Two coats
• Stage 2:  spindles (another color)
• Stage 3:  green railing
• Stage 4: risers
• Stage 5:  install quarter rounds on the six steps and paint those green as well
• Stage 6: Touch up and cleanup

I bought everthing I need (except the quarter rounds) over the weekend so I should be able to start if the weather cooperates.  The temp needs to be between 50-90, with less than 80% humidity and no rain expected for 24 hours.

It's raining today and it is also supposed to rain this weekend, starting Friday.  This is what my phone app says right this minute, it's always subject to change.  That gives me a slim Tues-Thursday window, depending on when the rain will come friday.  We are also traveling to Michigan for Memorial Day weekend so I won't be able to finish (or start) until next Wednesday.







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