Paint Prep and Chainsaws
A Renovation Journal
My husband says that my last two posts were very similar. It’s true; we’re still working on the same projects, so it does get a bit repetitive. I shall endeavour to be more interesting this week!
Monday
Now, this was a pretty exciting day! I had a lovely, slow morning, and then I packed my bags and headed down to Westonbirt Arboretum in the Cotswolds. The last time I was here was over 20 years ago on a photography course. We photographed owls in the trees!
This time I was invited to meet the STIHL team. Six of us ‘Instagrammers’ were there to try out the range of STIHL chainsaws and learn how to use them safely.
We started with a walk around the arboretum. I spotted some familiar trees that we have here at home and got some good ideas. I particularly liked these pines underplanted with dogwood. I’m wondering if I can create the same look around the giant redwood. I also decided that this garden is lacking an Acer or two. I’ll have to rectify that!
Next up, we were shown how to use the chainsaws. The correct PPE, safety checks before we start and then also basic maintenance. We got to try out a whole range of products from the mini pruner right up to the professional petrol model. Personally, I really liked the more powerful models. The petrol one was super fun but for convenience, the biggest battery model is the one for me. I was also able to ask all my questions and figure out why I keep getting our chainsaw stuck! I learnt a lot and it was super helpful so I’ll do another post to pass on all the safety tips. They are well worth knowing!
After a lovely day, we were treated to a fantastic meal and an overnight stay at the Hare and Hounds in Tetbury. It was fabulous food (I had rabbit and venison) and we had lots of fun chatting about Instagram and the STIHL brand. Did you know there’s a world championship for Timbersports? Neither did I but I know a lot more about it now!
Tuesday
A delicious breakfast after a very comfortable night in a huge bed all to myself! Then it was time to head home and get back to paint stripping. Annoyingly the new drain from the bathroom at the Old Estate Office seems to be blocked.
Wednesday
It turns out the drain wasn’t blocked at all; it was just a bit leaky and was fixed fairly easily. Good news! Once that was sorted I was back to the paint stripping and wall prep. I’m starting to get a system and it’s going more smoothly.
For the cupboards which we’re restoring it looks like this:
Apply Klingstrip and cover. Leave for 24-48 hours.
Gently scrape off the Klingstrip and wash well
Remove all the door furniture and hinges
Lightly sand
Apply any filler
Another light sand and another wipe-down
Allow to dry thoroughly
Apply neutraliser
Coat of wood primer (we like Haft)
Re-hang all the doors
Two coats of suitable interior eggshell paint (for this project I’m using Fenwick and Tilbrook)
Add refurbished door furniture to finish
I’m about halfway through with the cupboards. The actual painting is the least of my worries!
Thursday
My daughter is coming home from University for the weekend! I’m really looking forward to seeing her! I spent the morning cleaning the house and then did more painting prep. Are these lists helpful? The system for the ceiling is a bit more straightforward. In this case, the ceiling is fairly new so it’s modern gypsum plaster over plasterboard.
A quick sand to tidy up the plastering
Some minor filling repairs around the edges and where some striplights were taken down
Sand the filler
I used Zinsser ‘Peel Stop’ on a few patches where the paint looked a bit flaky
A bit of a mist coat on any bare plaster that is showing
Caulk the edges where the ceiling meets the wall
Two coats of paint (I’m using Claypaint because that’s what I have)
The Weekend
I’ve been in and out of the Old Estate office continuing with all the painting prep. In between we’ve had a lovely time with all the kids at home. Lots of good food and a shopping trip into Shrewsbury. I’ve been slowly starting to get myself in the Christmas mood. Usually, I complain nonstop and finally find my Christmas spirit around the 29th of December! I’m trying to do better this year! I’ve been reading Christmas at Highclere. Some of it is a little over the top: I probably won’t be having 30-odd Christmas trees and I haven’t been making lists since September but I like the historical bits that are added in and some of the recipes look delicious!
It snowed! Now I’m really feeling Christmassy! I must try not to peak too soon, I’ll be over it by the middle of December! Enjoy the snow day and you can look forward to lots of snowy pictures next week!