Patience

I have to do many things, but I’m not sure where I should start (or finish). The house is slowly taking shape. I’ve been removing water stains and clear coating the exposed logs in the kitchen and living room. It’s a painstakingly slow process to remove water stains. Over the years, the spruce has developed a “warm tan” patina. It’s a beautiful color and it’s almost impossible to reproduce. So, this brings up a valid question…“How do you remove the water stains without removing the patina?” Good question. The answer is…very carefully! The tools that are required are as follows: Water and a razor blade. I forgot the most important thing, patience. Each water stain must be moistened (ironic, isn’t it) and gently scrapped with a sharp razor. If it is done with T.L.C., the wood that is removed is minute and the log ends up looking like it’s brand new. This technique works well with stains that are less than a 1/16”. Deeper stains require more drastic measures. I’ve had to splice in wood with some of the more severe stains. Usually the area is rotted and it only makes sense to remove the damage. I have some old trim that matches the patina of the logs perfectly. No sanding is allowed as this will only remove the patina. Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but if all else fails, EnergySeal hides all sorts of things.

Recently, I was removing stains around the upper portion of the “great room”. The ceiling height in this room is over 25 feet. Erika was nervous about me being on the extension ladder. She kept asking me, “Is this really necessary. Do you have to do this? I hate this!” “It’s not necessary, but it will look good,” I replied. “I want to do this. I don’t want our future customers to think we have a leaky house.” I don’t think she was happy with my response. Eventually, she settled down and took a few pictures.      George