Staining the Shed

Saturday was the day. Nothing real on the agenda except for a biggie: the new shed had to get stained. This wasn’t a small job. It’s a 16 foot by 24 foot shed. Probably 20 feet off the ground or more in some places. (I haven’t measured.) And due to our crazy schedule, it had to happen Saturday. Not finishing was not an option. So after I got up and got my writing done for the day, I got things prepped for the actual staining. (Did I say nothing was on the agenda? I lied. DC had a 5k she was going to run (her first) and a birthday party to go to at 5, which meant we realistically had a five hour window to get two coats of stain on all 4 sides done. Because time limits make everything more enjoyable.)

The plan had been to use the same brand and color of stain as we’d used on the garage years ago, but that proved difficult to come by. So I used the very scientific method of bringing up that color sample on one web page and then comparing it to other stain samples on other web pages. Some were skeptical that this would work out (myself included), but it ended up being almost an exact match. (For future reference, yes. Navajo Red by Olympia is pretty much the same as Brick Red by Behr.)

Denisa and I took care of the eaves first, and I remembered in about 10 minutes why I don’t like painting. When you can stay on the ground it isn’t too bad, but as soon as you add ladders into the mix . . . it becomes much less fun. We ended up getting all three kids involved as well, and I’m proud to say we were able to finish in time. (Barely. Denisa was driving DC off to her party in the afternoon just as I started cleaning up.)

But it’s done. We still have to paint the trim (which will go up later this week), but it feels great to have that behind us now. Of course, my neck disagrees with me. I was okay yesterday, but I woke up this morning feeling like someone had shoved a steel pole straight through the back of my neck. If you notice me walking like Frankenstein’s monster, now you know why.

Ultimate the shed is going to be a combination screen porch and storage area. 1/3 of it for storage, and then a wall that separates the other 2/3 for entertaining in a screened in area on our property. It looks lovely, and I’m excited to have a place I can go where not every mosquito in the surrounding 20 miles can drop by and bite me.

Anyway. That wraps up all the typing I can spare today. I’m going to go find a heating pad or something. Or a doctor who might remove this pole from my neck . . .