Jay Gaulard

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Blog posts the fall under the Home & Living category. Read all I have written about this topic.

Frozen Slush

This past few days of weather has snuck up on me. About two or three days ago, the temps were in the 30s. We received about four inches of snow overnight. The next day, it warmed up even more and rained for about twelve hours. Now, if you’ve ever experienced freshly fallen snow combined with freshly fallen rain, you know you get a whole heck of a lot of slush. You probably also know that it’s really not worth it to get out there and attempt to remove the snow/rain from the sidewalk and driveway while it’s still precipitating because the hole you empty is going to fill right back up again.

With this wisdom in mind, I waited. I didn’t do any slush removal from either the front sidewalk or the driveway during the time the rain was falling. I looked at the weather forecast and told myself that since the temperature was still rising from the morning and would actually reach about 40 degrees overnight, I had about an hour the next morning to get everything cleared away. After that, the cold weather would return and I’d be in real trouble it I didn’t get what I needed to get done, done.

Frozen Slush Driveway

Well, that plan didn’t work out very well. Apparently, our little valley here is just a few degrees lower than the rest of the area and when I woke up extra early to clear the driveway, I found it frozen solid. So now, this is what I’m looking at.

Tire Ruts in Ice

I can’t do a thing with it. It’s so hard that I could probably chip it away with a hammer, but I don’t think I’ll do that. I don’t feel all that terrible though because the road out there is about two inches of pure ice. You can see straight through it to the dirt below. It’s crazy. I suppose this is what happens when it rains in the winter and then the temperatures fall to near zero. You just suffer with this extremely crunchy and difficult to walk on ice-snow. That’s all there is to it.

Tire Tracks in Snow

In a few days, we’re supposed to rise all the way back up to 44 degrees. I’m going to have to get out there and try to do something. If I can’t shovel it, I’m going to start the truck up and drive back and forth over it in an attempt to flatten things out a bit. Anything would be better than these ruts.


This is Going to be One Cold Winter

We woke up this morning and it was -11 degrees outside. That’s pretty cold. We’ve had to fill both the wood stove and the pellet stove for the past few nights before bed. Usually, we turn off the pellet stove and let the wood stove handle things, but with this cold, both are required. I made a rule a few years ago that if it wasn’t below zero, we’d turn off the pellet stove to save pellets. Sure, the house is 40 degrees in the morning, but it heats up fairly quickly once we get things going again.

I took this photo about an hour ago. This wood stove cranks. I don’t know what we would do without it. It really is the only way to go. I’m sitting next to the stove right now and the room I’m in is probably 85 degrees. It’s crazy.

Fire Burning in Englander Wood Stove

I have a post on this website that’s been really popular over the past few days. It has to do with frozen pipes because of cold weather. As of this writing, the sink in our bathroom is not functioning. Apparently, the cold crept into the walls just far enough to reach the copper and freeze us out of upstairs. This is the adventure of living in Maine.

Huge Icicles

The strange part is, there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. The entire ten day forecast calls for sub-zero temperatures at night. Just yesterday, our high temperature was zero. What’s even stranger is that it doesn’t feel any colder than usual out there. Although, I admit that I would probably freeze straight through to the core if I spent any amount of time outside, but as far as getting the mail and bringing in firewood, it’s not bad. I will tell you that my blood is so thick by this point, I don’t even notice the cold. I do, but I don’t, if you know what I’m saying.

Snow on Top of Firewood Pile

Okay, so here’s the deal with living in a cold climate, which is apparently the climate of most of the U.S. right about now. You need to plan. If you’re planning on buying, you need to make sure the house you’re looking at was built correctly. It could be a concrete cube for all I care, if it was insulated the right way, go for it. If it’s got beautiful marble counter tops and lovely bathrooms and the house hasn’t got the proper insulation, you’ll be enjoying all those features in a winter coat. That’s not fun.

As for driveways, you need a flat (or gently sloped) one. Don’t fool yourself by thinking that you’ll get it plowed or that you’ll add salt to one that’s really steep. It needs to be level or semi-level. Look at the structure and quality of the house over how pretty it is. Spend a lot of time in the attic and in the basement. Check those over well. Find out what kind of insulation was used. If they say fiberglass, move along and look for something else. Stay away from baseboard heat. Get propane and definitely have a big, giant wood stove. You’ll thank yourself on those snowy nights that are -15 degrees. It’s also very important that the house have no water pipes on any exterior wall. That’s critical if you don’t want to wake up to frozen pipes like I have a number of times.

Oh yeah, you’ll need two vehicles. One needs to be a pickup truck and the other an SUV. The larger the tires, the smoother the ride will be over all those icy bumps on the roads. It’s actually not too different up here than anywhere else if you prepare properly. You just need to be careful in the beginning. Then, you need to stay ahead of the curve.

One final thing I can think of is that you’ll need a wood shed to keep your firewood dry. Have this made by someone who knows what they are doing. Dry wood keeps you toasty warm and that’s the best way to be. I love it up here and I love looking out the windows on these cold winter nights. Part of the reason I love it so much is because the house is so warm.

Chimgard Chimney Thermometer

Oh yeah, you’ll also need a gigantic snow blower. Those are indispensable. And a steel roof. I could go on and on about this. I’ve thought about it for four years now and I have my new house all planned out in my head. I’m just waiting on that perfect piece of property and for me to start playing the lottery. I can feel that my winnings are close, but again, I need to start playing the game. Which I won’t, so I’ll just continue planning until an opportunity comes along.

Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the chilly weather. Stay warm and remember to bundle up! I don’t care if it looks like you’re wearing a fat suit. The more, the better.


A New Dunhill Fir Artificial Christmas Tree & Some Snow

For some strange reason, I am so into the holiday spirit this year. It’s most likely because I’ve been planning it since February. Last year, we had such a good time shopping up in Kingfield and doing all sorts of things, such as cutting down our own Christmas tree. I don’t think I wanted last season to end. Unfortunately, it did, just as it always does. To make up for that, I began thinking about this season early. I picked out some ornaments and little odds and ends online and I even bought an artificial Christmas tree from Home Depot in October. I know it was early, but I couldn’t wait. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be looking at this right now.

Dunhill Fir Artificial Christmas Tree

I had to take this photo this morning, just to make sure I got a decent shot. All of my previous ones weren’t that great because of the low lighting. You can see that it’s light out by looking at the curtains to the right. They’re glowing. It doesn’t matter. The tree is gorgeous and I smile when I look at it.

Get this, I bought this tree from Home Depot online and they delivered it for free. I think I paid $149 for it, but it’s now on sale for $119, which, I’ll admit, makes me a bit disappointed. Anyway, I didn’t know how an artificial tree would look, since I’ve yet to own one. This one is called the Dunhill Fir and I have to tell you that after I set this thing up and fluffed the branches (which took about four hours), I can’t even tell the difference between it and a real tree. A really good real tree. This Dunhill is a seven footer and it is as thick as they come.

Close Up Look at Branches of Artificial Christmas Tree

I still need something to go on top of the tree, but for now, I’m happy. Laura’s mom gave us a whole bunch of ornaments and these ornaments are the ones you see in these photos. Also, I bought the lights a while ago from the hardware store in town. I think I got 450 bulbs for something like $12 and change. That was a deal. At least I think it was. These people keep changing their prices so it’s difficult to tell.

Top of Christmas Tree

In other news, we’ve been getting a hint of snow out there over the past few days. We received a dusting yesterday and this is what I woke up to this morning.

November Snow in Maine

I loved seeing the snow fall like this. It makes me think we’re going to have a good season. So far, I have a trip to Camden, Maine planned to do some Christmas shopping, a trip to Sugarloaf (which already has nine inches of snow) to visit a holiday bazaar and fireworks on New Year’s Eve as well as some other small places that I haven’t etched in stone yet. It’s going to be exciting.

As far as Thanksgiving went, we had a really great time. I cooked for two solid days and we had my friend Kevin come over to join us for dinner. That was really nice and it makes things so much better when someone comes over. I have to act like a human and we have to clean the house. Guests also inspire me to cook more than I normally would, which was fun. I pulled so many recipes from my food blog, so that was quite the handy thing to have. I’d say the whole thing was a success and it makes me look forward to Christmas even more.

Okay, off to do some work now. I just thought I’d share these few things with you. Thanks for reading!


My New President Lincoln Deep Woods After Shave

I’m sorry to have to do this to you. I really am. It’s just that I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t let this stuff sit in the box any longer out in our entryway. It was just resting there looking at me, every single time I walked into and out of the house.

Avon President Lincoln Deep Woods After Shave

A few weeks back, we brought some recyclables down to the town hall to put in the recycling bins. While we were there, I noticed a box full of books that someone was trying to get rid of. Oftentimes, folks will use the small recycling shed as an area to leave items of value for others to pick up and take home with them. In the past, I’ve acquired some treasures. Usually just odd glass containers that we use as small planters. There were a few other weird things that I took and thought I would use, but never did. I try not to grab too much. I like to keep this place as neat as possible.

Anyway, as we were browsing through the pile of books in the box after we got home, one of us noticed a smaller box that was labeled, Avon President Lincoln Deep Woods After Shave. Like anyone with blood flowing through their veins, this find piqued my interest. Upon further examination, I found that a company inside of the good ol’ US of A, at one time, had created an after shave in the name of one of our presidents. I found this incredible. I was delighted.

The photo at the top of this post is of the statue that holds the actual after shave. This next picture is of one side of the box.

President Lincoln After Shave Box

And here is the lid of the box with the name on it, just so you know that I’m not messing around here.

President Lincoln After Shave Box Lid

After I popped the head off the statue, I found the cap for the after shave. I took that off too and gave what was inside a whiff. Let me tell you, it smells exactly as you think it would smell. Actually, it smells just like every other after shave from 1979 smelled. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

How do I know this stuff is from 1979? Well, I just did a quick online search for it, to make sure it wasn’t a current item out there on the market. I found a few ads on Ebay that are trying to get $19.95 for the very same thing. They call it “vintage” and “collectible.” I really had no idea.

I just did another search and found an ad on Etsy. This time, the person asked for $25 and got it! The Abe Lincoln after shave sold! Why do I feel important right now?

The bottle is pretty heavy. I think it might be made out of real metal. Do you want to know where it is right now? Yes, that’s right. On my shelf looking down at me as I type this very post. Take a look.

Abe Lincoln Cologne Bottle

I don’t want to make this post entirely about Abe Lincoln. With that in mind, I’ll show you some photos of another book we found inside of the box. Check out my new Curious George Rides a Bike book.

Curious George Rides a Bike Book

It’s in really good shape. It says on the inside that this particular book is from the 11th printing in 1971. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s cool. Take a look at some of the inside pages.

Inside Curious George Book

I don’t know which new toy I should play with first. Perhaps I’ll just let them both sit for a while while I think about it.

I really hope you enjoyed this post. I had fun writing it.


Our 2017 Bountiful Garden Harvest

I was outside yesterday picking some yellow squash that was getting rather large, when I noticed the orange tops of a few carrots peeking through the surface of some nearby soil. I decided to grab the greens of those carrots and give a nice tug. Surprisingly, some fully grown carrots appeared in my hand, like magic.

Garden Fresh Carrots

I say this like it’s a miracle because it sort of is. Last year, when I attempted this stunt, I ended up with dozens of half-grown carrots that we devoured the very night I pulled them from the earth. This time, I waited and waited and then pulled them out. And this time, I’m thinking they were fully grown. A little short, but fat like they’re supposed to be.

While I was out there, I decided to grab a couple of beets that were looking me in the eye as well as the squash I referred to earlier. Here is a photo of this particular haul.

Garden Fresh Organic Yellow Squash, Beets and Carrots

I get about this much (random vegetables), plus tons of greens, about every other day. It’s getting to be overwhelming and the tomatoes aren’t even ready yet.

Ever since I began growing some of our own food, I’ve become a huge proponent of backyard gardening. The reason for this is simple; so many folks can do it. Believe it or not, even if you don’t have any property on which to set up a real garden per se, you can grow your own basil plants on a windowsill inside your home or apartment. There are many ways you can get away with taking an up close look at how nature works and save some money at the grocery store to boot.

Regarding the backyard garden, it’s not that difficult to set up. And it’s not expensive at all. If you have grass, any grass, head out and purchase two 2×12″ pieces of pine lumber. Then, cut those pieces in half (they can do that at the store) and screw the corners together so the wood forms a square. Then, do the math for how much cubic footage you have inside the square (16 cubic feet) and head out and buy some garden soil from a local hardware store or garden shop. Place the square on the grass where the sun is the brightest and fill that square up with dirt. Come late May, plant a bunch of seeds according to the instructions on the packet and within a few months, you’ll be writing blog posts like I am right now. The best part is, the majority of the expense only happens once – at the beginning. Every year, the food you pick from your garden gets less and less expensive because it’s paying back your investment cost, which was minimal.

I think everyone should grow something. If nothing else, do the basil because it’s so easy. You can even get these plants already growing in the grocery store. They have them in pots. Basil is so expensive and is called for in so many recipes. There’s almost nothing to lose.

Do you have any questions about setting up a garden? If so, please ask me in the comment section below. As you might have noticed, I’m just jonesing to talk about this kind of thing.


Building a Homemade Puzzle Table From Plywood & Lumber

There are some things you just can’t buy. Don’t mark my words here or anything, but I have yet to see a huge puzzle table that’s made out of a sheet of plywood out there for sale. Sure, I came across a few little tables that sit on people’s laps, but never one that measures over four foot by four foot. What I was interested in was something on an industrial scale. And that’s just what I got.

Homemade Puzzle Table

I’d like to introduce the latest addition to our log cabin room. It’s a puzzle table that I’ve been thinking about since last year. It’s not completely done because I still want to add some corner brackets and a run of iron pipe between the legs, but it’s functional. It’s not elegant, but again, it’s functional and after I’m finished with it completely, you should be able to rest a Chevy small block on it. Now, that’s what I’m talking about.

The table measures 52″ by 48″. Actually the top is a piece of scrap plywood I had leftover from a previous project. I also had some leftover closet shelf brackets that I painted black. I used them to hold the 4×4 legs to the top of the table. Just a few days ago, a nice fellow and I cut the lumber to length right at the lumberyard and after some sanding, I stained and coated it with polyurethane. This, of course, came after all the sanding, staining and coating of the plywood and 2x4s. It’s a bunch of “unrefined” wood, but I think it looks good with the stain and the poly. I love DIY projects like this.

Puzzle Table Leg and Surface

Puzzle Table Back Corner

It’s not really that yellow. That’s my camera and the lighting. It’s actually the same exact color as the previous table I made.

I can’t wait to tackle my first puzzle. It’s a 1500 piece castle that was put out by Ravensburger, which is, if you don’t already know, the premier puzzle making company. It’s going to be a lot of fun putting it together with all this new space. I’ll be able to listen to my music and just chill. It’s my kind of adventure.


Backyard Update For July 2017

It’s been a pretty good summer so far. As far as the weather goes, things have been relatively cool. We had a few hot days with warm nights, but last night, I had to put a sweatshirt on. Those are definitely my kinds of nights. Anything over 60 degrees during the overnight makes me a miserable person to be around. But those cools ones make me a simple pleasure.

Since March, we’ve also had a higher than average amount of rainfall. For the first months of spring and summer, rain was all we got. The bad part about the rain was that we couldn’t get our gardens going in earnest until July. Nothing was happening throughout the entire month of June because of it. It’s much better now and what’s strange is that I’m looking forward to a bit of precipitation again. The grass outside is getting crispy.

I took this photo of one of the flowers out in Laura’s new garden.

Pink Flowers

Back when I ordered my climbing gear to remove those trees I told you about, the company that sent it to me included a few packets of seeds with the gear. I thought that was nice, so I handed them off. After thinking nothing was going to come of them, little green sprouts began to emerge from the ground, ending up in some very beautiful flowers. We’re impressed.

All winter, Laura threatened me with re-situating the rocks that surrounded one of the front gardens and creating a new (rather large) garden in a completely different area. I thought she was just running her mouth until I saw her outside one day moving rocks around. I started helping and after 30 or so 600 pound wheelbarrow loads of rocks from the stream, we have something we can build for years to come. I just took this photo below a few hours ago. There are still some empty spots, but I have a feeling once all the plants root in, we’ll have some serious action next season.

Flower Garden at Front of House

On the other side of the house is a garden that’s been there since we moved in. Laura thought it was too small, so she pulled all the rocks out about two feet. We also added a whole bunch of new ones.

Rock Garden in Front Lawn

I’m not sure if I told you that I put a new mailbox contraption together. I’ll have to take some photos of that. One of the perks of getting a new mailbox was to take the old one and make a little birdhouse out of it. I dug a hole, planted it near the front door and screwed a piece of wood with a hole in it to the front. Check this out.

Mailbox Birdhouse

I don’t really think any birds will move in, but it was fun to put it in the ground and screw the wood to it. It looks interesting.

My young Norway Spruce pine trees are doing very well. Every single one of them made it and is thriving except for two that I had to mow over yesterday. Unfortunately, the neighbor’s dog peed on them and turned them brown. I sadly had to put them out of their misery. Here’s a photo of the trees on one side of the front lawn and down the side lawn.

Baby Pine Trees in Front Lawn

Row of Young Norway Spruce Pine Trees

We also have lots of apples growing. We currently have six apple trees on the property that have almost given us apples in the past. They grow to a certain point and then get eaten by the deer. Here are a few of them in the front.

Growing Apples on Tree

We usually get to eat a few apples from this tree. They get big enough and for some weird reason, the deer don’t find them as easily as they do the others.

Regarding the firewood for this winter, I’d say we have enough of it. I had a lot left over from last winter and that’s still in the garage.

Stacked Firewood in Garage

Just for giggles, I decided to get an additional three cord delivered and dumped in the front. I left that in a pile.

Pile of Firewood

Now I have over six or seven cords in all. Because of all this firewood, I get to let it dry for two years instead of just one. I probably don’t have to buy firewood for the next two years. We also have three tons of wood pellets in the garage as well.

The stream that runs alongside the property has reduced in water volume substantially. Again, it hasn’t rained in a while and that contributed to the reduction. It has never gone completely dry, except during last year for about a month. Our well is nearby, so there was a risk of running out of water. Friends of mine had to get new wells dug during the summer last summer. Personally, I would just wait for the rainy season again. I’m not getting a new well dug. That’s for sure.

Stream and Dry Stream Bed in Maine

Let’s move around to the back of the house. I figured that I could take some good photos from the top of the staircase that leads into the garage attic. I first took a photo of the corner of the property. I have multiple rows of baby pine trees growing in that corner. They double the time it takes for me to mow the lawn. I have to do a lot of zigging and zagging.

Rows of Young Pine Trees in Lawn

From that vantage point, I was also able to take some photos of the pool area, which is teeming will plant life. The pool also looks very blue.

Pool and Garden Area in Back Yard

I decided to zoom into our vegetable garden as well. It’s going gangbusters.

Vegetable Garden in Back Yard

And finally, we have one of the gardens in back that Laura pulled the rocks further away from, like she did in the front. We did a lot of work this spring.

Small Rock Garden in Back Yard

I guess that’s about it. I’ve been doing a lot of work inside the house as well, so I’ll be posting about that. Enjoy the day and thanks for reading!


Our Beets Are Ready To Be Harvested From Our Backyard Garden

This is the first year I planted beets, so I’m thrilled with how nicely they’re growing. I had no idea it was so easy. Really, beets are almost as hands-off as Swiss chard and kale. Take a look at these beauties.

Freshly Harvest Beets From Garden

The stems and leaves of beets look almost exactly like those of chard. As you may have noticed from the photo above, I already snipped a few from those that I just pulled out of the ground. I like to trim occasionally because the leaves are large and they sometimes lean over and cover up whatever it is growing beside them. In this case, I have kale on one side a pretty awesome baby lettuce variety growing on the other.

All in all, this season is turning into something serious. I’m at the point of not knowing what to do with everything. We’ve got basil all over the place, along with these beets that I planted in waves. Laura has a forest of cilantro and dill up in the front. With the tomatoes, squash and zucchini already doing their things, I’m getting nervous. I suppose I should consider building good will again, like I did last year, and giving some of this stuff away. I know a few people who would be interested.

Last night, I prepared a salad for my other blog. The recipe called for a cup and a half of fresh basil, which I was only too happy to head out to the garden to get. I did that and as I was walking back inside, I realized that I had about $10 worth of basil leaves in my hand. Trust me, I purchase this herb often and each and every time I do, I shake my head at how expensive it is. Having it so accessible for such a small cost in the back yard is magnificent. And that’s the truth.

Check out this next picture. Take a look at how healthy those leaves and stems are. I just ate a few of them in my salad for lunch and you can’t beat them.

Garden Fresh Beet Roots, Stems and Leaves

If I only had a way to store this stuff, things would be perfect. I’d like to grab one of those chest freezers. We don’t have the room for it though. I’ll figure something out.


My Very Shiny Homemade Iron Pipe Media Table

I know there are a lot of words in this post title, but I couldn’t leave any of them out. They’re all important.

A while back, I began my search for media tables. I have this idea that I’m going to eventually purchase a nice Yamaha audio visual receiver, some speakers and a small television for this new room I recently remodeled. Thinking ahead, as I always do, I knew I’d also need a table to put some of these items on.

After looking around for a while, I deduced that 95% of furniture sold in this world is garbage. Amazon offered some truly awful pieces, as did many other websites. The best tables I found were sold by Crutchfield and Pottery Barn. The only issues with those sellers is that their prices are premium. While I’m happy with Pottery Barn because I’ve received pieces of furniture from them before and know they’re worth the money, I was somewhat skeptical of Crutchfield. Some of their items looked like they could be crafted by yours truly.

Anyway, after purchasing a few sheets of plywood and lumber for another project, I found that I had enough leftover for both a media table and the puzzle table I alluded to in my previous post. This was a good thing because I’ve been in the building mood lately.

My specs weren’t very demanding. I wanted something that was two foot deep by four foot wide. Also, it had to be between eighteen and twenty inches high. Sort of like a coffee table. All I wanted was a simple platform for placing a few items on.

As it turns out, it’s not very difficult to build a homemade media table. It just takes some cutting with a circular saw or a table saw (if you’re truly spoiled), some sanding, some staining and some sealing.

Polyurethane on Shiny Plywood Homemade Media Table

Here’s what I did. After cutting the 3/4 inch of AC pine plywood, I sanded it thoroughly with 150 grit sandpaper. I cleaned it and stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. Then, after it dried, I gave it one coat of semi-gloss polyurethane. I let that dry for about two hours and gave it another coat. I let that second coat dry overnight. The next morning, I gave the entire piece of wood a once over with 200 grit sandpaper to remove as many air bubbles and dust particles as possible and finished it with a third coat of poly. I think it looks pretty good, considering I made this thing in the attic above the garage.

Semi-Gloss Polyurethane on Plywood

For support, I used regular pine 2x4s. Nothing special there. I cut them so they fit as a frame under the plywood. Like the top, I sanded this wood, stained it and sealed it. I screwed it to the plywood and ended up with a very rigid table.

Homemade Plywood Media Table

I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to make the legs out of. I the past, I’ve used 4x4s and have had varying luck. Since I’m on the iron pipe train lately, I decided to have four 18 inch pieces of 3/4 inch iron pipe cut and threaded at our local hardware store. I also picked up eight flanges. All that needed to be done was to screw them to the bottom of the table top and the project was finished. Extraordinarily simple with no extra fluff.

Iron Pipe and Flange Table Leg

What’s really neat is that, if I wanted to, I could screw this table to the wall or the ceiling. With these iron flanges, anything is possible. That was a joke.


Staining the Wooden Wood Stove Hearth Edging

I’ve been doing a lot of stain and polyurethane work on wood lately. I think I may be getting the hang of it. I never used to stain anything and would only apply polyurethane as a protective coating, but now, I’m a staining madman and apply multiple coats of poly. I apply one thin coat to seal the wood and then another one that’s a bit thicker after that. After that dries, I lightly sand the surface to remove any imperfections. Finally, I apply the thickest coat of all. That one makes the surface really smooth. So smooth that you can rub your cheek on it. I love it.

So far, this year I’ve made new shelves, a media table that I’m going to use for my future audio/visual receiver and television and I finished the wooden edging that I installed around the wood stove hearth years ago. It’s been sitting here unprotected all this time. I figured that, since I’m almost finished with the log cabin room, I better finish the hearth as well.

Do you remember this photo?

Wooden Edging Around Wood Stove Hearth

That photo belongs to a post I wrote in May of 2014, right after I made the hearth our wood stove sits on. If you look through that post, you’ll see the room I’m referring to, unfinished. Today’s room is almost done and I must say, it looks delicious. I’ll take some photos of it in the next few days. For now though, I’d like to show you how nice the wood around the hearth looks. Check this out.

Stained Wood Edge Around Fireplace Hearth

Wood Stove Hearth Corner

Homemade Wood Stove Hearth

Doesn’t that look good? I first stained the rough cut lumber with Minwax Special Walnut stain. I had some Dark Walnut stain too, but thought that would be way too dark. From experience, that can turn wood almost black, if it’s not sanded enough. Since this wood was still rough cut, I decided to go with something lighter. It worked well.

After I gave the wood one coat of polyurethane, I thought that would be enough. After an hour of drying and getting absorbed into the wood though, I saw that all the shine had disappeared. Since I wanted shine and more of a visible coating, I decided to give it one more coat. This one did the trick because now the wood looks like root beer flavored rock candy. It’s got really nice visible wood grain and it’s better than I expected.

Next up, I’m going to build a puzzle table. I already have the wood cut out in the garage and all I need to do is a ton of sanding. Then, I’ll stain and polyurethane. I’ll assemble it and begin putting puzzles together again. Remember, winter is coming and we need to have things to do around here. Until next time!