Home Improvement Today?

..my understanding is that cracks will likely form as it dries out, ..which can take a long time (years?)... there are some topical products out there that you can apply that will help accelerate the drying but, i doubt it would be effective on a large piece (assuming several inches in girth)... if you see cracks develop you can try to stop them by filling them in using CA glue (basically a superglue for wood)...

i don't think any kind of finish will prevent it from drying out??? maybe OZ-T or some of the other pros will have a solution though....

 

...better slow the pace down, ...maybe the inlaws are the next project???

 

cool, thanks for the info. I guess I'll just leave it be until I finish the legs for it and such, and then after I've finished sanding it I'll clear coat it and leave it.

 

It will crack. Nothing you can do about it. It may even twist on you as it dries out. I would sit it across a couple of saw horses for a couple of months out of the sun, say in the garage and let it dry that way, split it shouldnt take very long. Then run a belt sander over it to smooth it out, then finish sand it to get it smooth, then put your urethane on it if you want. It will still crack over time though, more than likely.

I made a mantel out of a 3" thick piece of oak and it cracked on me, the only solution would be to compress around the whole thing until it dries completely but there isnt a real viable way to do that.

OZ any ideas?

 

Seal it , keep it out of the sun or any high heat , cross your fingers

 

...it would be well worth it to check out some of the online resources for woodworking and finishing (it's a real treasure trove of great info!)...

wood whisperer is a great place to start.. .he puts out some great info, including a lot of videos that i've found very educational... i kiln drying is often a way of controlled drying that helps prevent and limit cracking and warping that occurs in the drying process... that's probably not in the cards for you on this project though, ...so you're probably at the mercy of how the wood "decides" to "move around" as it dries outside in the weather... if you do get cracks forming, folks use CA glues (you can get at your local woodcraft store) that come in a variety of viscosities for the width and depth of cracks, ...some like to use epoxies to fill voids and cracks, ..though i don't think this method is a easy as the CA glue method...

as far as your original question about finish, ...i think the things you'll want your finish to protect against are moisture and UV light (sunlight)
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/pondering-outdoor-finishes/
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/?category_name=finishing

vids:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL332CDD4CD54635C4

 

Not really home improvement, but associated to. Compressor blew up, bolt that holds the connecting rod to the flywheel snapped, demolishing the fan and part of the housing. On a plus note, gave a good reason for a bigger compressor and I scrounged the wheels off it for my welding cart.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll check out those links wileyc

The bench will be on my patio in mostly sun, next to a firepit. So I guess I'll just make it decent and hope for the best.

 

Ah, can finally shit upstairs

 

Put up the stacked stone yesterday. I was one box short. Fortunately RCP in Escondido had a box in stock so I was able to finish this morning. I have to clean off some of the mortar drip and then mount the fireplace.

 

Cool man. Looks like after that just base and crown molding and then put the furniture back in? Or floors next...?

 

floors first.

 

great work as always

 

Been awhile since I've done any home improvements to my house. Going to be trying to sell again this spring. So trying to clean up the basement a little by putting a wall up under the steps for storage purposes. Nothing fancy or special. There will be doors where the opening are.

 

I have that level.

 

I couldn't tell if that was protective cardboard or subfloor in the pic. Hardwood?

 

Its the subfloor. We're going to put down engineered hardwood.

 

Update on my laminate install. Go easy on me, I am new to all DIY home renovations.

In trying to be efficient and do things in the proper order of operations, decided to paint first, then I will move on to installing the laminate.

When removing baseboards, the previous installer used glue around the entire room as well as a million nails to secure the baseboards. This caused the old paint and first layer of drywall paper to be removed, which needed to be repaired once the baseboards were removed.

First shot is of damaged drywall


after cleaning up the drywall paper, applied drywall sealer/primer


2 coats of mud with sanding in between


attempting to add texture(definately room to improve here)


primer and lastly paint.

 

Not bad , repairing texture is a nightmare

Just an FYI , if you ever need to remove painted trim , it's a good idea to score the connection between the trim and the wall with a utility knife , just enough to break the paint and or caulking bond , that could have limited your damage to behind the base .

Good job on the repair though