Home Improvement

Or, Cabin Improvement, as the case may be. Don't you love it when a project finally all comes together? We have been planning for a while to raise the floor in the master bedroom of Diamond Willow cabin. But like all such tasks, it needed to wait its turn on the project priority list. Last December came, and the time was right. So we ordered the flooring from our good friend Greg of Hull's Sawmill. It is tongue-and-groove maple, a lovely honey color, with interesting shading throughout. My Greg went to work right away to raise the old floor, and install the new one.

Like any good resorters, we were working on a deadline, and as it approached, we identified the usual problems: not enough time, and not the best timing. The floor was in, and had been sanded, so it only needed a finish. Winter, however, is not a good time to be applying polyurethane when decent ventilation is needed. We opted to wait until spring, when we could open the windows and the warm air would assist in a shorter drying time. We put some scatter rugs down, and called it good enough for the cold season.

Two weeks ago, Addie and our friend James got busy and emptied the room of its furniture. They learned the fine art of sanding, which is a whole lot easier these days. No more sheets of sandpaper and blocks of wood. They used two orbital hand-held sanders and had it smooth in about an hour. Next, I showed them how to paint on the poly. Two coats later, and we have a beautiful finished floor in the cabin.

But wait there's more. The bonus of this project is that Greg took the opportunity to install a new door, leading out to the screen porch. He installed a screen door, as well, so now fresh lake breezes can readily waft into the cabin. A short ramp leads from the bedroom down into the screened porch.

And just outside the porch, the deck awaits folks in need of serious relaxation....Anyone interested?