This little baby cost $1153, which included a modest discount from Carl's (thanks Melissa). So you don't want to screw up this install. Troy messed with the door for an hour before it was plumb, square, and level. Something we didn't consider was hinge placement. The key to getting a well hung door (easy ladies), is to replace one or more of the door hinge screws (normally 1" long) with 3" screws that go all the way into the king stud. However, because we have 5/8" plywood and 1/2 " drywall inside the stud, there's no meat to screw to. So we nailed a 1-1/8" block to the stud opposite the hinges and screwed to this. All was well; the hinges are bedded in real wood and the door is stable now. Mikey solved this problem, that makes him an apprentice framer.Nancy is the detailer at the house, thus all finishing touches are in her arena. The photo to the right shows her putting the second coat of varnish on the exterior of the door. We'll probably end up with four coats for now, then a couple more per year. Keeping a finish on an exterior door is like playing cards with the devil. You win a few rounds, but at the end of the night your wallet is empty.
We're using Man-O-War varnish, semi-gloss sheen. Has the maximum UV protection (for sunlight), and goes on pretty well (according to our master painter). The interior of the door, which hopefully won't see the elements, is finished in brushing lacquer, semi-satin sheen. This stuff is easy to brush on and dries really quick (like 30-60 minutes).
Since this blog is sort of a home-building journal, the other stains and finishes are listed herein so I can remember them in 10 or 20 years when the house needs repainting.Exterior finishes and materials:
Facia boards and door trim boards: Cabot Solid (Oil) Stain, Cinder color except facia on small gables (latex)
Soffit, shingles, and garage door trim: Cabot Semi Solid (Oil) Stain, Pewter color
Garage doors interior: Cabot Solid (latex) Stain, Cinder color; garage door trim: Cabot Semi Solid (latex) Stain, Pewter color
Corner boards, belly board, Hardiboard, and garage door interior: Cabot Semi Solid (Oil) Stain, Pewter color
Decking: Trex Accent, Weathered Grey, solid boards (1/1" x 5")
Rock: Eldorado Stone, Mesquite Cliffstone (see Day 258), corners and facing rock. Mortar is type S with one shovel of lime per bag of mortar mix.
For those of you keeping count, I just used up the first box of staples for hanging the shingles. 5000 per box, 2 per staple = 2500 shingles currently hung. Not bad, but that means there are about 5500 to go. God help us. If you EVER hear anyone say "the only way to paint shingles is to dip then before hand", then ask that SOB if he's ever done it.
