A perfect LS130 project.

[SMJoinery]

Been working for last couple of weeks on a project here in Central Scotland. Project is to remove polish / varnish etc from period staircase, hallways, bedroom wings etc.
I bought the LS130 specifically for the task and coupled with RO90 and RO150 they have all performed superbly well. The "star of the show" however must go to both my midi extractors. Both extractors have run constantly for over 8 hours a day for 10 days without any issue.
The pitch pine staircase was very dark and the new owner very much disliked the brown stain / polish which was everywhere. Same story for the hall woodwork but not all pitch pine with some Douglas Fir (I think) used.
The beading in areas was quite intricate and the LS130 made small work of these.
For those thinking about purchasing it's worth noting that I found it better to use the standard profiles in a couple of combinations to remove the coatings than to prchase the "diy" kit profile pad.

The RO90 is a superb tool on this kind of work as well. It's so easy to change between round and delta to maximise coating removal.

All paper used was GRANAT.
We used over 350 individual sheets!

Upstairs hall, bedroom wings and remainder of downstairs hall to be undertaken in next phase. Only 16 doors, 5 Windows and 60m of skirting to go.  [big grin]

 

[greg mann]

[not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy]

 

[ear3]

Congratulations -- in particular on the door panel moulding, as well as the raised stripe on the baluster beads, which I imagine took a lot of work to preserve its profile..

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I liked the original when I first saw it but the new cleaned up version is very pretty indeed. Great work there!

 

[SMJoinery]

[not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy]

Thanks Greg. Made me chuckle.

 

[SMJoinery]

Congratulations -- in particular on the door panel moulding, as well as the raised stripe on the baluster beads, which I imagine took a lot of work to preserve its profile..

Thank you for the kind comments.
I was wary of loosing any definition from any profile but found the LS130 and profiles help maintain them. We got the last 2% definition from a carefully applied fine wire brush. The brush (from a decorating supply company) with very fine bristles just removed that last line of coloured material from the deepest sharpest beads. Good tip if you have a similar task to accomplish.

 

[greg mann]

I liked the original too but there really is some newly revealed character to work with. I think it will be stunning woodwork when you are finished.

You mentioned three sanders but you did not allude to any hand work. Surely some of that had to be done with your fingers? Also, you mentioned two Midis and 'we'. Should we assume there were two of you at 10 days doing this work?

 

[SMJoinery]

I liked the original when I first saw it but the new cleaned up version is very pretty indeed. Great work there!

Thanks.
Perhaps my pics don't show it but it was very brown...dark and very brown.
I agree though the new sanded version is lovely. Really fits the age and character of the house.

 

[SMJoinery]

I liked the original too but there really is some newly revealed character to work with. I think it will be stunning woodwork when you are finished.

You mentioned three sanders but you did not allude to any hand work. Surely some of that had to be done with your fingers? Also, you mentioned two Midis and 'we'. Should we assume there were two of you at 10 days doing this work?

Hi Greg.
Staircase is staying light and we are experimenting with neutral waxes to seal but not colour.
All other sanded wood is being painted white.
All the spindles were done by hand using the foam sandpaper pads. Obviously other areas were done by hand, some corners, intersections and tight areas etc.
It's only me and my apprentice but to give you an idea the staircase was about 14 man days. The downstairs entrance hall and old servants wing has had 6 man days so far. I estimate that it will need another 6 man days to complete. The stair will need another 2 man days to complete (treads and risers after carpet fitter has been). The upstairs and bedroom wings will need 18 man days to complete.
I have another 400 individual pieces of paper on order. This time a mixture of Rubin 2 and Granat.
Thanks again for interest.
Scott

 

[greg mann]

Some of it painted white? Hmmm, see my comment in the LS130 thread about my painting experience, or lack thereof. I am interested if you think similarly.

I'd post a link to it but I have not mastered that skill yet. [embarassed]

 

[SMJoinery]

Some of it painted white? Hmmm, see my comment in the LS130 thread about my painting experience, or lack thereof. I am interested if you think similarly.

I'd post a link to it but I have not mastered that skill yet. [embarassed]

Yes I agree with your observations.
Good Sanding and prep before any coating application is key to the successful outcome of the project.
Sure if it's something which shows the grain like polish, oil or varnish I won't skip any grits before or during the coatings being applied. With colour I find that as long as I remove any surface imperfections like swirl marks etc I can stop at 180 grit, apply primer, fill and sand, apply undercoat, sand and then two finishing coats and painted timber comes up lovely. The product and brushes used must be good quality.

 

[Cheese]

[member=25539]SMJoinery[/member]
Nice job on the spindles...as greg said... [not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy]...that's a lot of work, and work well done.

 

[ear3]

Wow.  I hope the client understands the magnitude of this job, and is compensating you accordingly -- the sandpaper bill alone must be staggering. 

I liked the original too but there really is some newly revealed character to work with. I think it will be stunning woodwork when you are finished.

You mentioned three sanders but you did not allude to any hand work. Surely some of that had to be done with your fingers? Also, you mentioned two Midis and 'we'. Should we assume there were two of you at 10 days doing this work?

Hi Greg.
Staircase is staying light and we are experimenting with neutral waxes to seal but not colour.
All other sanded wood is being painted white.
All the spindles were done by hand using the foam sandpaper pads. Obviously other areas were done by hand, some corners, intersections and tight areas etc.
It's only me and my apprentice but to give you an idea the staircase was about 14 man days. The downstairs entrance hall and old servants wing has had 6 man days so far. I estimate that it will need another 6 man days to complete. The stair will need another 2 man days to complete (treads and risers after carpet fitter has been). The upstairs and bedroom wings will need 18 man days to complete.
I have another 400 individual pieces of paper on order. This time a mixture of Rubin 2 and Granat.
Thanks again for interest.
Scott

 

[Bigchasbroon]

Great stuff Scott. You must have plenty patience or maybe your hourly rate makes it all the more enjoyable. I'd get quite bored quickly although the end result is pretty satisfying I'll bet.

 

[SMJoinery]

Great stuff Scott. You must have plenty patience or maybe your hourly rate makes it all the more enjoyable. I'd get quite bored quickly although the end result is pretty satisfying I'll bet.

I find it a bit like colouring in but it is a bit of a mental test after a few days. My apprentice did well though. A good experience and test for him. No hourly rate as I price 95% of my work. I think it helps in this type of work to keep motivated.
Very satisfying though and as I get older it's just as nice to complete a job like this as well as some tricky cabinet or complex joinery.