the one… with a stained veranda

don't look underneath the veranda!

I had fun one Saturday night recently when I decided to stain the veranda.  Isn't that what everyone does on a Saturday night?  No?

Anyway, I had planned to make a start that afternoon to clear all the furniture off the veranda and using the karcher to give it a good clean - it's amazing what mess birds can make even with a dog who clearly hates them.

Cleaning went pretty smoothly and with lots of wind, it dried real quick.  I was expecting to leave it overnight and make a start with the staining in the morning but when it dried so quick I thought I'd keep the momentum going.

I have had this project on the to-list for quite some time with plans started here way back and then I made a start with staining the fascia in a previous post here.  Then it all came to a stop.  There seemed to be reasons like people coming over so you don't want them to scuff it so soon after, the kitchen, the front yard, more kitchen work and then time just seemed to open up.

Honestly this project took a few hours, not days like I thought it would.

So back to the work.

After the timber was tried I grabbed the stainer and paint brush and went around the edge of the house and around the veranda posts, figuring the wool mop won't be able to get in that close.  I started with the furtherest part away from the back sliding door and then moved across to the veranda stairs and worked back to the door as well.  I didn't want to lock myself in a little square patch in the middle of the veranda - which would have been fun to watch I'm sure.

I poured the stain into a large paint tray, one that was wide enough to fit the wool mop.  I honestly didn't realise it was just a wool head over a block of wood (please don't let that just be me).  I made sure to apply the stain evenly and kept to the same direction working with the grain of the timber.  I was worried about it being patchy when it dried.

It really was a good windy night to do the job.  It was cool for me to work in, no hot sun pelting down on me and I was able to put the second coat on within 2 hours.  I finished up around 10pm which gave it plenty of time to dry over night before anyone including a certain little dog from walking on it.  The next morning I woke to it was all tried, a little sticky but that went away within a couple of days.  The dried colour was a bit of a shock I have to admit.  It had gone darker (thicker) than I had expected but I figure that will fade over time with the sun.

Now, over a week later I couldn't be happier with it.  It seems to have completed the veranda and it feels much more of a continuation of the house, rather than a separate space and when the blinds are closed it feels like an actual room.

I love the grey/blue colour up against the house and the dark grey outdoor chairs.

What do you think?

Lisa xo