Sunday, November 15, 2015

Mantel Finished!

We continued to work on the great room fireplace mantel bit-by-bit over the past two weeks. We've been lucky that the weekend weather has been sunny and unusually warm - so sanding could take place outside.
The big slab of locust was placed on the patio dining table for a good sanding session. Scott and I each used a palm sander and sanded each side of the slab with 60 then 220 grit paper. The top and short sides were sanded super duper smooth.
All that sanding left quite a pile of sawdust behind! 
Luckily, Scott has a new leaf blower that he called into action. He blew all the dust off into the grass then cleaned the patio of dead leaves, walked around to the courtyard and cleaned it off, took care of leaves along the garage, etc. etc. This new toy is hard to put down!
With sanding complete, the slab was toted down to the basement for finishing. 
First, Scott cleaned the live edge with a damp rag to clear out any last bits of dust and loose bark.
We applied two coats of natural stain and two coats of brush-on poly to all sides. The top and short ends then received three coats of wipe-on poly.
Once the finish went on, the locust revealed its beautiful honey color.
Today (November 15) we placed the mantel on the fireplace. Scott has plans to permanently attach it with mortar so that all gaps between brick and wood are eliminated. But for now, it looks awesome!
All set for Thanksgiving - just a little over a week away. 
Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

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