The Trimmings

What a shock to see the change in our home that trim work makes. I think we had just gotten so use to it being unfinished, we couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Early spring the weather can be a little off and on, making it a good time to focus on inside projects. Jer purchased knotted alder trim in a couple sizes and lengths. My job was to stain then clear coat them with lacquer using a brush, a good brush, that I could make last for about two weeks.

The wind was not my friend during these times, dropping pine needles and other debris. An unfortunate bug would land on the sticky surface. While these stray bugs didn’t become a permanent fixture in our home, their lives were literally st(r)uck short.

Jer would take what he needed as I continued to add more boards to the sawhorse with long pieced of unused siding as my table. I could fit about twenty trim boards on it, but the reach was difficult. I’m kind of a messy worker getting stain and lacquer on my shirt and shoes from time to time.

Week after week we would order more and more and more trim boards. I began to dread the news of another order when I thought I was done. Trim goes all the way around the floor, door openings on both sides, and all the windows. Believe me, it’s a lot of wood.

The payoff was how great it made everything look. In fact, the woodwork in the house is one of the best features. I’m grateful for Jer’s skill and our teamwork in measuring everything. And hopefully, I don’t have to stain and lacquer anything for a long time.