Greg and Mike came out for one last day and finished the floor. They also did some staining of the exterior siding.
The floor had 4 coats, with time to dry in between.
Coat 1: 100% linseed oil
Coat 2: 75% linseed, 25% mineral spirits
Coat 3: 50% linseed, 50% mineral spirits
Coat 4: 25% linseed, 75% mineral spirits
Apparently some people do it with just the linseed oil, but the mineral spirits help thin the oil so it really soaks in deep. We heated the linseed oil (NOT to a boil, you could have let it sit in the sun on a hot day), removed it from the heat, and then stirred in the mineral spirits.
Even though the floor wasn't quite dry yet, it was fine to walk on so we moved in more of our stuff. Then we decided to just go for it, set up the bed, and spend the night!
Lucky for us, a major rain storm blew through just as we were falling asleep, so we were lulled into slumber by the sounds of rain on the tin roof.
We had a too-small space heater, but were plenty comfortable under our two comforters. Downstairs was quite chilly but upstairs was quite cozy (duh, heat rises). The super-long extension cord was having a hard time running the space heater. I'm thinking next winter, we will upgrade to solar power and a more energy efficient thermal mass heater. It's going to be bellow freezing every night this week so we're not sure if we're staying out there again.
We had a bucket with a lid at the bottom of the ladder for middle of the night pees, which actually worked fine despite the rustic (and maybe disgusting) imagery. This morning we mixed water in with the pee, and then poured it over our compost pile.
Such a perfect little hobbit house! I still have your large cast iron skillet and bamboo dish rack, by the way. I have grown attached to them, but will bring them back to you this Easter if you need them.
ReplyDeleteYou should buy your own bamboo dish rack! As you know, they are really nice. And you live in Asheville, mecca of bamboo items marketed to yuppy hippies.
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