Finishing Floor & Staircase

Finishing, not finished. Yet. But soon. I hope! The icehouse main floor and staircase are slinking slowly toward completion. Sashaying? No. Sauntering. Slowly sauntering. But at last I can say that we’re finishing the floor and the staircase in Rosslyn’s icehouse.

We’ve been using Safecoat® Polyureseal BP to seal our hardwood floors for about twenty years. It’s an almost zero VOC alternative to conventional polyurethanes, and it performs really well. For the mixed species, ash and elm, variable with flooring we’re applying six coats with light, fine grit sanding in between coats. We’re not done yet, but the photo above captures the unique character of this homegrown, stump-to-floor hardwood, revealed and enhanced in no small part by the Polyureseal BP. Tony has been responsible for sealing all of the floors in the icehouse including the downstairs ash and elm, and the upstairs beach. Thanks, Tony. Almost done!

Near the top edge of the photograph above, you can catch a glimpse of the last section of the staircase to be completed. Let’s take a closer look.

Supi has recently finished installing the T&G nickel gap paneling. Glen has been following with the paint brush. And Peter is working on the trims, cabinet doors (left), and the bookshelf (right). Home stretch! Well, except for the railings and balusters…Back on February 14, 2023 I was assured by a cabinetry carpenter named Bernie that tackling the banister (+/-2 weeks) and staircase railings would be “a piece of pie”. Unfortunately it’s proven to be a very slooow pie preparation. Hopefully we’ll see the cabinets and railing soon.