My Great Maine Adventure Chapter 10 “Stairway To Heaven”
Liliane’s Post and Beam house has two levels. On the first floor is the kitchen, living room, bathroom (not really), master bedroom, wood burning stove, and dining area. Upstairs is a loft: 2 queen size beds, clothes dressers and storage space under the eaves. I promise, in the next chapter I will give you a video tour the inside of the house.
second floor landing 
second floor landing 
steps to loft 
main steps 
second floor landing 
second floor landing 
my challenge
Leading to the loft was a beautiful staircase. I was not quite sure what happened to the finish. It looks as if a herd of Moose needed to take a nap upstairs. In any event, the stairs needed Brian’s TLC!
The Process
My Dad owned a custom furniture store in Hempstead, NY. Quite often he had to repair or refinish his customer’s furniture. He taught me all that I know about repairing and refinishing furniture and how all that knowledge applies to taking care of the finishes on the interior and exterior of your house. Dad’s main point, “if you want to get the job done right, always go down to the original surface.” And, that is the course I took in repairing Lil’s Stairway to Heaven. FYI, I share this knowledge with you in TLC’s Painting Workshop. Workshop dates to be published soon.
It All Starts With The Sander
AEG 6″ random orbital sander 
Festool palm sander with vacuum
I used my AEG 6″ random orbital sander for the heavy duty sanding, choosing 80 grit sandpaper. The Festool palm sander was used for finishing, using 120 grit sandpaper. Both sanders are attached to the Festool vacuum. This vacuum eliminates all the dust created by the sanders and kept Lil’s house clean.
Below, for your information, is a standard sandpaper grit chart.
Finishing
We decided to keep a natural look and not stain the beautiful pine. Benjamin Moore makes a great water based product.
Benjamin Moore’s finishing product 
My preferred brush
Stays Clear is a fantastic product. It is water based, and it is easy to clean your brush. Also, when applied, it is a milky white, so you can make sure you did not miss a spot. It dries brilliantly clear and in one hour. If you get an early start, three coats in one day is possible.
Between the finishing coats, I wet sanded by hand the Stays Clear with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper and removed all dust with a Microfiber cloth.
So, How Did We Do?
Chapter 11 “WHAT I LEARNED”
I always learn something and enjoy- 
sharing the learned knowledge with my students