Gate Progress Report

Since I was finally out of bed after being sick for almost two weeks, we used Saturday to catch up on the gate.

Hubby had removed the old boards while I was working last week, and he threw away the water-damaged or shredded-beyond-repair ones to replace them with new versions from Home Depot.

Since it wasn’t yet 103 degrees (yes, it got there later that day. Records were broken all weekend…), we headed out on Saturday morning to do some spray painting before it got too hot. We removed one side of the gate and placed it on three cinder blocks in the front yard (cue the banjo music!) It was over-crowded with bushes had we left it on its hinges, so we moved it to a clear area.

Hubby cleaned the gates with soap and water to give the spray paint a nice, smooth surface to adhere. There is something special about a man with a dishcloth in his hands. Especially if he knows how to use it!

Meanwhile, I bubble-wrapped the house to prevent it from overspray for the other half of the gate. I also used some old boxes underneath the gate to prevent the rocks from getting black. Black grass can be cut away, but rocks are harder to handle if they get sprayed!

Spray spray spray!

The paint made a huge difference. My arm muscles and pointer finger are still recovering from holding down six cans of spray paint for the two gates. But it was worth it. What an improvement!

  

After I removed the bubble wrap, we still had the glaring problem of their high-tech gate-hanging skills coming to light. Three 2x4 boards were used instead of cementing in a proper pole to hang the gate. This was the main reason I was hoping to just replace the entire thing…but no such luck.

So I decided to paint the boards the color of the house to hopefully blend them in. I am hoping that these are all just temporary fixes (something in my gut tells me otherwise), so these painted boards will certainly do for now!

    

Now we have the boards left to stain, seal, and hang. We bought new screws and nuts on Saturday, and they are the perfect length! This gate is going to look smokin’ when it’s all done!

We have officially decided to stain the wood a dark walnut, since that is what we have available for free. Hubby is all about saving money, in case you didn’t know. The stain is left over from the desk project, and I absolutely love the color. It will look great outside on the gate!

I’m headed to work today, and Hubby is helping some folks move when he gets home from work. So it’s doubtful that the staining will take place today.

I think the gate should be up and finished by Thursday, if all goes as planned. Stain tomorrow, seal Wednesday, install on Thursday.

When have my timing plans ever worked out in the past?! Keep your fingers crossed!