Boy, I keep hitting end of the month in my posting. I've got a couple of things I should post about at some point, but I want to wait a bit 'cause there ain't much to say about them. But I will tell a story. A story of hope, then woe, then searching, then rejoicing, then trepidation, then acceptance, and finally of compromise.
The Hope:
You may remember from previous posts my desire to build a gaming table for me to keep ongoing games in as I tend to life in between taking turns.
Well, I helped out with a little demolition project at the village skating rink and took home some of the discarded 2x6 planks that I thought would be useful for making a table. I switched up the design in my head again (and then again, and then another time) for how I am going to build my table.
On Friday, I decided to do it! I went out to the shed, pulled out those boards and started measuring and marking and cutting.
As the boards still had white paint on them or were fuzzy and uneven where there was no paint, I laid them out to go over them with a belt sander.
The Woe:
Sanding away and I start seeing green parts where I have gone over with the sander. Little patches of green are appearing all over the wood. Oh no! Is it pressure treated wood? There's no little holes, but that doesn't always mean there's no chemical. I've heard it's no good to use treated lumber indoors, it's toxic or something right?
The Searching:
Then I think, it can't be that bad can it? I go to Google. There's some woodworking sites and house inspection company sites weighing in on the question of using treated lumber indoors. Turns out...
The Rejoicing:
...it's not that bad! As long as you aren't eating off the surface or burning the wood and inhaling the smoke, there is no danger! Especially if finished with a good penetrating stain! I planned to finish it anyway. Yay! I can still use the wood! But I'll buy a mask for sanding it!
The Trepidation:
But there's still the green colour. I won't like that on there, and what if it remains more or less visible, even after staining? What if I decide to sell or give the table away? I might be okay with what I found out about the wood treatments, but others won't be. I'd feel bad giving someone something they didn't agree with without their knowledge.
The Acceptance
I don't want to use treated wood to make a table. Not knowing if the green will be covered adequately, or knowing it's treated but just not telling people who I know would not want to use it, even if their fears are unfounded.
The Compromise
So, hey. It's pressure treated wood. Good for using outdoors. The concrete flags at the bottom of our entrance stairs are all wonky and pose a tripping hazard. I'll use the wood to make a stair to cover up those slabs and reduce that risk. I, guess I can wait a little longer for my table.
