My husband, Cody, and I loaded up the truck (our Ford Flex) with the miter saw, sander, nail gun and the air compressor...off to Dripping Springs. Cody did bring the optional fan, however I repeat optional;) We set up an assembly line of cutting and sanding. In order for the wood planks to fit end to end, they must be straight. Sanding down the edges eliminates the splitters and sanding the front of the wood takes off some of the sun damage and chemicals. If you wanted to go a step further, you could then put a stain on the planks.
Here's what I learned:
1. Don't start at the top. The above picture was the first planks I nailed up and eventually took them down because the planks were not even with the rest the wall.
2. Hey, start at the bottom and complete each line before moving on to the next even if it means running outside to make new cuts.
3. If the edge of your wall is visible, you may have to sand them again.
4. Four people working together is the perfect team.
The men naturally took over using the power tools while Kara and I naturally told the men where to place the wood. It took us around 4 hours to finish and clean up...and stand in awe.
