My project of stripping all the beams in the house, inside and out, and prepping them for staining, is moving closer to completion. This photo shows the carport area. I am considering capping the beam ends with 16 gauge copper to protect them, and because it is proving impossible to completely remove the original white paint which was absorbed deep into the end grain of the beams. The only way I can see to do it would be to remove at least 1/8" of material off the ends, which is very hard to do evenly.
I'm estimating that the total amount of time it is going to take to strip (using the PaintShaver tool), sand, and stain all the beams will be about 15 – 16 full days. This is a fraction of the time it would take to do it using a chemical stripper, and with a lot less mess. Achieving good results with the PaintShaver definitely takes practice (and plenty of sanding is still required), but it is an amazingly effective tool.
Continue to the new kitchen cabinets.
Front Exterior Beams 17 