Dewatto House

The beams are stained with vinegar that has had steel wool dissolved in it. The resulting solution artificially darkens and weathers the wood. I added more steel wool than the vinegar could dissolve, so some of the wool just rusted. The iron oxide from the rust adds a reddish color. The color darkens for several hours.


Under the beam as it was being stained is a strip of my Fast Footer that I had left over. I also cut the material into strips and stapled it to the top of the beams to protect them from rain before I can get the floor sheathing on. I'm getting my money's worth from the Fast Footer material. As a disclaimer, they saw this blog and sent me a free T-shirt. Too bad it isn't tie-died.