Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Wood Is Scary

I am trying to fix it myself.
But the truth is
I don’t know what I’m doing.
The man from Lowe’s said it was easy
as he handed me a sander,
wood filler,
wood stain,
and a can of polyurethane.
He told me I could do it myself.
He said just use an old t-shirt for the stain
and a brush for the gloss
and I’d be fine.
And I thought I was doing o.k.
until I put the wood filler in
and let it dry and began to sand.
He told me to sand lightly.
But that doesn’t seem to be cutting it.
Now,
I’m frightened I put too much on.
It looks blotchy and bulbous and I don’t know if this is how it is supposed to look or not.
I don’t see how this is going to end up looking smooth or natural.
I feel like calling up over there
and making the guy come over.
But I know he never would.
So instead, I’ve called for back-up.
I’ve called someone who actually refinishes hardwood floors for a living.
Hopefully they know what they’re doing.
Hopefully when they arrive they’ll say that what I’ve done is good.
But I doubt it.
They’ll probably tell me they have to double the price of the job,
because they have to undo my handiwork.
I knew I never should have gone to Lowe’s.
Those guys tell you you can do it yourself,
but they don’t know what the Hell they are talking about.
And they’re not around to clean up the mess.
What I’ve learned from this whole experience is that
I’m fine for painting or raking or mopping.
I can even change a light bulb without incident.
But wood,
wood is something I’ve never done.
Wood is scary.