AND THEN THERE WERE MAPLES

Many of the beeches on my tree farm are infected with disease (cyrptococcus fagisuga /neonectria spp) and it appears to me to be as bad as it sounds.  Blemishes, warts, pimples and white spots that look like a fungus are easily spotted on the bark of the tree.  At first, I would wait until these symptoms appeared and then would harvest the tree for firewood for my use and my many friends who also burned wood.  Then the situation got worse as the beeches would seed themselves in clearings and on my woods roads.  As they grew at what seemed like a rapid pace the branches would extend as if they were searching for sunlight as a way of healing themselves.  Anyone who has been slapped on the face by a beech whip on a cold winter day while walking or skiing in the woods will realize my grave concern about my woods being taken over by this problem.

My research showed the problem could be solved three ways – chemical, biological or mechanical.  Being a fan of the physical, of course, I chose cutting the whips with a chainsaw.  It amazes me how much area one man can clear in a few hours.  The sight of healthy maples and ash made my project very worthwhile.  At first, I was concerned that new growth from the stump would grow again and I might need to use an herbicide like glyphosate to control any new growth on the stumps.   But to my amazement the deer have kept the new growth completely at bay and we have a win - win situation.

FLOOR COATINGS Both VOC Compliant and Red List Free.

Made in Vermont – all ways better!   Manufactured in Hardwick is a line of coatings for both residential and commercial applications that is VOC compliant, red list free, contains no carcinogens, mutagens or reprotoxins.  These polywhey products far surpass the highest standards for VOCs and are approved for use in the strictest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certified constructions.  PolyWhey  technology, uses whey protein, a recycled and renewable byproduct of CHEESEMAKING to displace toxic ingredients found in typical wood finishes which also adds to the durability. 

My professional career involved specifying, estimating and supervising the installation of coatings, waterproofing, and repairs around the United States. Hence, my tendency is to be critical of products and when it is my own home, even more so.

The first step was to prepare the surface by sanding down the high wear areas with a dustless grinder and vacuum system.  The rest of the surface was thoroughly cleaned with Vermont Natural Coatings professional wood floor cleaner and then hand applied the EasyWhey floor color until all surface color was the same.

Now the easy part was applying the Polywhey 3500 Wood Floor Finish which because of the small areas was applied with a nine-inch roller.  You can actually watch the coating “break” or cure with great consistency where you just applied

the product.  After a cure time of one and one-half hours the second coat was applied and then the third coat.  Trust me when I say “these are incredible products”.

www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com