Rough waters and a salty sea boat captain: These were the major obstacles the crew at Winterport, Maine-based Don Dickel Floors encountered during a wood floor restoration job at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse last fall. Dickel and his crew were asked to restore the lighthouse's Doug fir wood flooring, which hadn't seen any maintenance since the structure was automated in 1965. Because tools couldn't be hauled over the dilapidated breakwater, getting them to the job site was the first obstacle. So Don Dickel Floors crew-member Abbie Thompson turned to George "Two Toots" Marks, a curmudgeonly Rockland sea captain. While negotiating with Marks on the phone before starting the job, "He said 'I'll be there,' and then I went over the details again," Thompson recalls. "He stopped me mid-sentence and said, 'Didn't I just tell you I'd be there!?' … Just like an old salty." Turns out, though, Marks is actually the best, most reliable captain in all Rockland Harbor, Thompson says. After Marks helped the crew ferry their equipment across the rough water, they next worked at sanding through the tar, old paint and crusty seawater on the floor. After that came an application of tung oil and, last, a helping of butcher's wax for durability. Helping to preserve Rockland's maritime roots, Dickel and his team surely pulled off a job even a salty sea captain could appreciate.
More photos from the restoration:
