Today, as I was walking out of my office to stretch my legs, I smelled a tinge of fresh cut lumber in the air. Our building is undergoing major construction, and a temporary wall had been framed up to keep us out of the action. Hence the scent of 2x4s.
It got me thinking about my favorite home improvement smells, and how they are connected to certain memories. For instance, I love the smell that a drill makes when it’s burning the wood. It makes me think of all our electrical work (and drilling holes for romex), a particularly triumphant learning process for me since I was sure it was too complicated for us.
Another one I enjoy is spar varnish. Don’t ask me why – it’ll just about knock you over, it’s so strong. But I like it anyway. I’ve always been fond of gasoline fumes, so you can see how it might grown on me.
What’s your favorite home improvement smell?
Comments, Thoughts, and Feedback
Polyurethane. For much the same reason. Before we moved into the house, we refinished about 1100 square feet of hardwood floors. Sanding, staining, conditioning, polyurethane. It was ten days of hell, but I am so glad we went through it.
i agree with polyurthane as well we redid our pine floors [cause it was winter] and just refinished them last nov. lasted 7 yrs. looks great, so much improvement with that smell !!!!
My favorite smell is definately fresh cut saw dust, though the burining drill smell and solvents are nice too.
I like the combined smells of new construction. Growing up, we moved a lot and my parents were really into real estate, so we looked at a lot of houses-in-construction. Also, we built a house once and added on to another house. Somehow, walking through a house that’s still just a concrete slab, 2x4s and a little drywall … that smell takes me back to my childhood.
Fresh paint because it always means the end is near.
I like the smell of wood cutting on a table saw. That slightly burnt smell. It’s awesome.
Haha – Lee Ann has a good point – the “end is near” smells do grow on you, don’t they?!
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