Josh, brush that puppy in. When I used old ladder stands like that I painted them with water base paint in a camo patter in April or May and left them out in the rain until August when I put them up. Platform is not level( a real pain when you're trying to stand and turn quietly with deer within range. When you build those puppies, put the runners for the seat and the platform at a slight uphill angle running away from the ladder. That way you can have the ladder at an angle outward from the tree making it easier to climb, yet have a level platform and seat. Also, you don't need braces that large(2x4) for supports. A strip of 1x3 will do the same thing only lighter. I put carpenters glue and sheet rock type screws in rather than nails. The screws pull it tight, don't splinter the wood and the glue bonds it all forever.