When I bought my house, there were three pieces of furniture left by the
previous owners. They were, to use the proper Anglican term for them,
utter shite, mainly because they were usually covered with brush-maimed
strokes of thick paint. One of these was a bureau which sat in my
basement for a few years. The drawers were missing knobs, and they slid
in and out at odd angles. At one point, I used it as a stand for my
table saw, and even gouged some small holes in the top with a drill.
A few months ago, on a whim, I dabbed some paint stripper (Peel Away 6)
on the top to see what was underneath, and found a fairly nicely-grained
cherry veneer under some goo that was once a nice finish. So, I began
taking the paint off. After a few weeks of on-and-off labor, I managed
to reveal a bureau that, well, had some potential. It wasn't perfect,
but with the right stain and finish, well... So I laid in some sandpaper
of different grits, picked up some wood putty, some small cans of Minwax
finishes and clear polyurethane, replacement knobs, and set to work.
I tested the finishes on the inside of one of the drawers, where the
wood _looked_ as though it was the same as the veneer on the front and
top. They looked nice when I first applied them, but when they dried,
they looked, well, drab. But then I applied some polyurethane to the
patches, and learned that poly makes the stuff look as wet and lush as
it did when first applied. (Yes, I'm a novice at this.) Sedona Red had
my nod for the color, so on it went.
The one problem that arose was the top, which I'd wanted to look nice
and smooth and clean. First coat went on. Went over it with sandpaper,
did a second coat... and half an hour into the drying, I spilled a
handful of sawdust on it. Cleaned off that whole layer, reapplied it.
Then I noticed that the rear corner was, well, less glossy, and even a
bit bare and grainy. Couldn't apply just a small patch and make it blend
into the rest, so a third coat had to go on. This time, I
_experimented_, by diluting the polyurethane with mineral spirits; I
figured, with thinner poly, not only would the bubbles rise and pop
faster, but the contours of the brushstrokes would even out better. Net
result was one very smooth tabletop.
(Next time, I will experiment with diluted poly and a hand-pump spray
bottle, to apply it in a fine mist, for a nice, even topcoat.)
The bureau is now doing duty in my dining room as a buffet. I'll have to
line two of the drawers with felt, mainly to cover the crummy wallpaper
the prevous owner'd laid down in there. And there are some odd
drawer-corners where the veneer is chipped. But the thing looks really
nice.
And like I said, there are two more pieces in the set.
(Next time, I will experiment with diluted poly and a hand-pump spray
bottle, to apply it in a fine mist, for a nice, even topcoat.)
I would be interested in knowing if this works BUT I don't think the internal
works for most of these sprayers will not stand up to the solvents. I tried it
once with laquer and the spray bottle worked for less than 5 minutes.
Sun, Nov 16, 2003, 4:49pm (EST+5) [email protected] (Tchswoods) says:
I would be interested in knowing if this works BUT I don't think the
internal works for most of these sprayers will not stand up to the
solvents. I tried it once with laquer and the spray bottle worked for
less than 5 minutes.
How did it work while it worked, that is good, bad, indifferent?
What made it stop working. Nozzle plugged up? Something internal
melted? What?
JOAT
Of course I don't think you're a complete idiot. Some parts are
missing.
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 15 Nov 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
Fri, Nov 14, 2003, 9:57am [email protected] (Brian=A0Siano) says:
<snip> (Next time, I will experiment with diluted poly and a hand-pump
spray bottle, to apply it in a fine mist, for a nice, even topcoat.)
<snip>
I have a friend, not on the group, who is interested in trying a
hand-pump spray, except using shellac. I would be very interested in
hearing the results of your experiment, and the type(s) of sprayer used.
If you don't post results here, I would appreciate an e-mail with the
results. I want to pass it along to him.
Thanks.
JOAT
Of course I don't think you're a complete idiot. Some parts are
missing.
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 13 Nov 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
Brian Siano wrote:
> And like I said, there are two more pieces in the set.
Kinda like a flashback. Check out my "hutch thing" on the projects page:
www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/projects.html
That's what I did with my formerly painted, novice refinished dresser. It
doesn't look fabulous, but it looks pretty dang decent. Especially
compared to what it looked like when it was covered with chalky white
paint. That was one of my very first projects, back when SWMBO was merely
my girlfriend. (I had to marry her to keep the dresser.)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Tchswoods wrote:
> (Next time, I will experiment with diluted poly and a hand-pump spray
> bottle, to apply it in a fine mist, for a nice, even topcoat.)
>
> I would be interested in knowing if this works BUT I don't think the internal
> works for most of these sprayers will not stand up to the solvents. I tried it
> once with laquer and the spray bottle worked for less than 5 minutes.
Well, I was thinking of using a cheap sprayer from a glass-cleaner
bottle-- the sort you'd find in a supermarket product. They're cheap,
and practically disposable. I figure that if the pump is disposable,
then I wouldn't have to worry too much about cleanup or jams. I used one
with denatured alcohol when I did some paint stripping, and it worked
OK. And similar sprayers come with some methylene chloride strppers,
though I wouldn't recommend spraying something that nasty.
However, I hadn't thought that the plastic parts might melt enough to
contaminate the stuff I'd be spraying on the wood. If I get a chance,
Ill give it a try, and report back to y'all.
Another option to the hand spray is Preval units with rather small
jars for finish a charged component for spraying. Might be too small
for your efforts.
On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 09:57:15 -0500, Brian Siano
<[email protected]> wrote:
>(Next time, I will experiment with diluted poly and a hand-pump spray
>bottle, to apply it in a fine mist, for a nice, even topcoat.)