wood refinish tips

[old3bob]

Its been years since I've refinished a wooden table top.  Some things I've come across:

1.  be aware not to get too aggressive with sanding, namely with 80-120 grit paper and a belt or machine type sander!

Such grit might be used if done super carefully by continuous movement of the sander but that grit can easily dig too deep and leave grooves!

(never use coarse paper on veneer tops, most are very thin!)

 

2.  the wood being sanded and the light you have on the project can make a big difference.  for instance without good light and checking from different angles uneven sanding and missing spots is more likely,  and if you apply a finish after those errors they will probably stand out clearly and need to be gone back over.  That is not so bad if you have lots of depth of wood to re-sand but if you have a thin wood or a veneer re-sanding may go right through it and destroy your table.  I don't have much experience in using  chemical strippers and strong solvents to remove an old finish but i'd say even more caution is called for with them!  For instance I once used a stripper on an old piano and it removed the surface coat alright but it also lifted out the grain sealer that I should have been aware of it doing, thus making the refinish job difficult and unsatisfactory)

 

3. choice of finish is a not always easy to make being there are all the different brands and types of finish available and the how or where the table is being used.  I tend to like a penetrating wood stain coated with tung oil.  Btw all tung oil is not created equal.  Some tends to leave more on the surface which is ok depending on usage, another may penetrate down into the wood better and give a cleaner like coat.  Do not rush the finish job and follow its directions closely or regret is likely. 

 

have fun and satisfaction on a job well done

 

Edited Wednesday at 11:29 PM by old3bob

[Nungali]

I'm angry !   

 

I listened to the stupid 'paint expert' and he assumed me a clear varnish that is water based is as good as one that is spirit based ...  modern ones are great !  So I did it . 

 

First thing I notice is its a milky color when it goes on and is NOT clear . As it dries it goes clear , but for a while after drying any moisture on it it goes milky again . Then after a few months it appears to have  dried out or sealed itself , that no longer happens , but now its wearing out already after one year ! Crap, I did  a LOT of work sanding back my kitchen work surfaces only for this to happen . I might have to do it again ... all over again.

 

My techniques with spirit based is to give a sand and paint with 1/3   spirit based clear finish 2/3 spirit , dry . A finer sand paper then 50/50  clear finish and spirit .  Finer paper and 2/3 finish 1/3 spirit . Finer paper and  clear finish .   The another finer   fine sand and a last coat . I did my kitchen ceiling boards like this *  ( T & G pine  ) to protect against dirt grime oil grease from cooking , 20 years later still good, no mold  and a quick wipe over with a squeegee mop  keeps them looking they where just done . 

 

*  ( builders usually give you one coat up there , its too hard to do .  But I did it all  BEFORE I put the boards up , its very easy -but time consuming -  just be careful after each coat to wipe any off that got into the tongue and groove joint and to sand the joint as well each time  )  - looks like deep  shiny  'Japanese lacquer ' . 

 

Here is  something for a very fine finish ;     sandpaper fig leaves      - they do wear out quick, but then you just pick another leaf . 

 

 

 

 

 

[old3bob]

Sorry to hear that,  and of the extra disappointment after doing all the careful and time consuming sanding!!

 

I've used that water based varnish before and don't trust it much,  like you said it is not as durable, more so for certain areas.

 

In recent years they have come out with latex paint that supposedly has built in primer.  I don't know how much to trust that?   I have no problem with and like using tried and true quality primers.  Btw some of the pre-primed wood or fiber product moulding one might buy could have been coated with low grade primer that can result in the weather degrading the paint job much more quickly.  Also  I never use fiber product or particle  board stuff where any moisture may get to it after which it can start to swell or crumble apart!   All my new window mouldings are of real wood carefully primed and then painted.  I recently put new baseboard in 3 rooms and a hallway, it was a lot of work to constantly get down on the floor sideways (to find the studs for nailing the boards to the wall) for an older me who is not in the greatest of shape.  (not to mention pulling the old baseboards without doing any damage to the sheetrock)

 

that's interesting about the leaf sanding...

Edited yesterday at 06:01 PM by old3bob

[Nungali]

I hate particle board . It disintegrates  here in the moisture  and I think it looks horrible , especially that stuff with the big chunks in it .  Some modern builds actually use huge blank areas of it as an 'architectural feature '  - bleark !   I also have an aversion to sheetrock or similar.   My abode is all local timber, glass and river rock -  a lot of glass  ( lets see... counting ...)   30 separate windows , three doors and a skylight .... in a one room cabin with a kitchen extension     . So I have been used to living in that for a long time and feel uncomfortable enclosed in a 'regular 'room ' .

 

One job that was task ... I did the ceiling in  the bath house the same way ; multiple coats . Its a  white Cyprus pine ( termite resistant )  with a high  contrast of light and dark grains 

 

 

( I picked out the best boards out of a  huge  at Bunnings  , I went through the whole pallet and got the best ones  -  Bunnings guy  looking disturbed  ;   Do you need assistance sir  ?    Nope !  ) and  I wanted to do that 'hidden nailing' technique on t&g so no nails could be seen - on a ceiling .  Guy at hardware said you need a special gun, even for a floor, to do a ceiling like that is .... well... no one does that . Bugger that, I was sick of buying tools for one job so I did it all by hand with a hammer and nail punch ....  phew !  

 

Getting down on the floor sideways  is the easy part .... its getting back up again ....  then down again , up down up down  ... urrrgh . 

 

How do you know when you are getting old ?    -  You need false teeth . 

 

How do you know you have gotten even older ?   -   You cant find your false teeth . 

 

Older still ?   -   You can find your false teeth but they don't feel right  ....  " Grandpa!  That's my earphone case ! " 

 

Even older ?  -   You do find them , they are actually false teeth , they fit reasonably well .... but they are Jim's from 3 beds down 

 

  

[old3bob]

 

Great looking boards!  Righto on the getting back up and then down again.  It would nice to have 50 cents on every dollar spent on crowns and root canals, no false teeth yet, oh wait I do have two small bridges- dam.  Going to see a doctor soon since my balance is starting to get worse?  

 

I've got so many projects to do, and regular maint. on things from A-Z besides whatever honey-do's needed for my wife. (I even figured out how to fix her very old and new sewing machines)   It would be nice to have a strong kid around to help with things!  Speaking of painting I have a classic car and truck that need a lot of TLC in body and paint work, not sure I'll get those done any time soon besides I'm not experienced with the newer auto paints and paint guns.  (Last time I painted a car was with good old Dupont enamel and a suction feed gun) 

Your humor here is appreciated Nungali ;-)  Bob

Edited 21 hours ago by old3bob

[Nungali]

I had this old school boss ... he was still on his 17 yo  merchant navy rations ; 1/2 bottle of sherry and a half packet of unfiltered Capstan  fags per day     he was on his  second retirement deferment  and still going . he had this old car and every so often he gave it a paint job ... with a paintbrush !  He had been a painter at some stage so managed a very good job . One would have to look really close to see the brush marks .  

[old3bob]

 

I've seen a few of those hand painted vehicles around, and remember the colorfully painted VW hippie buses in the late 60's in southern Cal...some of those early VW busses (and bugs) are worth a fortune now.