Not too much to report today. I put a coat of shellac on this morning, and even though I thinned it big time, I still managed to get it on waaaaaay too thick. It's been about 10 hours and it's still not totally dry. The can said it would only take an hour. Oops.
Lots of sanding to do tomorrow to get rid of the brush marks etc. The blumply spot is still blumply so I'll need to sand that out too. So far...not so good. I wonder if Home Sense has tablecloths on sale?
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Table Restoration- Day 2
Day 2 started off great. Just like the book said, the alcohol lifted the finish and sort of melted it together. It smoothed out beautifully in lots of places- but not all. That funny spot that was all blumply the night before didn't get any better. It was flaky and pretty gross, so I decided to sand it off.
Well, the best laid plans, as they say. I started off with the 220 fine grit they recommended in the book, but got impatient and switched back to the 120 to make things go faster. Then I answered the phone and kept sanding while I chatted. I swear, my attention only wandered for 2 seconds! This is what happened:
I sanded straight through the dang finish to the wood. Crap crap crap.
After I finished swearing, I regrouped and went out to the Home Depot (only the second of many such trips I think). I bought a bunch of their little stain testing packages along with more 220 sandpaper- I won't be making that mistake again.
I used the back of the table leaf to test the stains, then settled on a 2:1 mix of Dark Walnut and Cabernet. It's nowhere near an exact match, but it's marginally better than bare wood. I wish they'd had some Ebony to darken it a bit more, but thems the breaks.
So I painted it on, let it sit for a while, and wiped it off. I repeated that about 6 times over the course of the day, then left it overnight to dry completely.
It doesn't look totally horrible, just sort of horrible. I'm hoping when the shellac goes on it blends in a bit more. Hope springs eternal.
Well, the best laid plans, as they say. I started off with the 220 fine grit they recommended in the book, but got impatient and switched back to the 120 to make things go faster. Then I answered the phone and kept sanding while I chatted. I swear, my attention only wandered for 2 seconds! This is what happened:
I sanded straight through the dang finish to the wood. Crap crap crap.
After I finished swearing, I regrouped and went out to the Home Depot (only the second of many such trips I think). I bought a bunch of their little stain testing packages along with more 220 sandpaper- I won't be making that mistake again.
I used the back of the table leaf to test the stains, then settled on a 2:1 mix of Dark Walnut and Cabernet. It's nowhere near an exact match, but it's marginally better than bare wood. I wish they'd had some Ebony to darken it a bit more, but thems the breaks.
So I painted it on, let it sit for a while, and wiped it off. I repeated that about 6 times over the course of the day, then left it overnight to dry completely.
It doesn't look totally horrible, just sort of horrible. I'm hoping when the shellac goes on it blends in a bit more. Hope springs eternal.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Table Restoration- Day 1
A few weeks ago, Ryan and I had a fondue on our dining room table. Before placing the flaming pot of fire on the table, I thought "Ooh, I'd better put something down to protect the finish". So I walked past the trivet, threw a slightly damp tea towel down, and proceeded to have a lovely meal of deep fried stuff on sticks.
When it came time to clean up, this is what remained after the tea towel was peeled off:
Purty, ain't it? It matches all the drink rings already on the table and everything! No question now...the table would have to be refinished. Having gone through a furniture refinishing kick about 8 years ago, I figured I could do it myself. I just didn't want to strip it, considering all the hours of holding a vibrating orbital sander that would be required. So I called a woodworker and he quoted me at $900 just to strip it for me. Apparently, I'm in the wrong business!
So, it's going to be a total DIY project. Good news is, the table is finished in shellac. How do I know, you ask? The book guide recommends dabbing alcohol in a small inconspicuous area to see if it softens up. Well, last summer I was drying coloured pasta for my kindergarten class, which was soaked in rubbing alcohol. It soaked through the paper onto the table and left an oh-so-lovely mottled smear across the finish. So I know it's shellac.
That being said, I don't need to refinish the table top- only restore it, which is much easier apparently. So I gathered up all the materials the book said I needed.
Here's a before shot of the beat up table:
I sealed off my dining room with a drop sheet and lots of painter's tape, and covered up the heat register with a board. I don't want any dust coming in to wreck the finish.
Step 1 was to wash and dry the table well. Then I sanded it with 120 grit aluminum oxide paper. And man-oh-man did a lot of finish come up!
I tried to breathe in as little ancient shellac dust I could, then washed the table again and swept up every speck of dust on the floor. I even mopped...a rarity around here. Shows my devotion to restoration perfection.
Next came the scary part. I had to brush on methyl hydrate (denatured alcohol) to soak through the finish and lift up any moisture. It's supposed to smooth out the existing finish and make it lovely. So here goes:
It looked a lot better already. And the alcohol didn't stink at all. Once it went on, I watched it dry. Yes, I officially watched paint (well, shellac) dry. Good times around here! But I'm a little worried now, cause this is what it looks like:
Not good. And there's a big patch of this:
I have a feeling that's not going to just smooth out like the book said. I'm trying not to pick at it and just let it dry over night. We'll see how it looks in the morning. Hopefully I won't have any nightmares about alligator skin.
When it came time to clean up, this is what remained after the tea towel was peeled off:
Purty, ain't it? It matches all the drink rings already on the table and everything! No question now...the table would have to be refinished. Having gone through a furniture refinishing kick about 8 years ago, I figured I could do it myself. I just didn't want to strip it, considering all the hours of holding a vibrating orbital sander that would be required. So I called a woodworker and he quoted me at $900 just to strip it for me. Apparently, I'm in the wrong business!
So, it's going to be a total DIY project. Good news is, the table is finished in shellac. How do I know, you ask? The book guide recommends dabbing alcohol in a small inconspicuous area to see if it softens up. Well, last summer I was drying coloured pasta for my kindergarten class, which was soaked in rubbing alcohol. It soaked through the paper onto the table and left an oh-so-lovely mottled smear across the finish. So I know it's shellac.
That being said, I don't need to refinish the table top- only restore it, which is much easier apparently. So I gathered up all the materials the book said I needed.
Here's a before shot of the beat up table:
I sealed off my dining room with a drop sheet and lots of painter's tape, and covered up the heat register with a board. I don't want any dust coming in to wreck the finish.
Step 1 was to wash and dry the table well. Then I sanded it with 120 grit aluminum oxide paper. And man-oh-man did a lot of finish come up!
I tried to breathe in as little ancient shellac dust I could, then washed the table again and swept up every speck of dust on the floor. I even mopped...a rarity around here. Shows my devotion to restoration perfection.
Next came the scary part. I had to brush on methyl hydrate (denatured alcohol) to soak through the finish and lift up any moisture. It's supposed to smooth out the existing finish and make it lovely. So here goes:
It looked a lot better already. And the alcohol didn't stink at all. Once it went on, I watched it dry. Yes, I officially watched paint (well, shellac) dry. Good times around here! But I'm a little worried now, cause this is what it looks like:
Not good. And there's a big patch of this:
I have a feeling that's not going to just smooth out like the book said. I'm trying not to pick at it and just let it dry over night. We'll see how it looks in the morning. Hopefully I won't have any nightmares about alligator skin.
Jumping in, head first
Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you that when it comes to home renovations and other projects, I'm pretty fearless. I'm not scared to read a book, look at the pictures, and try it myself.
Unfortunately, I don't always take into account the learning curve I need for big projects. Like the hardwood floors, for instance. I budgeted 2 weeks of my precious summer vacation to demo the floors and trim in three bedrooms and a hallway, lay down the floor, and replace the trim. Well, almost six months later, I finally finished the project. It looks great, but a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into those floors! Little did I know what I was getting into.
So even though I love starting new projects, I rarely know what I'm truly getting into. I'm usually biting off much more than I can chew. My hope for this blog is to help inspire other ladies out there to take on home renos, art projects, and other adventures....while giving it all a healthy dose of reality. I'll be honest about all my screw-ups and hopefully I can save someone from making my mistakes!
Unfortunately, I don't always take into account the learning curve I need for big projects. Like the hardwood floors, for instance. I budgeted 2 weeks of my precious summer vacation to demo the floors and trim in three bedrooms and a hallway, lay down the floor, and replace the trim. Well, almost six months later, I finally finished the project. It looks great, but a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into those floors! Little did I know what I was getting into.
So even though I love starting new projects, I rarely know what I'm truly getting into. I'm usually biting off much more than I can chew. My hope for this blog is to help inspire other ladies out there to take on home renos, art projects, and other adventures....while giving it all a healthy dose of reality. I'll be honest about all my screw-ups and hopefully I can save someone from making my mistakes!
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