Let's Paint!

[Space Voyager]

You're still doing this at work, for the benefit of the employer, right? In the spare time you find? How the hell does one get an employee like you, dammit?!?1?!?1'1'!!'1'1'!!?1'

 

I hope your work is valued, because all I get from people I work with is "I work for five, while everybody else is scratching their crotch!". Coming from people for whom I KNOW have very little to do and are able (and have done so) to bitch around like crazy when they get a little something to do...

[Zombie]

You're still doing this at work, for the benefit of the employer, right? In the spare time you find?

 

Yes! I'm doing this on the clock, so I'm getting paid for it. The boss could hire a professional to do the work, and even though I'm not as good (or as fast) as a professional I can fit projects in when I have a break in the work schedule.

 

How the hell does one get an employee like you, dammit?!?1?!?1'1'!!'1'1'!!?1'

 

I was raised good, and my first boss had a fantastic work ethic (he worked everyday well into his 80's, wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty with the privates in the trenches). I had to keep up, because we were a good team. One of Murphy's Laws of Technology says: Nothing motivates a man more than to see his boss putting in an honest day's work. You didn't stand around when he was near otherwise you'd end up getting assigned to a job you didn't like or get sent home. He passed away last year, but I still work like he's around. Work hard, do what needs to be done and keep the business running smooth.

 

I hope your work is valued, because all I get from people I work with is "I work for five, while everybody else is scratching their crotch!". Coming from people for whom I KNOW have very little to do and are able (and have done so) to bitch around like crazy when they get a little something to do...

 

Young adults these days are all about doing as little as possible while still getting a paycheck. There's something wrong with that mentality. But I think it can all be traced to having a good boss who is willing to mentor and motivate employees.

 

Ok, well I stopped at the paint store this morning on my way into work but unfortunately they were closed for inventory. So I'll need to stop tomorrow to get paint. I also remeasured the lexan panes in the smaller garage door and brought that along to the glass store. I talked to the new owner and found out the previous owner didn't cut the panes I needed. So he told me he'll cut them and that I should pick them up after 2pm tomorrow. Excellent! But that means I need to get my ass into gear and get the door ready for the panes. The only thing left to do was to paint the inside of the frame with white paint, so that's what I did.

 

 

Looks good! My plan is to install the new panes either Saturday or Sunday depending on weather or work schedule. Either way, I'll take you all along for the ride. (I don't normally work on Sundays, but I'm willing to come in to get a project done if it means not getting interrupted by fellow employees or the boss).

 

If you were looking at my previous pics of the moldings I cut and were wondering what the wide molding was for, well, the other garage (where I painted the paneling) has a garage door where one part of the frame was getting rotten and there was a big space between the door and the frame. So that's what It's for. Today I spent a little time trying to address that issue. I adjusted the track on the door and gained a few millimeters from that. Then carefully took off the old frame and nailed the top of the new frame to the garage. Because the space was in the middle section of the molding, I got a fellow employee to put pressure on new frame while I put another nail in to hold it in place. That almost eliminated the space, but now the bottom of the molding was rubbing on the garage door making it hard to close. Get the employee back and they put pressure in the opposite direction while I nailed it down. Then it was just a matter of nailing down the rest of the frame and attaching a small section of frame to the bottom. Time for pics:

 

 

The first pic shows the side of the garage and the new frame installed along with the old frame for comparison. The second pic is a close up showing how little space is left between the door and the frame (before I was able to slip 2 fingers in). You may be able to see the finishing nails I used. Why did I use nails instead of screws? Twofold. First, it's easier to pound a nail in while adjusting clearances, and second, it's easier to fill a nailhole than a screw hole (plus it's easier to remove the frame in the future if it needs to be replaced again). Before leaving work I caulked the frame and filled the nail holes so that should be ready to paint tomorrow.

 

Here's a pic of what the side door to the store looks like after drying:

 

 

Very nice! Probably needs another coat of paint, but at least it's protected for the winter.

 

Well, you can probably guess what's on my plate tomorrow. Stay tuned!

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

It sure is about time those lexan panes prove no longer to be pains and get fit in, Zombie.

 

Pretty tight work reducing those gaps with the moldings you've prepared. I doubt you shall feel much of a breeze at all on the inside from now on.

 

Thumbs up on the side door paint job as well - looks darn smooth!

[Zombie]

Today I managed to fit a little maintenance into my schedule. First up, those moldings for the back garage door really need to get installed. How to attach them to the frame though... hmmm. Well, there's basically three options.

1. Construction Adhesive. (AKA "Liquid Nails"). Drawbacks are that it's messy, expensive, and you really need to apply constant pressure to get it to adhere properly. Not sure about temperature constraints, but I'll bet it can only be used above like 10C. It's super strong though because there are more contact points.
   
2. Nails. The ol' standby. Nothing wrong with nailing, if you sock enough in the wood you'll have a strong connection too. Nails will still rust over time so the holding capacity will diminish, plus with the possibility of salt leaching in during winter that will exacerbate the effect. Big pro: easy to hide nail holes.
   
3. Screws. Excellent holding power, plus you can get them galvanized or coated which all but eliminates rusting. More expensive than nails. You'll get tired manually putting them in with a screwdriver, but you can also use a drill which speeds things up. Big con: can't hide screw holes very good.
   

What did I decide upon? The choice was really simple actually as I have some specific needs which need to be met. If I had a space between the garage door and frame which was completely uniform and plumb, nails would do it. Unfortunately, the gap isn't always uniform, and nothing on a 50+ year old garage door is ever plumb. I actually need to contour the molding to fit the gap. So screws it is, because they will hold enough so that I can put pressure on the wood to contour it to the gap. Anyhow, I predrilled holes in the moldings for the screws and also used a countersink bit to allow the head of the screw to sit below the surface.

 

The sides went up fast enough, though there is still a gap on the left side where I didn't have someone to help push on the molding. Can be fixed quickly though. Unfortunately, I must've measured wrong for the top molding as I was short a few inches. I made enough extra molding though, so I was able to cut a new section and prime it. Here's what the top of the door looks like and the space left.

 

 

And here's what the right side looks like:

 

 

Not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than it was. At least snow can't get in anymore and it'll be hard for wind to make a huge difference inside, especially if I stuff the joints with plastic when we heat the garage.

 

Oh, there was a molding on the smaller garage which had a rotten spot, so I ended up using automotive body filler (aka "Bondo") to fill it up. It's still a little rough yet as I couldn't sand it because it wasn't 100% cured, but maybe Monday I'll get to it.

 

 

Not a completely productive day, but I got something done at least. I'm still planning to install those new panes of Lexan tomorrow assuming the weather cooperates, so keep an eye out for that.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

Well, here we go!

 

Today I went about installing those Lexan panes in the smaller garage door. It was raining lightly, so I put a large piece of plywood in front of the door on the outside to prevent any water from messing things up. It also helped block the chilly wind. I think most people would probably try to do all the panes at once, I know better and do one at a time.

 

First step was to remove an old pane which was a simple task because it's only loosely in the frame. After that, apply glazing to the inner frame. In the past I'd just roll the stuff in my hands to make a thin "snake" out of it but that's really messy (glazing compound is oil based). This time I kinda doubled up on the protection: latex exam gloves and I applied the glazing only with a putty knife. That's just about mess free. Applying it is not enough, you have to figure out how much glazing is needed. Too much and the pane will not fit in the frame (or if it does fit a ton of glazing will squeeze out), too little and the pane may become loose in the frame or water could infiltrate. This is where the putty knife comes in handy: I push the glazing into the corner of the inner frame until it is completely full, then push the blade between the inner and outer frame at an angle (somewhere between 30&45 degrees worked for me). This squeezed out excess glazing and left the proper amount.

 

I had issues with getting the Lexan panes to fit the frame this time. I think my measurements were on the long side, and the panes were not completely smooth on the edges either. Long story short, I ended up sanding the edges with 35 grit sandpaper till they were somewhat smooth. This gave me a little space to play around with. I kinda forgot that there is a "channel" cut in the lower part of the frame to accept the pane. Once I figured that out and pushed the bottom in first it all fit. Now that the pane was in the frame, it was time to press against the pane until you could see glazing push out on the outside.

 

 

As you can see, I left the plastic masking on the window to protect the pane from scratches - all I did was reveal a little bit and tape the folds down. The masking is also good to leave on for a little because I need to paint the space between the window and frame where the glazing pushed out to make it less apparent. Now it was time to put on those sexy muntin bars I painted ages ago. They had so many coats of paint on them that they actually didn't fit anymore. Son-of-a-beech! I fixed that by snipping off a little bit at the ends with a wire cutter. As I did in the past, 3 nails were used in the vertical bars and 5 for the horizontal.

 

 

With the inside done, it was time to step outside to remove the excess glazing that pushed out. That's not too hard, you just run the putty knife against the frame and pane (lightly so it doesn't scratch) and pull the excess away from the window. The final step is to smooth the glazing in the crack to make sure it's even with the frame and there are no low spots. Then it was lather, rinse and repeat for the other two panes.

 

Outside, final result:

 

 

Inside, final result:

 

 

It's really amazing how yellow and cloudy the old panes look. The new panes are crystal clear. Even with the masking still on, it's so much brighter in the back now!

 

I had some time yet so I put one coat of brown paint on the last piece of molding for the back garage door. Hopefully I can install that on Monday. Now things are starting to come together. It looks like the weather will be fairly nice (temperature wise) for the next week and a half so that will give me a little time to finish up any loose ends (assuming it doesn't rain too much).

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

Them Lexan panes ended up looking mighty fine, Zombie. And, for all your troubles, you're now fittingly rewarded with an abundance of pleasant natural light.

 

Rewinding slightly to your prior status report - turning it over and over in my mind, I'm compelled to agree you were right to put the screws on.

 

Do notice, though, you having provided comfy holes to fully dig in, how self-centered they are now, brazenly drawing the eye in the frame like that.

 

Therefore, I recommend reinstating more even treatment post-haste.

[Zombie]

Therefore, I recommend reinstating more even treatment post-haste.

 

Will do!

 

I didn't get any painting done yesterday unfortunately. I wanted to, but it's getting late in the season and I really needed to get some other projects done for the store first. I took down a block and board display so that's out of the way. However, when I was looking at the boards, some had a little mold growth on them, and I knew that the wider boards in the display have never been cleaned (or protected) before so they needed some "help" before being put away for the season. Much like the slats on the greenhouse I cleaned this summer, I used the same idea for the boards. Bleach, some soap and a commercial deck cleaner, mix that up, spray it on, scrub, repeat on the back side and rinse. Here's what they looked like along side of the garage:

 

 

The boards closest to the camera are the wide ones and they are heavy due to soaking up water in the washing process (plus they don't have any wood preservative on them...yet). The greenish boards in the middle are the ones we purchased in March/April to replace some aging wood. I put wood preservative on them so they are excellent yet. So are the long boards on the ground. The boards at the far end were not bad either.

 

Nothing is going to dry outside for the next couple days due to rain/clouds so I'm going to haul everything into the greenhouse to speed up the process.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

Today when I checked on the boards I was pleasantly surprised. The surface was at least dry and they looked clean.

 

 

Rain was forecast, so I hauled everything into the greenhouse and put them on edge on sawhorses with a little space between them to promote drying. Even though the surface was dry, the boards themselves were heavy indicating lots of moisture inside. So they are going to need at least a week to dry properly. I might just leave them on the sawhorses for a while to dry enough to the point where I might be able to put a coat or two of wood preservative on them. No rush on this though, I have another project on the burners which has been on idle for the summer, but now that I have the wood I can start on it. More on this later.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

Today was very nice weather-wise, windy but sunny and fairly warm probably the last nice day of the year so I took full advantage!

 

I started with attaching the last piece of molding for the back garage door, after that I caulked all the screw holes and the space between the frame and the molding. I had to let that skin over before painting so I did a little work on the small garage There was some rotten areas between the frame and the brick molding (it's a type of molding used for trimming out doors mostly) so I caulked some of the spots and where the space was too big I stuffed some bondo in. After that the caulk on the back garage had skinned over sufficiently so I painted the molding and frame. Close up of the filled screw holes:

 

 

Also notice to the left of the screw hole is the angle cut of the molding - where that meets the frame is where I caulked too. Remember that the panes in this door were moving causing the paint to crack? Well, I very carefully caulked that space, then painted it.

 

 

There was way too much caulk on the window for my liking, but it was necessary. Maybe sometime I'll replace the back windows as well so I'm not concerned. Here's a pic of what the back garage door looks like nearly finished:

 

 

Basically the only things left on it is to remove the tape, caulk a spot I missed and touch that up, and maybe try to figure out what I can do with the space at the bottom corners of the door.

 

Since I had the paint out, I might as well paint the glazing on the outside of the smaller garage door. I checked it first and yes, it was dry (surprising)! Pic of what the glazing looks like unpainted:

 

 

No reason to tape anything, I carefully freehanded it. So here's what it looks like painted:

 

 

Much better on all avenues! The only thing left on the small garage door is to attach a piece of molding on one side, caulk and paint and finally remove the masking to reveal a crystal clear window!

 

Tomorrow is supposed to be a little chilly but still good enough to paint so I'll see what I can do in my spare time. My work never ends when fall is almost over.

 

- Zombie

[Space Voyager]

Silicone is good, even when too much of it. But seriously, better to have a bit too much than have a hole somewhere.

 

And not taping any more, huh? Getting cocky with freehand? Ok, I guess practice does make perfect!

 

Oh, what are the boards used for?

[Zombie]

Silicone is good, even when too much of it. But seriously, better to have a bit too much than have a hole somewhere.

 

Just to note, I'm not using a silicone caulk as that type cannot be painted (plus it's downright messy to work with). I'm using a 100% acrylic latex caulk (which is water based and makes for easy cleanup plus can be painted). Don't ever buy plain latex caulk (or paint!) as that is junk - get 100% acrylic as it holds up a long time. The brand of caulk I use these days is called Big Stretch because it has a good consistency, lasts a long time, stays flexible and comes in the colors I need: Woodtone for the brown, Tan for the caramel, white for the white garage doors and just about any wall and almond for the walls inside the shop plus gray always is handy as it goes with everything.

 

And not taping any more, huh? Getting cocky with freehand? Ok, I guess practice does make perfect!

 

I do tape sometimes, it depends on the situation really. If I'm painting inside, I always tape up woodwork, baseboards and heating registers as they can be very difficult to clean. And very hard to reach areas usually get taped because one little mistake with the brush can mess it up bad, and then you have to try and contort yourself to fix the mishap. I don't tape if I can get at an area perfectly or it's not critical. In the case of windows with wood around them, I don't use tape except for maybe the top edge. If you have a good brush, have a steady hand and are careful, you'll actually save time in the long run as taping, painting and removing the tape afterwards is time consuming. In the case of the windows of the garage door, you need to get a little paint on the window itself so that it seals in the glazing and prevents water from entering. If you tape and get too close to the frame, then when you try and remove the tape it might peel away some of the paint on the window and create a flap of paint. That's bad news as water can get behind it.

 

Oh, what are the boards used for?

 

Those are used for a tiered outdoor display. We normally use it for spring, but keep it up through summer and fall as plants are displayed on it at those times as well. I just took down the display the other day, and the boards needed some attention before putting them away in storage.

 

Speaking of the boards, I looked them over and felt them and I think they are mostly dry now (at least they are dry to the touch, dunno about the inside). The weather here has been on the cold side so even in the unheated greenhouse it is chilly (even the sun doesn't warm it up significantly). I might just put a fan on in there to help the drying process along.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

...I have another project on the burners which has been on idle for the summer, but now that I have the wood I can start on it. More on this later.

 

Ok, time to start working on this side project for the inside as it was rather crummy outside anyway. We have a table at work which is used for a lot of purposes and that means water will sometimes get on it. What that also means is that anytime you have water sitting, it might start to grow mold and mildew. Add to this that the table top is a laminate on top of particle board and it's a recipe for disaster: mold, mildew, water stains, expansion of the particle board, warping. Long story short, it has a lot of problems and needs to be fixed. The only way is to tear off the laminate and particle board and put something a little more stable down... like plywood.

 

Plywood comes in 4x8 foot sheets (1.2 x 2.4 meters) so the first step is to cut the width I need which is 30 inches (76cm).

 

 

In the foreground is the cutoff piece of 18 inches X 8 feet (46 x 244 cm). I just used stacks of 5 gallon plastic pails as sawhorses for this section. In the background (on a metal table) is the piece I want. The two yellow pails contain pea gravel and are heavy which was perfect for keeping that piece of plywood from shifting around or falling. Now it's time to cut it to length.

 

 

To make a nice clean cut, I C-clamped a piece of scrap to the plywood so the circular saw had something to ride against. The cutoff piece was again supported by two stacks of 5 gallon pails with some more scrap. It makes a hella mess, but that's what brooms are for. Now I needed to severely round off a corner to prevent people from snagging themselves. I figured the best way of getting a decent curve was to use the bottom of a bucket as a template. To cut it off, I used a jigsaw.

 

 

The other side needed a small section to be notched out so the top fit against a support. best way of doing that was to cut as far as I could with the circular saw, then finish with the jigsaw.

 

 

If you have good eyes you might notice that I sanded down all the edges with 36 grit and finally 120 grit sandpaper to minimize splintering I also slightly rounded the edges. What's next? Well, my first step for finishing is a coat of wood preservative+boiled linseed oil+turpentine+paint thinner.

 

 

I set the plywood down on some scrap cardboard and just brushed on the mix. First a light coat on the top, then the bottom. After a short while I applied a second coat to the top and before that had time to soak in I went over that with another heavy coat (that's three coats on the top). This is what it looked like directly after applying the third coat.

 

 

Shiny! But it didn't last long as it is meant to soak in and dry - which it did about 10 minutes later. As much as I'd like to keep the top looking like natural wood, it just wouldn't last no matter how many coats of marine-grade polyurethane I applied. (That stuff is darn expensive too). The plan is to apply another coat of wood preservative on the bottom tomorrow, then attempt to prime the whole thing with latex primer. After that, I'm going to paint the top with the same gray oil-based polyurethane floor enamel I used on the floor in the back cooler. That stuff wears like iron and should be able to stand up to the rough conditions. Plus if it ever chips off, it can be touched up easily and will look good.

 

Beyond this project, I was inspecting the smaller garage door today and noticed that there was a crack in the paint between the window and frame. So even with new glazing compound that's properly applied it will still shift. Maybe next time I'll use caulk to glaze the windows instead. In the interim though, caulking the joint should fix it. I'll see about getting some pics of this tomorrow.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

From painting to carpentry and back. Thanks for the inside scoop, Zombie.

 

I must say, that impromptu use of a bucket to achieve a curved edge worked out great, given your execution (and sanding).

 

Also, that shiny finish on the plywood really did make it look very nice, but it being a work table beauty is certainly not a priority and it would only reveal wear more promptly.

[Zombie]

From painting to carpentry and back. Thanks for the inside scoop, Zombie.

 

Yup, it's like a giant mixed bag. You'll never know what you'll pull out next, but it'll be interesting at least!

 

I must say, that impromptu use of a bucket to achieve a curved edge worked out great, given your execution (and sanding).

 

It was more execution than sanding - in any event it turned out good. Probably could have went with a smaller bucket, but this curve kinda matches the one on there now. Nobody can complain about that. Right?

 

Also, that shiny finish on the plywood really did make it look very nice, but it being a work table beauty is certainly not a priority and it would only reveal wear more promptly.

 

It would be possible to just use spar polyurethane and whack a ton of coats on and it would be fine. I always worry about scratches with that type of finish though, at least with the colored polyurethane you can repaint whenever it needs freshening up.

 

Well, I managed to put two more coats of wood preservative mix on the back side of the new table top today. It was having a little trouble drying, so I sped it up with a heat gun and then rubbed the top down with a paper towel to soak up any excess undried preservative. Now both sides are equally protected, so I can start applying primer tomorrow.

 

First things first, the windows on the smaller garage door need some caulk.

 

 

Caulking on a brand new window is tricky though (and stressful). You can't put down a big bead as it'll spread too far on the glass and make it look bad. So you have to be really mindful of the pressure you are applying to the gun to make the bead as small as possible all the while moving the gun at a decent pace to keep the bead even without skips. Takes some skill! You aren't going to believe this: I had just enough woodtone caulk to do the windows and then the tube was empty. Love how that works out. With the caulking done, I did other things for a while until it skinned over, then painted.

 

 

Should be good for the winter now. Since I had the brown paint out, might as well put another coat on the side door to the store.

 

 

Any lines you see are because it was still a little wet. I assure you they will disappear when the paint is dry. We also had a window replaced this fall, so I figured I should get going on that too. This is what it looks like currently.

 

 

It needed a lot of caulking so I got most of that completed and I also applied a coat of brown paint on the upper part of the brick molding. Unfortunately by this point the work day was coming to an end, it started to rain, and it was getting dark (no more daylight saving time as that ended on Sunday) so no pic was taken. Will do that tomorrow, weather permitting.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

This is twice unnatural - a lively Zombie with a steady hand on the caulk gun.

 

You're veritably pampering the side door to the store at this point too.

 

As for that new window, it may be just my impression, but the surrounding wood frame hints at some age (see lower right corner). Something for another Fall perhaps.

[Zombie]

As for that new window, it may be just my impression, but the surrounding wood frame hints at some age (see lower right corner). Something for another Fall perhaps.

 

Of course the frame is old. Basically everything on the building is old. I did caulk that area of the frame yesterday though, so we shall see how that cured. (BTW: the gray color of the frame is because I primed it two years ago but didn't put a topcoat on due to the window getting flagged for replacement. It finally was replaced this fall). So I'm trying to get that window frame painted this year yet. Hopefully the weather holds out!

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

Well, the weather didn't hold out. It actually got worse. Snow. So I'm a little out of luck with finishing anything outside unless we get a warm snap.

 

I did manage to get a coat of primer on both sides of the board (did this in the garage as it was still above freezing in there).

 

 

It wasn't perfect by any means, but it does what it is supposed to do: seal the board so that the polyurethane doesn't soak in. It also slightly raised the grain of the wood so the board was pretty rough. That's ok, we are going to lightly sand the whole thing anyway.

 

I'm going to attach (with screws) this board directly to the top of the table which has two layers on it right now: original with worn formica + newer particle board (I'll be removing the particle board top though). Trouble is, the size of the board going on top is 87 1/2 inches while the size of the older table top is 80 inches so that means I can't put screws anywhere. Might as well take the time to use a little math, and start dividing to see how many rows and columns are needed.

 

I figured that I didn't want to put screws too close to either edge (like an inch or something) so I settled on 2 inches for the width. So that's 4 inches lost which means I have about 26 inches left over. How many rows of screws should I put in a 26 inch column? Two sounded about right (a screw every foot would be 24 inches) so I just measured a foot from each side and drew the lines with a pencil. What about the length? I had 7 1/2 inches I couldn't screw into, evenly divided that's 3 3/4 inches, so I just added a couple inches extra on each side to make sure I'd hit wood (that measurement was thus 5 3/4 inches from each side). With the perimeter penciled in, it was just figuring out how many screws I'd need in each row to finish it off. To make it easy, I figured a screw each foot should be more than sufficient so I found the middle of the board, centered the first foot on that, and measured outwards every foot. Had a little bit left at each end so it wasn't a perfect rectangle but that doesn't matter. After all the measurements and marking was completed, I predrilled the holes for the screws to go through, then used a countersink bit to widen the top of each hole so the screw head would be below the surface. A picture is worth more than 1000 words so I probably should have started with that.

 

 

So yeah, the rectangles at the ends and the middle aren't perfect, but they don't need to be exactly the same, just similar enough. And because I'm using screws, there is a lot more holding power than the nails which are holding down the current top down. The screw holes will be filled anyway so you aren't going to see any differences. With that done, I might as well put on a coat of polyurethane floor enamel on the top. I had a used foam roller cover I had from painting the inside of the back garage so I reused that to roll on the first coat. After that dried to a sticky finish I went over the whole thing with another coat.

 

 

I don't think I'll be painting the whole bottom as it will never be seen except for those 3 3/4 inches on each side overlap, so I might just hit that with a brush when the top is dry. The frame of the table itself is going to need some primer in some areas and topcoat too, so that'll be my job to finish this week. Hopefully I'll be able to install the new top, fill the screw holes and put a final coat on it next weekend. Then it'll be all set.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

You are right on the money, Zombie, as a pitcure proves once again well worthy of a thousand words.

 

Your calculations for row and column screw hole spacing went from mental projection to real tabletop. I'm satisfied with the prep work you underwent which will clearly pay off next, upon install.

 

The top looks yummy milky right now, so don't let any cats come near it to mess it up with their paws.

[Zombie]

The top looks yummy milky right now, so don't let any cats come near it to mess it up with their paws.

 

Um, the color of the polyurethane on the table top is gray, not milky white. I'll admit, the photo isn't the best as it was a little dark so the flash went off which may have washed out the color a bit. It's the exact same paint I used on the floor of the back cooler, so just imagine that color except on the table top.

 

I didn't do much on it today except I scraped off any drips of paint on the bottom as they were still soft. I also sanded the bottom paying some attention to the areas where I drilled the holes as there was minor "punch-through". The top is pretty nice, it dried decently and there are only a few rough spots where air bubbles dried into the paint. I think it helped to roll on a second coat when the first was just tacky. That probably knocked down the bubbling. All the top will need is a light sanding and it'll be ready for installation. It's gonna look good!

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

I was pretty busy this week so far, but today I got lucky with a bit of free time at the end of the day so I decided to spend it painting the back of the table top. Originally I only planned painting the areas at each end which would stick out, but I figured that if I'm going to do a good job I might as well do the whole thing. You never know what might change to cause more area to be exposed too. I'd much rather be prepared than to try to fight with it last minute. So I brushed it on, and kinda like the top side I brushed on a second coat just as the first was drying. And since I had brush in hand, I lightly brushed on a coat on the sides. At least I will not have to mess with the sides anymore so that'll save me some time. Dunno if or when I'll get to painting the table, but if I at least get the top situated this week I'll be ahead of the game plan.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

I worked on installing that table top today. Before anything I had to remove the old top which was basically el-cheapo wall paneling (someone else installed this for some odd reason, probably because it was an inexpensive option - unfortunately wall paneling is not meant for areas that get wet). Here's what that looked like:

 

 

Black mold, worn and falling apart. Nice. To make matters worse, it was glued to particle board which wasn't in any better condition. That was nailed down to the original table top. I carefully pried that up and took a pic:

 

 

Black mold is like cancer, it silently spreads unnoticed until it is too late. And because particle board is porous when it gets wet, mold can easily get a foothold. It's best to get rid of the whole thing so I'll toss it out. Once the particle board was off, I swept the surface, pounded down any high areas around the nail holes and aligned the new top. The rest was easy, I started screwing down the new top on one end and worked my way to the other. The only issue I ran into was that the final column of screw holes (by the curved end) was pretty close to the edge of the old top, I remedied that by driving in the screws in on an angle which worked perfectly. Crisis averted.

 

 

I used coated (galvanized) screws which are meant for exterior decking so they probably will never rust and will hold fast (same screws I used for the molding around the back garage door - that's why you should always buy screws in a bulk box, you'll never know what you will need them for). After the top was secure, I filled all the screw holes with gray caulk and then wiped away any excess with a wet rag. Caulk takes a while to dry so I did other things around the shop. Once it set up sufficiently, I painted another coat of gray polyurethane on the top.

 

 

It'll need another coat, so I'm planning on doing that next weekend. But it looks fantastic just the way it is. Mr Bossman was impressed which is all that matters.

 

Parts of the frame of the table were previously painted by someone while other parts were not which made it look a little shabby, so I primed a good chunk of the frame today. I primed the raw edge of the old table top not only to protect it from moisture, but also so I could see where there were voids which need to be caulked. I'm also going to caulk the crack where the two table tops meet. It's not a big crack, but I want to make darn sure no water ever gets between them. If I can get the rest of the frame primed and caulked this week, then I can probably paint the whole thing with polyurethane and it'll be nearly finished by next week so that's the goal.

 

- Zombie

[Zombie]

This week I was pretty busy at work. And it's just going to gut busier the closer we get to Christmas. I did make an effort to get something done on that table last week. Because polyurethane will soak into raw wood, it's a good idea to prime wood first with a latex primer so the oil based polyurethane will sit on top. There was a lot of things in the way, so I had to shift stuff around to give me room to work and allow easy access to hard to reach areas. Here's what the sink side of the table looks like:

 

 

You may have noticed I got some primer on the edge of the new top. Nothing to worry about, the edge is going to need to be caulked anyway, I'll just pile on another couple coats and it'll be fine. Can't hurt as the sink side is where all the moisture problems occur. Heck, if you look at the floor, there's some dark areas between the table and the leg of the sink. It wasn't really all mold though, mostly just dirt. I scrubbed that area of the floor (by hand mind you) a couple times earlier this week and it came out looking new so I must've done something right. And I didn't just prime the outside of the table, no sir, I climbed underneath and painted the legs as high as they went and everything else inside too. Here's what the aisle side of the table looks like:

 

 

The gap in the lower shelf is because it was constructed from two pieces of plywood. I'll need to caulk that and the spaces between the legs and the lower shelf so that dirt cannot collect in those areas.

 

All in all, it looks better just with the primer on it. If I get time tomorrow, I'll try to get the table caulked at least. Painting can wait a bit until the prep work is done. And as the saying goes: "painting is 90% prep work and 10% actual painting".

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

Ah, there it is: the table at the center of all attentions - I have little doubt, Zombie, you shall leave no crevice untended in the end!

 

And as you explain, care must be taken to avoid applying paint on materials with a "soaking disposition" to avert wasteful use of time and resources.

 

Management is very fortunate to have you around is what's evident. Most others would speed through the job and cut corners (something you actually did, but for good reason ) instead of minding proper preparation and careful delivery!

[Zombie]

I didn't really have a lot of time to spend during Christmas and New Years on that table top (or bottom either). That project is still on hold. I did have a wee bit of time to fix and prime the bottom of a "riser" for the glassware by the sink. There was some mold on that (not too much though) which is why I primed it. When I was putting that back into place I noticed some spots on the table which may need another coat of primer. I'm glad I noticed that now as I can formulate a plan of attack and follow that when I get the time to work on it again.

 

Other than that, I did have a minor project I worked on over Christmas: my work bench in the backroom. The top of it was getting pretty beat up (as it should) so the first thing I did was sand the entire thing down with 80 grit sandpaper. After brushing away the dust, I sanded it with 120 grit. Then I wiped the entire thing down with paint thinner to remove any fine particulates the brush didn't catch. I applied one coat of spar semi-gloss polyurethane with a brush and let that cure for two days, but there were a lot of air bubbles in the finish which made it rough. Out came the 120 grit to smooth things out again plus another wipe down of paint thinner.

 

For the second coat I did things a little bit different to hopefully minimize the bubbles. I only lightly stirred the polyurethane, kept a gentle touch on the brush, applied one medium coat and before that had time to skin over I applied another heavy coat. I waited two more days and then felt it. Perfect!

 

 

There are a few spots where the polyurethane didn't fill in some divots so I think I'll put on another coat soon-ish. The top looks really shiny in the picture, but as it's semi-gloss there is some flatness which wasn't captured. I'm not after a super shiny surface because it's a friggin workbench, it's going to get bad eventually anyway. What I'm after is a flat surface to work on that's easy to clean up water, oil or solvent spills. The scratches and wear underneath the surface give it character.

 

- Zombie

[Thorondor]

It does look pretty glossy, you coating devil you.

 

In true Zombie fashion you clearly devote plenty of care and attention to the work at hand, with multiple sanding passes and proper surface coverage for the most part.

 

Given the aforementioned, I'll let the fact the wood has endured some rough handling throughout the times slide as due "character". It is a work bench after all.