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subtlegreyInstead of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to aim for a short essay every day on a topic I feel like yammering about.
I started the bookshelf refinishing project this afternoon. I'm excited for this project, and grateful that I'm physically able to start tackling it now. I've learned a few things today: It's going to take longer than I thought (always does) and I want a belt sander because belt sanders are AWESOME.
I started out trying internet advice on refinishing old furniture. I wasn't worrying too much about stripping every last bit of the finish off; the stain I had originally used was very dark, and I did a double-application separated by at least a few days if I remember right. (Orrin's dad and I built this shelf while I was in college.) I think the internet how-tos that recommended the steel wool/stripper approach were designed for furniture *I* didn't put a finish on. I used 2 or 3 layers of poly on top of the stain. It was glossy as fuck and impenetrable.
Anyway, I started with steel wool and a stripper product (mineral spirits, in my case) to knock the gloss off and prevent over-clogging of sandpaper. That didn't seem to be working, so I rummaged around and found a product allegedly made for stripping polyurethane off furniture, supposed to be easier and faster than sanding. I made some progress with it. After an hour of scrubbing and wiping, I nutted up and plugged in the belt sander I borrowed from my dad. SHIEZAH! I stripped more finish off in 5 minutes than I had in an hour!
So, Hooray! I went to Home Depot to buy more belts, which of course took longer than it needed to because I love tool stores (I want a little mouse-ear sander for corners, and a baby jigsaw, and some sawhorses, and another extension cord, and...). Afterward, I stripped 3 sides and flipped the shelf upside-down to try stripping the actual shelves. I was a little nervous since they are harder to get to than the outside bits. I was right to be concerned. My ability to fully utilize the belt sander was more limited on the inside of the shelves. I switched back to the palm sander, since it was smaller and could get the edges better. I am very grateful for past me buying contractor-grade knee pads!
I think coarser grit sandpaper on the palm sander will help speed up the process. I also need another day on this. BOOOOO. I definitely understand why people just paint over things or throw them out and buy something new. Today's weather was lovely; the weather for the upcoming week is not slated to be conducive to outdoor work. [shudder] I'm not set up to do this kind of dust-generating work in the garage, so I need to be able to pull things outside for the sanding.
I figure if I can't get the finish completely off, that'll be ok. It'll have "character." I'm going to put on a green-tinted stain I bought over 10 years ago when I worked at Lowe's. Always wanted to use it, never got around to it. I think any residual darker reddish stain will meld nicely with the green and give the bookshelf a sort of antiqued look. At least, that's my hope. I may accent the piece with some white trim paint, too.
Eventually, the bookshelf may be repurposed to hold clothes. I have more clothes than I've ever had in my entire life right now. I do have closet space, but the closet in our bedroom is very small, and we only have 1 small chest of drawers (the one we bought when we first got married, in fact!). Most of the closet is filled with skirts and dresses (and Rin's dress shirtS). I'm thinking if I put bins on the bookshelf and maybe a curtain across the front, it could serve as a more space-efficient wardrobe, at least for T-shirts, unmentionables, and pants.
Here's the supplies I used today:
Safety glasses
Disposable nitrile gloves
Ear plugs
Knee pads
Belt sander (variable speed) with 60 grit belts
Palm sander (quarter sheet) with 60 grit paper
Coarse steel wool
Large paintbrush
Mineral spirits
Some kind of sander-deglosser liquid
Lots of soft rags (made from old boxer shorts)
Next Steps:
Strip the remaining finish off the wood
Cut cord holes in the backing
Sand with finer sandpaper (180 grit on the belt sander, 240 on the palm sander?)
Wipe down with a damp rag to remove dust remnants
Possibly vacuum for the same
Apply wood pre-conditioner
Apply 2 coats of stain
Apply 2 coats of polyurethane (sanding in between with 320 grit paper on the palm sander)
Put on furniture sliders/felt pads
I started the bookshelf refinishing project this afternoon. I'm excited for this project, and grateful that I'm physically able to start tackling it now. I've learned a few things today: It's going to take longer than I thought (always does) and I want a belt sander because belt sanders are AWESOME.
I started out trying internet advice on refinishing old furniture. I wasn't worrying too much about stripping every last bit of the finish off; the stain I had originally used was very dark, and I did a double-application separated by at least a few days if I remember right. (Orrin's dad and I built this shelf while I was in college.) I think the internet how-tos that recommended the steel wool/stripper approach were designed for furniture *I* didn't put a finish on. I used 2 or 3 layers of poly on top of the stain. It was glossy as fuck and impenetrable.
Anyway, I started with steel wool and a stripper product (mineral spirits, in my case) to knock the gloss off and prevent over-clogging of sandpaper. That didn't seem to be working, so I rummaged around and found a product allegedly made for stripping polyurethane off furniture, supposed to be easier and faster than sanding. I made some progress with it. After an hour of scrubbing and wiping, I nutted up and plugged in the belt sander I borrowed from my dad. SHIEZAH! I stripped more finish off in 5 minutes than I had in an hour!
So, Hooray! I went to Home Depot to buy more belts, which of course took longer than it needed to because I love tool stores (I want a little mouse-ear sander for corners, and a baby jigsaw, and some sawhorses, and another extension cord, and...). Afterward, I stripped 3 sides and flipped the shelf upside-down to try stripping the actual shelves. I was a little nervous since they are harder to get to than the outside bits. I was right to be concerned. My ability to fully utilize the belt sander was more limited on the inside of the shelves. I switched back to the palm sander, since it was smaller and could get the edges better. I am very grateful for past me buying contractor-grade knee pads!
I think coarser grit sandpaper on the palm sander will help speed up the process. I also need another day on this. BOOOOO. I definitely understand why people just paint over things or throw them out and buy something new. Today's weather was lovely; the weather for the upcoming week is not slated to be conducive to outdoor work. [shudder] I'm not set up to do this kind of dust-generating work in the garage, so I need to be able to pull things outside for the sanding.
I figure if I can't get the finish completely off, that'll be ok. It'll have "character." I'm going to put on a green-tinted stain I bought over 10 years ago when I worked at Lowe's. Always wanted to use it, never got around to it. I think any residual darker reddish stain will meld nicely with the green and give the bookshelf a sort of antiqued look. At least, that's my hope. I may accent the piece with some white trim paint, too.
Eventually, the bookshelf may be repurposed to hold clothes. I have more clothes than I've ever had in my entire life right now. I do have closet space, but the closet in our bedroom is very small, and we only have 1 small chest of drawers (the one we bought when we first got married, in fact!). Most of the closet is filled with skirts and dresses (and Rin's dress shirtS). I'm thinking if I put bins on the bookshelf and maybe a curtain across the front, it could serve as a more space-efficient wardrobe, at least for T-shirts, unmentionables, and pants.
Here's the supplies I used today:
Safety glasses
Disposable nitrile gloves
Ear plugs
Knee pads
Belt sander (variable speed) with 60 grit belts
Palm sander (quarter sheet) with 60 grit paper
Coarse steel wool
Large paintbrush
Mineral spirits
Some kind of sander-deglosser liquid
Lots of soft rags (made from old boxer shorts)
Next Steps:
Strip the remaining finish off the wood
Cut cord holes in the backing
Sand with finer sandpaper (180 grit on the belt sander, 240 on the palm sander?)
Wipe down with a damp rag to remove dust remnants
Possibly vacuum for the same
Apply wood pre-conditioner
Apply 2 coats of stain
Apply 2 coats of polyurethane (sanding in between with 320 grit paper on the palm sander)
Put on furniture sliders/felt pads
