I keep reading how all of my Trash to Treasure buddies are completing their projects in a few days or even a day...I see their pictures, and everything is SO beautiful. And…the ones that sell their items are doing really well at it too! How in the world do they do it? I know what my problem is, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem for all of them. Here’s what I mean...…
When I did the bench and table that I recently completed, I finished the "building" part of it in two days. Not bad, I thought to myself. Then since DH (dear husband) is in construction he says..
"If you're gonna paint that part white and it's gonna be outside, you need to use oil base enamel, or you're gonna be painting it every year from the weather."
Okay, so I get out the oil base white. DH...
"No you gotta primer it first, use the Kilz and it will help seal the wood."
Okay so I get out the Kilz. One night for that. Oh, did I tell you about all the sanding, and feeling for smoothness that I had to do before the painting?? So the next night I get out the oil base and give it a good coat.
DH..."You know you have to put on two coats don't you"?
Two nights more...one for each coat.
Now comes the stain for the seat and back. DH asks me why I did the paint first before the stain. I tell him that my thinking was that if the oil base paint is so good at sealing it, then I figure if I get any stain on the white, it will just rub right off…right?
He gives me the “look”. Anyway, wow, only one coat of stain??? (that’s because more than one coat, it starts to pull the color off – I’m learning at this stuff). And it dries quickly??? Cool, I can put the sealer on and be done.
Marine Varnish I ask? DH..."No, that turns yellow and will peel off....do you want to do it again next year? Use sanding sealer and lightly sand between coats." Coat"s" I ask?? DH..."Yeah, about 6 or 7. You gotta make sure it's all sealed, the weather you know".
DH calls his brother, the painter/finisher; gets off phone and says..."Better make it 10, but you won’t have to sand between the first and second coat". I mentally settle on 8. So I start. Seal, Seal, Sand. Seal, Sand. Seal Sand. Seal Sand. Seal Sand. Seal Sand. Seal Sand. Whew. DONE.
DH...."I'll help you turn it over on this old rug so you can do a few coats of oil base on the bottom of the legs."
Darn, forgot about the bottom of the legs.
DH..."do you want the paint to just peel up? Are you gonna go through this again next year? Hey, you can do what you want, but it's gonna start peeling if the moisture gets in the wood."
Another week gone by...what am I on now, oh yeah, starting week three. So I get that done, and now I'm excited to get it out on the deck.
DH..."I'll seal up all the joints with clear caulk for you. You can't leave the joints exposed because the water will get in and just ruin everything. But I have to work on the deck tonight. What are you looking at me like that for? How often do you want to do this? Well, you can do what you want, but it's a really nice bench and you worked hard on it. Do you want it to get ruined by next year? But, whatever you want."
So I grab the caulk gun and the clear caulk.
DH..."Yeah, you can do it, here's a damp rag for the excess....and don't forget to do all the screw holes so they don't rust through."
ARRRRGGGGGHHHH.
Now everybody knows about Buffalo’s famous winters so we do plan on bringing the bench in during the snow season, but my DH must know something about the rain around here that I’m missing. Well, the bench got done and I love it, and made a table to go with it using a doll crib and the top from an old tea cart. And yes, he was the same with the table - two coats white, two coats (on every spindle) green, and six coats (I cheated) sanding sealer on the frame of the old tea cart top. I learned something while doing this too.
I tried to outsmart him and decided to put the white oil base over the whole crib. I thought, hey, I can be cautious too you know. Then, as I was walking through the barn with the green acrylic latex in my hand, my love says….”you can’t put latex over oil base, it will split and peel within a month.”
Two dozen spindles, two coats each, another two days!
I haven't put the clear caulking between the glass and the frame of the top yet because [again] DH says to “use tempered glass instead of the regular glass that is in there.” That takes a week to order in!!!! Yeah, he’s probably right.
So I’m wondering, how do my buddies do it? Do I just wear earplugs the next time? Oh, BTW….I went to the $1 store, bought a tarp and a pkg. Of Velcro fasteners and a $3 grille cover and made rain covers for both pieces!!!
These things ought to last FOREVER!!
