"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Waste not, want not

You remember I did a posting on using mayonnaise to try and eradicate a water mark on our coffee table which had been caused by an overflowing pot plant.
The water marks on our coffee table were still
very visible
Well, although the mayonnaise did help, it was still very visible.  But there was nothing else wrong with the table (apart from a couple of puppy teeth marks in one of the legs) so it seriously didn't need replacing.  All it needed was recycling a sort out.

 So RMan purchased a cheap electric sander, and some lots of sand paper, and, after I had cut the all paper to size, he went to work one h-o-t afternoon.
Sandy work this...
It took about 3/4 hour to sand off the table.  Then it got wiped down with a vinegar rinsed cloth, allowed to dry, and then wiped with a very dry cloth to remove any fine particles of sanding that remained.
Sanding complete
RMan had experimented applying the sealer to a piece of wood.  First he brushed it on.  Nope - he didn't like the "streaky" appearance.  So he purchased a small cheap sponge roller.  That worked a treat :)
The wood sealer goes on with the small roller...
He did four layers of wood sealer in total - applying one vertically, allowing it to dry, applying it horizontally, allowing it to dry, and so on, and so on.
The finished product
RMan was so pleased with the finished product that he decided to do our scruffy old dining room table too.  He had sanded the table years ago, and had only finished it with a laxer of wax.  It didn't work.  The table had a terribly dirty, scruffy look, and a horrible "touch" to it, so that had to come off...
Before and after
Whilst sanding the dining room table the sandpaper kept getting clogged up with gunk, so RMan grabbed a wire brush and gently scraped off the build-up, thereby extending the life of the sandpaper - vital when you're running out of it LOL
Before sanding at the bottom, and after
at the top.  Note the wire brush to
clean off the sandpaper
RMan, unlike the builders, was even considerate enough to sand both the tables outside under our shadecloth awning.  Are we thankful for that awning - the heat would be unbearable otherwise.

Dusty work gets done outside RMan :)
Thankfully, there was a bit of a breeze so the fine dust was immediately dissipated.
The sealer application begins
So - what does the finished table look like?
Beautiful, RMan.  Well done
Want a close up?
Stunning, stunning, stunning!
We LOVE it!!!

By the way, the sander was very economical on our power supply...
370 watts - that's the total consumption of the
sander and the MNet decoder and TV on standby
- well within our power capacity :)
... 370 watts - and that included the MNet decoder and TV on standby.

 RMan loves doing repairs / renovations like this.  He has a lot more patience than I do LOL  And, with results like that, he's welcome to make a mess (outside) any time he fancies :)
Posted by Dani at 12:03:00
Labels: ,

24 comments:

  1. DFW16 February 2013 at 16:18

    I love sanding & bringing tables back to life. I got a coffee table & 2 end tables at a garage sale for $10 to put in the Country House. I did the same with them & they came out very lovely. The brand name is Lane, they have little rollers on the bottom, very retro.

    Tell RMan he did a great job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani16 February 2013 at 17:06

      DFW - RMan says (an embarrassed) thanks :) (he didn't know I blogged about his valiant effort)

      Delete
  2. Dani16 February 2013 at 17:04

    MD&E - Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Quinn16 February 2013 at 17:26

    Excellent results, RMan! Beautiful. I've refinished floors and furniture in the past (the long-ago past, now that I think back!) and know what a chore it can be. Great tip on the wirebrush/sandpaper, too. I will be sure to remember that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani16 February 2013 at 17:37

      Quinn - Now RMan is getting really embarrassed... LOL But he thanks you for the compliment :)

      Delete
  4. Quinn16 February 2013 at 17:27

    p.s. Dani, thank you for leaving such a nice comment on my little fledgling blog...much appreciated! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani16 February 2013 at 17:37

      Quinn - Your pictures are stunning! You are a gifted photographer :)

      Delete
  5. JaneofVirginia16 February 2013 at 18:45

    That is a beautiful job on both and well worth the efforts. R-man has a nice touch and did a wonderful job. You are a fine photographer ! I don't think new tables would have looked as nice as these do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani17 February 2013 at 10:01

      Jane - Thanks - and thanks :) Actually, we think the refurbished tables look even better than new, 'cos we know how much effort went into them LOL

      Delete
    2. JaneofVirginia17 February 2013 at 19:20

      I agree absolutely. These tables have character, solidity, and your family made them what they are today, which is fantastic !

      Delete
  6. tffnguy16 February 2013 at 23:58

    They look great!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Moonwaves17 February 2013 at 15:31

    Well done to RMan. I had to laugh while I was reading your post though as it reminded me of something I've been thinking about the last few weeks. Years ago, when I lived in houseshares with various people there was one girl I moved to several places with. We ended up sharing for six or seven years. During that time I would (apparently) frequently talk about various pieces of old furniture looking good if you could "sand it down and paint it". At some point she just started laughing at me any time I said it because I'd never actually done anything like that and never did the whole time we lived together. When she moved away to get married I moved into a much smaller and already furnished house-share so I brought the kitchen table and bench I had with me and put it out in the garden. Now that I did sand down (but just by hand) and varnish, to make it a bit weatherproof. I do have a couple of cupboards that could do with this treatment, though, really must get around to it one of these days (or maybe I need to find myself an RMan of my own, LOL). Sanding it down and painting it has been on my mind recently because I joined pinterest and it occured to me that finding things to pin was very like what I used to do - lots of great ideas for things to do but at the moment anyway, not much chance I'll actually ever do any of it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani18 February 2013 at 08:02

      Moonwaves - Thanks :) Perhaps, if you do go home, whilst you are there you could ask your brother to pop past and help? If he does the hard work, you could do the finishing?

      Delete
  8. Unknown17 February 2013 at 20:57

    Just beautiful!! You and RMan have inspired me ... we have a sturdy coffee table (had it for years and years) but the finish is wearing off and getting ugly. Seeing your wonderful results, I think we'll get busy. And I'm so happy to learn that it didn't take days and days. Thank you for the inspiration ... and saving such beautiful pieces from being tossed! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani18 February 2013 at 08:04

      Small Footprints - Total time - 3/4 hour to sand the table, 2 days to give it 4 coats of wood sealer allowing to dry in between each coat.

      You'll love the end result - to the point that you'll wonder what took you so long LOL

      RMan is so chuffed, he's sanding / resealing other stuff too now... :)

      Delete
  9. 1st Man18 February 2013 at 04:29

    Oh my gosh, that is SO pretty. Can RMan fly this direction? I have a job for him....LOL! Seriously though he inspired me, I'll have to keep my eyes open for some furniture that needs refinishing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani18 February 2013 at 08:05

      1st Man - Thanks. Nope, RMan has too much else to do, in addition to the other wood he has now started sanding / resealing...

      NOTHING beats the sense of achievement when you see the beauty that lies beneath the scruffiness!

      Delete
  10. Kris20 February 2013 at 14:55

    Well all I can say is brilliant work (both in execution and results)! Good job RMan!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani20 February 2013 at 17:14

      Kris - RMan can't stop blushing, and says "Thanks" :) All these compliments have spurred him on - I'll share what has transpired in a future posting LOL

      Delete
  11. tantalising labrat20 February 2013 at 18:55

    The mantra for 2013 - RESTORE, REPAIR, REUSE AND RECYCLE. Have fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani21 February 2013 at 13:54

      Brat - LOL - it used to be the three R's - now it's the 4. Couldn't agree with you more :)

      Delete
  12. Diana Studer24 February 2013 at 20:06

    http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/plants/SA_regional_guides.htm
    Mustart, P., Cowling, R. & Albertyn, J. 1997. Southern Overberg. South African Wild Flower Guide 8. Botanical Society of Southern Africa, Kirstenbosch.

    I would look at the bookshops at Kirstenbosch, or any good bookshop to get the book for your RMan. You can probably order online from BotSoc too.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.

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