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It's on a hinge, so I can move the surface to various angles. I'm a little afraid that adding a glass (or marble, which is what I wanted) top would make it too heavy and fragile to move easily.
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What about shellac? I had a friend in college build a bar in his apartment. He put several coats of shellac on it so anything and everything can be cleaned up easily. It's clear, so whatever you decide to do - paint or stain - will show through. I'm not sure whether paint will come off easily or not, but it's a thought.
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That sounds good - what's shellac? I've heard the word often, but it usually relates to makeup and Southern hairdo~s.
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It's a clear coating you apply to wood and such. punwit can probably give you more details.
The cool thing is that you can apply multiple coats making it as thick as you need. My friend put different Gator stuff like patches, bumper stickers, etc. on the bar top and the layered over them with the shellac.
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katharina, MDf usually comes with some sort of painted finish. Do you know if your tabletop has just a primer coat or is finished like many closet shelving and cabinets nowadays? If the MDF is pre-finished I would stain and varnish the legs and trim. If you are happy with the finish on the top you can either leave it alone or varnish it to better match the trim and legs. Varnish, shellac, lacquer, urethane, polyurethane and sanding sealers are various clear type finishes. Lacquer is a fast drying finish that is usually sprayed on. It dries quickly and if properly done will produce a mirror like finish. There are several types of varnishes which can be applied with a brush. Typically they will not give you as smooth a finish as lacquer but are easier for novices to use. Varnishes come in different sheens. There is satin, semi-gloss and gloss. Generally speaking, higher sheens indicate greater durability. There is also a product called spar varnish which is named for its original use to coat ship spars. Spar varnish is highly glossy and is considered one of the most durable exterior finishes. If you want more in-depth information on clear wood finishes let me know and I'll elaborate further.
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I think the MDF is unfinished - we looked at it at Home Depot and you could see the pressboard and it didn't seem to have anything on it.
I would ideally like to have all of the thing the same color - dark rosewood stain color. Can I stain the MDF, or will that look tacky? What if I stain and do the clear gloss finish? I'd like to finish it so I don't have to worry about getting paint on it but can clean it off if I want.
Is there a clear finish that I could use paint remover on with impunity?
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I've not come across raw mdf. The mdf I am familiar with is always primed in preparation for being painted. Pressed wood products similar to mdf don't take stain well but it can be done. I would check in your area to see if you can pick up some scrap unprimed mdf and practice with your stain ahead of time. The problem with these pressed wood products is that they are very porous and will soak up an inordinate amount of stain. They also tend to take stain unevenly. Try some testing first.
In regards to the finish I would suggest that you look at a waterbourne polyurethane. These products are easy enough for novices, don't stink as much as solvent born urethanes, clean up with water and are very durable. The cleaning of paint off of the finish depends on what type of paint is spilled. Once oil base paint completely dries it will be very difficult to remove without harming your finish. Latex based products will clean up with products like Goof offPosts: 2022 | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Once oil base paint completely dries it will be very difficult to remove without harming your finish.
Hmm...Is there anything I can finish it with that would create a surface from which I could remove the dried oil paint?
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Not that I'm aware of. What type of paint remover would you be using on the top to remove dried oil base paint?
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Any product that will remove dried oil base will be hot enough to melt almost any finish. The hardest product I can think of is an epoxy finish but those are very stinky and difficult to work with and I would not recommend them to a novice.
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You have exhausted my ability to provide an answer to your question. I really don't know of a finish that will maintain it's integrity if you are trying to remove dried oil base paint. It is highly possible there is an answer for you it just is evading me. I know you rejected the glass idea. Perhaps some sort of thin metal skin?
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I think I'm going to have to get used to the idea that the point of getting an art table is so you don't have to worry about getting paint on it because it is meant to get paint on it. Sorry for the brain tax. It's the OCD-like tendencies. I just want things to be able to be clean!!
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We're slowly finishing our basement. We've got the walls and the floor completed.
We have drainage pipes, air ventilation pipes and insulation to hide on the ceiling. I’ve noticed that the Macaroni Grill sprayed everything on their ceiling hunter green, pipes, vents and all. At another restaurant I’ve noticed they’ve used a matte black. Actually I’ve noticed the matte black at several restaurants.
I want to spray the ceiling in our basement. I don't want to use sheetrock or hang ceiling tiles (is that what they’re called) because I want the ceiling to be as high as possible. I don’t really want to lower it with any extra material. We’ve thought about draping some type of cloth, like a sail or something similar. I really do want to spray it though.
Can insulation be sprayed? If so, what do I spray it with and how do I go about it?
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polyurethane is made from that wonderful black stuff we import from Iraq (oil). Oil comes from deep in the ground, so how much more natural do you want it?
Of course, it goes through lots of refining processes to end up as polyurethane
I once toured a historical home that was circa 1800's -- and in one bedroom the ceiling was draped cloth. Some kind of fairly heavy cloth that they had "fastened" to the ceiling in a pattern (kinda hard to explain) with fasteners about a foot apart from each other. It looked really, really cool.
I mentioned it, and the owner said they couldn't ever get the ceiling fixed right, and they couldn't tear it out because of historical restrictions, so they used this lovely material over it. Hid all the imperfections.
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Tammy, You can certainly spray paint your ceiling. If your basement is lacking in light I would recommend a lighter color. What is the reasoning behind spraying insulation on your basement ceiling? You could spray insulation on the ceiling but most of the products are not of the do-it-yourself variety.
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That sounds nice. We'll probably try to do that in our basement. I just worry about the spiders that would try to permanently move in.
I really did want the extra space that spraying it would provide. I just haven't consulted a professional and none of our friends have ever tried it.
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With piping and air vents underneath the joists. Our neighbors basement is similiar. They decided to raise their pipes and vents...and then sheetrock it.
I just want to spray it...if possible.
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Hmm, Well you could try it but I'm not sure how good the paper backing of the insulation will look painted. I would try a small spray can in an unobtrusive spot before I went hog wild on the whole basement.
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afr, If I'm outside I dump it on the ground. If I'm inside it usually goes down the drain. Products that can be cleaned with water don't concern me much. I'm much more careful with solvents and solvent based products.
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I'm assuming then that they installed fiberglass insulation. Normally it is installed with the paper stapled to the bottoms of the joists. If it is fiberglass insulation it will not paint well. Perhaps the fabric idea would be best.
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I've never heard of anyone trying to do what you are wanting to do -- spray the exposed insulation. You really don't lose very much space by putting up sheetrock, do you?
And becuase so many people are allergic to fiberglass insulation anyway, it might be better to have it covered (like sheetrocked) in some way if it is going to be any kind of family room, etc.
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Farmgirl, I got the impression that their pipes and ducts and what not ran below the joists. If they were going to sheetrock it would entail a significant amount of work to move all that stuff. Unless there was enough room between the pipes and what all.
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How do I know if it's fiberglass insulation? I really need to consult my husband right about now on this. He's golfing.
I'm going to get the facts on this stuff later! All three of my kids have various degrees of asthma. We don't need anything contributing to that.
The insulation isn't the problem with the drop ceiling or the dry wall. It's the air vents and the pipes that are creating the problem.
Upstairs we have 9 foot ceilings. We would like the basement to be as open as possible. If we put a ceiling in directly under the pipes and vents...we'd be practically bumping our heads on the ceiling.
That's why I thought it would be nice to spray it rather than lower it and then finish it.
I did come across some basic information on this stuff made by Owens Corning, sort of a sound resistant material, that bends into shape. I thought that would be ideal if we could mold it around the pipes. I just don't know how flexible the stuff really is. We're still looking for more information on that.
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ah.... I'm getting a better picture of it now...
and don't get alarmed about what I said about allergies -- the people I know allergic to fiberglass, are allergic to the touch of it -- like they get rash, redness. I don't know that it bothers asthma people at all...
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We've been living here for over a year...and they've been okay.
I completely understand about the touching of it. I just wouldn't want anyone to actually have a problem breathing the stuff.
I don't think that's an issue. I'm sure I'd of known by now.
I'm just wondering if it is indeed fiberglass. What other type of insulation could it be? It's obviously not foam.
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I would bet that it is fiberglass. Fiberglass comes in 2 colors pink and yellow. If you want to know for sure you could put on some gloves and pluck a small bit of it to look at. If it looks like hair (sorta) it is most likely fiberglass. Most people will not react well to having it penetrate their skin. I would doubt that your kids would have any ashtma problems with it but they certainly don't want to play with it.
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quote: Different types of insulation include fiberglass batts, loose-fill cellulose, rigid polystyrene boards, and spray foam or isycyanurate. Each has its advantages for different applications
but most home insulation I know of is fiberglass batts. (although my attic is sprayed-in with that recycled paper crap)
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Punwit, how should I go about cleaning a stucco exterior before painting it? There is a lot of soot on the building from car exhaust, and at one point there were climbing vines on the house that have left their mark as well. I'm worried that a pressure washer turned up high enough to blast the plant matter off would actually damage the stucco.
Also, any tips on stucco repair? I've got some small cracks, and there is a chunk of stucco a foot or so long that is missing from the corner of a chimney.
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Ooh, timely bump. What's the best way to fill settlement cracks in drywall? This one is very long and is as much as an eighth of an inch thick. I need to fill it and paint it, preferably without repainting the whole room.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Noemon, I know of no way to remove those sucker vines other than brute force, mechanical removal with a sharp or hard instrument. This is a giant pain, I know. Powerwashing should be requirement on any exterior repainting job. I would suggest that you powerwash first and experiment with the powerwasher to see if you can remove most of the plant matter and then resort to mechanical removal if necessary. YOu can check with local hardware stores or paint retailers about cleaning products that you spray on with a garden sprayer and let soak before then powerwashing to remove grime and soap residue.
Small cracks in the stucco can be successfully filled with caulking but I'm not sure of the procedure for repairing area's of missing stucco. I'll do some digging and post back if I find any relevant material.
Dag, I would start by cleaning out the cracked area, making sure there is no loose tape or drywall debris. If the crack run along a stud make sure that both sides are firmly attached to the studs, if not sink some inch and 5/8 screws for solidity. Apply a thin coat of mud over the entire length of the crack (about 1/8 inch thick by3 to 4 inches wide) bed a length of drywall tape making sure there are no dry spots beneath the tape and drag off firmly with a taping knife. Allow the tape and mud to dry and then apply a second coat that is just thick enough to cover the tape and float out about 8 inches. Once that is dry you can apply another thin coat and float it out to 10 or 12 inches. If the mud is uneven between coats you can do some sanding but it isn't always necessary. Sanding after the final coat is certainly recommended and then you are ready to paint. Hopefully you have some of the original paint left over. If your wall paint is not flat (ie, eggshell or satin) you will need to prime the patch with a flat paint first. Good luck!
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Thanks, punwit. I forgot to mention that the crack is horizontal - does that change anything?
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The only change for a crack running horizontally would be that you won't be able to sink a screw in just anywhere along the length of the crack. You'll need to locate the studs and determine if the rock is firmly attached at those points. If it isn't, anchor it. If it is then just proceed with the taping process.
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