OT: DIY

[Gianstoppable]

Sorry if there's another thread for DIY tips out there but I am in need of some solid advice.

My wife and I bought a house last year, completely remodeled, changed floor plan and all, did almost all the work ourselves and just moved back in, thank god that's over.

My question, we have a garage with a 3 seasons room off the back, it's not heated unless I put the portable out there but I am making a bar back there. It's about 8 feet long and L shaped, I finished the design and stained and it looks great. The bar top is the biggest issue. I used oak veneer plywood for the top so I could get a nice finished look without getting too pricey. Upon finishing staining I was recommended to use spar urethane to seal the bar top. I went a little crazy, wanted the glass like look, put it on a little too thick and then had issues with it drying. I had a party asked people not to set things on the bar, they did, and it's ruined. Now I stripped it back down (pain in the ass) and I am going to restain the top.

My question is what is the best material to use for this? I don't want to break the bank but if there isn't a very cheap way to do it I am OK with getting the best stuff for the job. I want something that will completely harden (spar urethane never hardened after 60 days) also would like it not to chip, scratch or yellow. Has anyone done this before? The Internet gave me 500 different answers and I am just looking for something that actually works.

Side note: also thought about putting ticket stubs down around the bar, any tips on that if anyone has done it? Would the tickets need to be laminated so the material doesn't ruin the stubs themselves?

Thanks!

[midranger]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Parks-1-qt-Gloss-Super-Glaze-Finish-and-Preservative-241352/202056337?MERCH=REC-_-mobileweb_pip_rr-1-_-203279056-_-202056337-_-N

3 coats. At least 3 days between coats.

You can put stuff under this but it may kind of change the color of it. Laminating not a bad idea, but never tried it

[AussieBuck]

Don't have any advice on this particular issue but I am onto my second monster renovation and would love to have a thread like this for questions/answers/stories/pics.

[AussieBuck]

Built a picket front driveway gate and replaced old downpipes today. Been working on it three months and my new house would still only be considered for demolition if I sold it today.

[Pachinko_]

my advice for hard wearing stuff on timber is ask at a boat building forum. If it can take salt water it can take anything, and some resins can be made to look very smooth and decorative. Another advice is (depending on the aesthetic you're going for) is dont be afraid to make it look a bit rough and unfinished, it's kind of the trend these days. There's a restaurant around here that uses old timber cable reels for tables, with what looks like some sort of epoxy resin on top and it looks great even though it is applied very rough and uneven, it has bubbles etc

Best photo I could find online



aussiebuck I just finished my 3rd reno (bentleigh east)
I can help you on the weekends if you help me build a timber shed this summer
what do you plan to do? i have a boatload of tools

[AussieBuck]

my advice for hard wearing stuff on timber is ask at a boat building forum. If it can take salt water it can take anything, and some resins can be made to look very smooth and decorative. Another advice is (depending on the aesthetic you're going for) is dont be afraid to make it look a bit rough and unfinished, it's kind of the trend these days. There's a restaurant around here that uses old timber cable reels for tables, with what looks like some sort of epoxy resin on top and it looks great even though it is applied very rough and uneven, it has bubbles etc

Best photo I could find online



aussiebuck I just finished my 3rd reno (bentleigh east)
I can help you on the weekends if you help me build a timber shed this summer
what do you plan to do? i have a boatload of tools

Very, very nice, style is pretty similar to what we are going with. Just needs an upgrade from those cafe blinds to Ziptracks and you're golden.

[Pachinko_]

Yeah those plastics are from the previous owner and although I prefer the look and functionality of ziptracks I'm not sure it's a wise move. This pergola never catches direct sun or wind because it's south facing and has barriers of tall thick trees on each side. The plastics are ugly but what they do (and they do it better than ziptracks) is keep the heat in during the winter, that's all we use them for. And it's really only a 2 minute job to lift them up in the summer.

[AussieBuck]

Yeah those plastics are from the previous owner and although I prefer the look and functionality of ziptracks I'm not sure it's a wise move. This pergola never catches direct sun or wind because it's south facing and has barriers of tall thick trees on each side. The plastics are ugly but what they do (and they do it better than ziptracks) is keep the heat in during the winter, that's all we use them for. And it's really only a 2 minute job to lift them up in the summer.

Fair enough, you can get PVC in ziptrack too but if as you say you never need to move them I guess it doesn't matter.

Here's my first house: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-frankston-122092598

Got eaten out by termites so I had to pretty much rebuild the entire thing myself as cheap as possible. Built the garage, deck, pizza oven, rendered the lot, all the plastering, flooring, tiling, landscaping, installed all the blinds, even grew the hedge from cuttings as I couldn't afford to replace the old **** back fence.

I'll find shots of the dump we bought, should make great before and after shots a couple of years from now.

[Gianstoppable]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Parks-1-qt-Gloss-Super-Glaze-Finish-and-Preservative-241352/202056337?MERCH=REC-_-mobileweb_pip_rr-1-_-203279056-_-202056337-_-N

3 coats. At least 3 days between coats.

You can put stuff under this but it may kind of change the color of it. Laminating not a bad idea, but never tried it

I actually bought this just before you posted it, exact same stuff. I put it on yesterday. After reading reviews I made sure to get exact measurements (which isnt tough because they come with 2 pint bottles so you can just use those for the most part) but I did use the clear containers with markings for volume. When putting the epoxy on I used a wide plastic putty knife. Spreads nicely, self levels and when I was done I used a torch to get bubbles out, looks amazing right now. Still have to let it cure but I dont know if I really want to do 2 more coats. I may do one more coat but I did one solid coat and it looks great, I would hate to mess this up again but I will see how it goes. Thanks for the advice!

Next project, re-purposing the room upstairs to a play room for our daughter once shes older. Should be interesing considering the house is from 1905 and the staircase is about 25 inches wide. I need to put a baby gate at the top of the stairs and cant find one that will fit that small of an opening. i'd hate to put a 24" door up there since it would make it even harder to bring anything up there.

[crkone]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Parks-1-qt-Gloss-Super-Glaze-Finish-and-Preservative-241352/202056337?MERCH=REC-_-mobileweb_pip_rr-1-_-203279056-_-202056337-_-N

3 coats. At least 3 days between coats.

You can put stuff under this but it may kind of change the color of it. Laminating not a bad idea, but never tried it

I actually bought this just before you posted it, exact same stuff. I put it on yesterday. After reading reviews I made sure to get exact measurements (which isnt tough because they come with 2 pint bottles so you can just use those for the most part) but I did use the clear containers with markings for volume. When putting the epoxy on I used a wide plastic putty knife. Spreads nicely, self levels and when I was done I used a torch to get bubbles out, looks amazing right now. Still have to let it cure but I dont know if I really want to do 2 more coats. I may do one more coat but I did one solid coat and it looks great, I would hate to mess this up again but I will see how it goes. Thanks for the advice!

Next project, re-purposing the room upstairs to a play room for our daughter once shes older. Should be interesing considering the house is from 1905 and the staircase is about 25 inches wide. I need to put a baby gate at the top of the stairs and cant find one that will fit that small of an opening. i'd hate to put a 24" door up there since it would make it even harder to bring anything up there.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hack-your-baby-gate-for-narrow-doorways/

[stellation]

Yeah those plastics are from the previous owner and although I prefer the look and functionality of ziptracks I'm not sure it's a wise move. This pergola never catches direct sun or wind because it's south facing and has barriers of tall thick trees on each side. The plastics are ugly but what they do (and they do it better than ziptracks) is keep the heat in during the winter, that's all we use them for. And it's really only a 2 minute job to lift them up in the summer.

Fair enough, you can get PVC in ziptrack too but if as you say you never need to move them I guess it doesn't matter.

Here's my first house: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-frankston-122092598

Got eaten out by termites so I had to pretty much rebuild the entire thing myself as cheap as possible. Built the garage, deck, pizza oven, rendered the lot, all the plastering, flooring, tiling, landscaping, installed all the blinds, even grew the hedge from cuttings as I couldn't afford to replace the old **** back fence.

I'll find shots of the dump we bought, should make great before and after shots a couple of years from now.

AB- how long did it take you to grow the hedge from cuttings? I've been thinking of extending a hedge we have at our place and was pondering using cuttings.

[smauss]

Mid nailed it but regardless of the finish you use, the key is to use thin coats and let it dry completely. I lightly sand in between coats but I would submit to the directions for your particular finish. I put seven coats on my grandmothers kitchen table about 20 years ago and it still looks wonderful!

[AussieBuck]

Yeah those plastics are from the previous owner and although I prefer the look and functionality of ziptracks I'm not sure it's a wise move. This pergola never catches direct sun or wind because it's south facing and has barriers of tall thick trees on each side. The plastics are ugly but what they do (and they do it better than ziptracks) is keep the heat in during the winter, that's all we use them for. And it's really only a 2 minute job to lift them up in the summer.

Fair enough, you can get PVC in ziptrack too but if as you say you never need to move them I guess it doesn't matter.

Here's my first house: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-frankston-122092598

Got eaten out by termites so I had to pretty much rebuild the entire thing myself as cheap as possible. Built the garage, deck, pizza oven, rendered the lot, all the plastering, flooring, tiling, landscaping, installed all the blinds, even grew the hedge from cuttings as I couldn't afford to replace the old **** back fence.

I'll find shots of the dump we bought, should make great before and after shots a couple of years from now.

AB- how long did it take you to grow the hedge from cuttings? I've been thinking of extending a hedge we have at our place and was pondering using cuttings.

I'm guessing about 6 years to get to hide the train line out the back length but that included the drought years when it got no water. Did a **** load of growing in the last year or so once I figured out that I needed to just water the crap out of it.

[JEIS]

Sorry if there's another thread for DIY tips out there but I am in need of some solid advice.

My wife and I bought a house last year, completely remodeled, changed floor plan and all, did almost all the work ourselves and just moved back in, thank god that's over.

My question, we have a garage with a 3 seasons room off the back, it's not heated unless I put the portable out there but I am making a bar back there. It's about 8 feet long and L shaped, I finished the design and stained and it looks great. The bar top is the biggest issue. I used oak veneer plywood for the top so I could get a nice finished look without getting too pricey. Upon finishing staining I was recommended to use spar urethane to seal the bar top. I went a little crazy, wanted the glass like look, put it on a little too thick and then had issues with it drying. I had a party asked people not to set things on the bar, they did, and it's ruined. Now I stripped it back down (pain in the ass) and I am going to restain the top.

My question is what is the best material to use for this? I don't want to break the bank but if there isn't a very cheap way to do it I am OK with getting the best stuff for the job. I want something that will completely harden (spar urethane never hardened after 60 days) also would like it not to chip, scratch or yellow. Has anyone done this before? The Internet gave me 500 different answers and I am just looking for something that actually works.

Side note: also thought about putting ticket stubs down around the bar, any tips on that if anyone has done it? Would the tickets need to be laminated so the material doesn't ruin the stubs themselves?

Thanks!

Just make sure also, that the temperature is within the proper tolerances for doing the project. humidity levels need to be controlled properly as well, before, during and a couple days after the project to allow it to cure properly. That could have been an issue with it not curing properly. If it is too hot/humid certain epoxy,glues,paints and polys don't set up properly.

[SickMother]

DIY is great and all but I've always preferred SEDIFY, Someone Else Does It For You.

[AussieBuck]

DIY is great and all but I've always preferred SEDIFY, Someone Else Does It For You.

I'd probably be tempted to offload some of the worst jobs at US labor prices.

[AussieBuck]

So I just noticed this unit being built next door to my new place has a non-frosted window that will overlook my entire backyard. I measured it after the workers left for the day and it's just far enough away from the fence to be legal. I'll need an extra metre and a half (5 feet) on top of the fence if I want complete privacy.


Hedge? Trees? Bamboo?

[trwi7]

Giant penis statue.

[midranger]

Not sure what Dr. Suess like foliage grows in Australia, but here, some nice tall arbor vitae would do the trick. Or just lay out naked for a few days. They'd probably make some adjustments.

[AussieBuck]

Temperate climate, most things grow. Might give some of that kick ass tall bamboo a go, really like the look of it and I imagine it grows quick.