It's {Re}Finished

These are the before photos of the old drop leaf farmhouse table

I purchased on Craigslist for $30.

This is the exact condition it was in when I purchased it.

Not much to look at.

Because I wasn't sure of the exact age of the table 

other than it was really old, 

I couldn't sand the paint safely.

Any paint from 1978 or older can contain lead,

and shouldn't be sanded.

So I started out using this safe stripper.

It worked okay for most of the project.

I wasn't too thrilled with the stripping process at first.

It's kind of messy,

but through some trial and error I managed 

to get the table stripped to bare wood.

Then I stained the top.

I went with the Golden Oak color from Minwax

since this piece is going into my dining room, 

I wanted the stain to match the existing dining room table 

as closely as possible.

But, once the stain was dry, I could see areas where there was still

a yellow paint on the wood.

The paint color was nearly the same color as the bare wood

and impossible to see before I stained it.

I was ready to just paint the whole thing, 

or burn it.

Luckily, my coworker spends a lot of time refinishing furniture, 

and he brought in the stripper he uses called Klean-Strip.

He suggested I use that with some steel wool.

And that, thankfully, removed the majority of the yellow paint.

Then I restained the table top.

I also decided to paint the word "Family" on one of the table leaves.

So after asking Big E's opinion, I decided on a font

and transferred it to the table.

All you need to do to do this 

is to print out the word on paper.

Coat the back of the paper with chalk

(I used my grandson's sidewalk chalk)

position the lettering where you want it

and then use a pencil to trace the word.

When you remove the paper, the lettering outline should be visible in chalk.

At the very least there should be a visible indent in the wood from the pencil.

I then redrew the outlines on the wood with the pencil

and then painted.

Some of the letters I ended up having to do freehand because the outlines were very faint.

Then came the painting of the legs and base.

I opted to use spray paint.

I did use a spray primer first before using Krylon Maxx Gloss Ivory.

It took 2 cans of the Ivory to get a good solid coat of paint.

Then 3 coats of poly coat and it's done!

Not too shabby for a $30 table.

I plan to use the table here under the bay windows in the dining room

to hold photos and plants.

And for those times when we might need more table room for large parties, 

I have the table there to use.

Almost Finished

This Mother's Day I worked on the wagon.

After painting it some more in the morning, 

we were ready to begin assembling parts in the evening.

Assembling the pivot head

Attaching the wheels with the new hubcaps

Completed front wheel section

Attaching the front wheels to the wagon bed

Here is the nearly finished product.

I still have the side panels to put together,

but they need another coat or two of paint.

And once assembled, I have the task of redoing the lettering.

With a little luck, I'll have it all done this week

and be able to move on to planting the freshly tilled garden.

Big E even gave up going to get ice cream 

to get this done for me for Mother's Day.

Painting: Round 1

So, we started painting the wagon.  

I don't think I need to go too much into the process, 

but I will say, taping wheels- HUGE pain in the butt.

We were running out of primer and we needed it for the metal pieces

so we didn't bother priming the wood. 

Now I need more red paint because it's going to take a few coats.

I LOVE the metal painted black.

Originally it was painted a greyish color.

And here we have the bird cage we purchased for holding cards.

We got it on sale but I hated the color.

It looks much better in white.

Hoping to get all the hardware I need (nails and bolts)

and get painting finished so I can get the wagon assembled by the end of the weekend.

Still Sanding

With my wedding happening in just over a month, 

the stress planning and preparation has hit high gear.

So I've been frantically trying to get the wagon to the priming and painting stage.

I managed 

(with the help of my brother, dad, Big E, an entire can of WD-40, 

a hacksaw and a reciprocating saw)

to take out the bolts and remove the metal pieces from the wood base.

As of last night, 

I think I have the metal pretty much rust free,

and now my attention is turned to the wood.

The two side panels have the original 1975 lettering,

so I was trying to come up with a way to be able to repaint it.

This font isn't used on any of the newer Town & Country wagons.

 

In a moment of brilliance, 

I thought of using clear page protectors and a Sharpie.

It seemed to work pretty well.

I made a couple of tracings, and I'll hopefully use them to make a stencil of some sort.

Afterwards, I went out and removed the nails from the slats and

the metal brackets that hold the slats.

Today I will begin sanding again, 

though I anticipate wood going faster than metal.

And somewhere along the line, 

I'll need to manage to find time to finishe making 21 tablecloths,

decorate 40 mason jar vases

and cut out an assemble 140 feet of pennant banner.

Oh, and organize my music playlists and download music.

And order a speaker system....

and make a batch of Sangria to make sure it tastes ok.

Something Old

I'm in the process of planning my wedding

that takes place this June.

(Which is my excuse reason for not blogging on a regular basis)

One of my tasks is to refurbish this old Radio Flyer Town & Country wagon

(I use refurbish over restore because I'm not sure it will end up exactly like it used to be).

After deciding that a wagon was needed as part of the ceremony

(I have a son and an infant grandson 

the son will be pulling the grandson and act as "co-ring bearers")

I happened to see this gem sitting on the side of the road with a bunch of other junk someone was calling a yard sale

(truly junk- and I'm being kind).

So Big E and I stopped to see the price and condition.

I got it for $2.00

For that price, we didn't look it over much and decided to just take it.

Turns out, it's not in hideous shape.

It's rusty, needs a new floor piece 

(there was thin veneer like stuff covering the bolts 

that had water damage but the main solid floor is salvageable),

needs new or reshaped brackets

and a back panel

(and a paint job).

 

My mouse sander knocked out a good bit of the rust on the handle.

There are some hard to reach rust spots,

so I might have to come up with a better plan.

I hear vinegar works well.

And in a flash of brilliance, I decided to see if Radio Flyer had replacement parts.

Turns out I can get the brackets

and a back panel for the same price or cheaper than fixing and building them myself.

I could order new wheels and other new pieces, 

but my goal is to keep as much of the original as possible.

It is a vintage antique afterall.

Of course learning this wagon is circa 1975 the year of my birth

I'm not so sure I like using those terms.