Cheap guy/cheap furniture...

[Pablo]

Tell you what a cheap fellow I am.

Wife out for morning walk on Sunday (Paulo watching futbol on the tele)....she spots a pile of "free" stuff in front of house. Included in pile is a smelly (cat?) TV unit with turn table top for easy tele rotation. Added bonus, location is on the way to church. No special gas burning.

Mostly solid oak, sans glass front door, has adjustable shelf, and locking lower drawer with nice CD/DVD dividers - with keys inside drawer. Finish is faded and lip on lower shelf is broken. Otherwise a solid piece - something you wouldn't spend a ton of money on, but need....

Wife cleaned really well. Smell gone. We both have been sanding on it, and I neatly and solidly repaired the edge lip. Removed remaining glass door hardware (don't like that look anyway). Wife removed lazy susan for refinishing.

So far only purchase is a can of stain (wife bought it without asking

)

Plan is to sand and refinish ebony. One problem - the Minwax ebony stain simply is not quite opaque enough. We don't want solid black.......any ideas here?

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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We don't want solid black.

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So you want a translucent black? What on Earth is that?

Ebony is the darkest MINWAX stain. Will two layers be too dark?

 

[Pablo]

Sorta black black, but grain visible...maybe 95% opaque....

IOW - not just painted black.

I will try two layers....takes precision sanding as it acentuates any tiny scratches.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

For a nice even finish, use the MINWAX under stain sealer.

The price is right for roadside furniture, it's called recycling. I'm partial to chest of drawers, and lawnmowers, although I did get a like new electric pressure washer a couple of years ago.

 

[JHZR2]

Can't you oil the wood with tung or similar oil to arken it up?

JMH

 

[Razl]

I'd use the pre-stain wood sealer/stain sealer method if your looking for that kind of result. This slows the wood's ability to absorb the stain. This is a must for staining softwoods. Oak is hard but inherently has heavy grain so the dark areas will get darker very quickly.

Always use a test zone, like underneath where no one will see it.

Another option is to dilute the stain with paint thinner. Make a small test batch and try a test area. Remember too that the stain will go on very dark and lighten a lot after you rub it off with a rag. Sounds like a good score!

 

[MarkC]

It does sound like an excellent score.
But, there's a difference between cheap and simply not costing much. You're not a cheap guy. Just a smart one.

 

[Pablo]

So I finished sanding the thing - took awhile. I ended up spraying with a low gloss black enamel (more shiny than satin) to get the right look. Laid it on lightly, and it really has the look I wanted. Nicely grained, but black. Looks really nice and cheap.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

You're a regular Norm Abrams.

 

[Razl]

but without the ever expanding waistline

No staining after all that! Glad it turned out how you wanted. Oak is a tough grain to hide, so if you like grain, it's a good wood for a black finish even with enamel.