Carpentry and Woodworking - wood working
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06-12-00, 09:06 AM
I built a TIKI bar and I am trying to decide what kind of finish would be best for the bar top. I have some old bar napkins that I laminated and want to put on top of the bar and put a thick, hard, clear coat over the top. Do you have any suggestions on what to use,(lacquer,varnish,polyurthane,resin), to get a hard, thick,clear,coat? Keep in mind that it is a bar and will get wet.
Thank You Dean
Thank You Dean
06-12-00, 02:14 PM
I'm not a professional when it comes to countertops, however my husband and I make
very unusal but very beautiful lamps and table lamps out of driftwood and cypress wood. The lamps we make are one of a kind. In fact, after conducting a very thorough research we were unable to find anything even remotely close to the lamps we make! Our lamps “Ireland’s Nature Lamps” can be purchased from "The Saw Mill," a store located in Eagle, Idaho or they can be purchased directly from us, jatmi@email.msn.com) For those
who are interested, we can e-mail you a picture.
There are several things you can do to achieve the desired results.
On all the lamps we make, we first apply a sealer to the wood before applying the lacquer. Otherwise the wood soaks up the lacquer which results in additional coats having to be applied which can be very costly! The lacquer we use is VERY durable. Unfortunately if you have to purchase it at retail price, it can be VERY expensive! One QUART of lacquer at retail price can cost anywhere from $13.00 on up. I’m not sure what the retail price is for the sealer as we buy ours wholesale.
Another idea: Two years ago I bought a roll of gift wrapping paper that was so pretty that I wanted to use it on my countertops in my kitchen! So I did some research trying to find the exact same product you mentioned ...a clear coat of some kind that could withstand moisture and yet be tough enough to hold up to everyday use. It also had to adhere one product to another AND be NON-TOXIC. I was successful and found a product called liquid laminate. I wanted to see if the liquid laminate would adhere the gift wrapping paper to the counter so I tested a small corner area and guess what? It worked incredibly well. The
results? The gift wrapping paper is EXTREMELY HARD and VERY DURABLE! The best part? It's NON-TOXIC! I contacted Beacon Chemical company who makes this product and verified it is safe to use on countertops.
My latest project? Painting my countertops in my kitchen! I am going to paint my countertops with regular waterbased
paint. When the paint is dry, I will apply liquid laminate over the paint to seal and protect it. Liquid laminate is VERY easy to use and also VERY INEXPENSIVE (approximately
$3.00 for 4 fluid oz) and you don't need to apply a lot to the countertop which is why I’m using liquid laminate instead of the lacquer we use on our lamps. Keep in mind, the desired results for our lamps differ from that of our countertops. However BOTH results are perfect for their individual projects. You can get more information about liquid laminate by visiting Beacon’s web-site at: http://www.beacon1.com/
Another idea: A week ago I consulted with a floor professional who provided a few ideas
for our floors. (instead of replacing the linolium in our kitchen, his advice was to paint the existing linolium!) Ever notice that most gym floors have emblems painted on them? How about using the same kind of clear coat that is used on gym floors? To keep the
emblem from getting scuffed up, a sealant is applied over the top of it after the painted
emblem is dry. It obviously works considering the emblem is constantly ran over by basketball players! To find this product you will need to go to a store that specializes in floors. Tell them that you are looking for the same product that is applied to gym floors. One word of CAUTION! I don't know if this product is non-toxic so be sure to consult with a floor specialist first!
Hope this gives you a few more ideas to consider!
One more thing...how did you build your TIKI bar? I absolutely LOVE that kind of atmostphere! :cool: Would you mind sharing the details of your creation? Thanks in advance!
very unusal but very beautiful lamps and table lamps out of driftwood and cypress wood. The lamps we make are one of a kind. In fact, after conducting a very thorough research we were unable to find anything even remotely close to the lamps we make! Our lamps “Ireland’s Nature Lamps” can be purchased from "The Saw Mill," a store located in Eagle, Idaho or they can be purchased directly from us, jatmi@email.msn.com) For those
who are interested, we can e-mail you a picture.
There are several things you can do to achieve the desired results.
On all the lamps we make, we first apply a sealer to the wood before applying the lacquer. Otherwise the wood soaks up the lacquer which results in additional coats having to be applied which can be very costly! The lacquer we use is VERY durable. Unfortunately if you have to purchase it at retail price, it can be VERY expensive! One QUART of lacquer at retail price can cost anywhere from $13.00 on up. I’m not sure what the retail price is for the sealer as we buy ours wholesale.
Another idea: Two years ago I bought a roll of gift wrapping paper that was so pretty that I wanted to use it on my countertops in my kitchen! So I did some research trying to find the exact same product you mentioned ...a clear coat of some kind that could withstand moisture and yet be tough enough to hold up to everyday use. It also had to adhere one product to another AND be NON-TOXIC. I was successful and found a product called liquid laminate. I wanted to see if the liquid laminate would adhere the gift wrapping paper to the counter so I tested a small corner area and guess what? It worked incredibly well. The
results? The gift wrapping paper is EXTREMELY HARD and VERY DURABLE! The best part? It's NON-TOXIC! I contacted Beacon Chemical company who makes this product and verified it is safe to use on countertops.
My latest project? Painting my countertops in my kitchen! I am going to paint my countertops with regular waterbased
paint. When the paint is dry, I will apply liquid laminate over the paint to seal and protect it. Liquid laminate is VERY easy to use and also VERY INEXPENSIVE (approximately
$3.00 for 4 fluid oz) and you don't need to apply a lot to the countertop which is why I’m using liquid laminate instead of the lacquer we use on our lamps. Keep in mind, the desired results for our lamps differ from that of our countertops. However BOTH results are perfect for their individual projects. You can get more information about liquid laminate by visiting Beacon’s web-site at: http://www.beacon1.com/
Another idea: A week ago I consulted with a floor professional who provided a few ideas
for our floors. (instead of replacing the linolium in our kitchen, his advice was to paint the existing linolium!) Ever notice that most gym floors have emblems painted on them? How about using the same kind of clear coat that is used on gym floors? To keep the
emblem from getting scuffed up, a sealant is applied over the top of it after the painted
emblem is dry. It obviously works considering the emblem is constantly ran over by basketball players! To find this product you will need to go to a store that specializes in floors. Tell them that you are looking for the same product that is applied to gym floors. One word of CAUTION! I don't know if this product is non-toxic so be sure to consult with a floor specialist first!
Hope this gives you a few more ideas to consider!
One more thing...how did you build your TIKI bar? I absolutely LOVE that kind of atmostphere! :cool: Would you mind sharing the details of your creation? Thanks in advance!
06-13-00, 07:00 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dean1:
I built a TIKI bar and I am trying to decide what kind of finish would be best for the bar top. I have some old bar napkins that I laminated and want to put on top of the bar and put a thick, hard, clear coat over the top. Do you have any suggestions on what to use,(lacquer,varnish,polyurthane,resin), to get a hard, thick,clear,coat? Keep in mind that it is a bar and will get wet.
Thank You Dean<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The TIKI bar is aprox. 5'x7' in an L-shape from a wall. It is 2x2 wood framed with plywood on the outside face. I put bamboo matting on the whole face. Then put 3/4 cut 2" bamboo poles on all corners. Then put 1" - 1/2 cut bamboo poles in a W and V shape on the face. The top is 3/4" plywood, with 3" bamboo poles all around the outside edge.The 3" bamboo is cut to slide over edge of plywood. There is two shelfs on the back side. Then I built a little leantu roof over the bar out of 2" and 1" bamboo poles. Then covered that with bamboo grass matting.
And thats the TIKI BAR.
I built a TIKI bar and I am trying to decide what kind of finish would be best for the bar top. I have some old bar napkins that I laminated and want to put on top of the bar and put a thick, hard, clear coat over the top. Do you have any suggestions on what to use,(lacquer,varnish,polyurthane,resin), to get a hard, thick,clear,coat? Keep in mind that it is a bar and will get wet.
Thank You Dean<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The TIKI bar is aprox. 5'x7' in an L-shape from a wall. It is 2x2 wood framed with plywood on the outside face. I put bamboo matting on the whole face. Then put 3/4 cut 2" bamboo poles on all corners. Then put 1" - 1/2 cut bamboo poles in a W and V shape on the face. The top is 3/4" plywood, with 3" bamboo poles all around the outside edge.The 3" bamboo is cut to slide over edge of plywood. There is two shelfs on the back side. Then I built a little leantu roof over the bar out of 2" and 1" bamboo poles. Then covered that with bamboo grass matting.
And thats the TIKI BAR.
06-15-00, 07:37 AM
Dean 1,
To answer your original question, I would have to say that you are going to need a catalyzed resin finish. Clear polyester resin, like the stuff used for fiberglass, is available at craft stores. It is rather expensive, but when properly mixed and placed, can yield a very thick, clear, nearly impervious finish. The resin, like most urethanes, etc., should be inert when set and cured although pretty obnoxious when you are mixing and placing it. The part you will want to experiment with is getting the bubbles out of the material when you place it so they don't spoil the look you toiled for. I think this is the type of finish you need to keep water from getting down in between your bamboo strips, and no matter what finish you use to accomplish that, you will end up spending some significant $$$. I once designed a bar top for a cowboy bar that had different kinds of grain under it. The corn, wheat, etc was put in shallow wooden "trays" which were then covered with 1/4" plate glass. It is likely too far along in your design process to make glass work, but it might be a cheaper alternative.
To answer your original question, I would have to say that you are going to need a catalyzed resin finish. Clear polyester resin, like the stuff used for fiberglass, is available at craft stores. It is rather expensive, but when properly mixed and placed, can yield a very thick, clear, nearly impervious finish. The resin, like most urethanes, etc., should be inert when set and cured although pretty obnoxious when you are mixing and placing it. The part you will want to experiment with is getting the bubbles out of the material when you place it so they don't spoil the look you toiled for. I think this is the type of finish you need to keep water from getting down in between your bamboo strips, and no matter what finish you use to accomplish that, you will end up spending some significant $$$. I once designed a bar top for a cowboy bar that had different kinds of grain under it. The corn, wheat, etc was put in shallow wooden "trays" which were then covered with 1/4" plate glass. It is likely too far along in your design process to make glass work, but it might be a cheaper alternative.
06-15-00, 07:42 AM
Dean 1,
I re-read your question after my last post and realized that you are trying to protect the napkins, not bamboo strips. The resin should still be a good choice. Consult the folks at the craft store where you find it. They should be able to tell you how to pre-treat the napkins before "casting" them into the surface. Since the napkins would be flat, unlike bamboo strips, incorporating a piece of glass for the top may be the better option.
Aloha.
I re-read your question after my last post and realized that you are trying to protect the napkins, not bamboo strips. The resin should still be a good choice. Consult the folks at the craft store where you find it. They should be able to tell you how to pre-treat the napkins before "casting" them into the surface. Since the napkins would be flat, unlike bamboo strips, incorporating a piece of glass for the top may be the better option.
Aloha.