What I know about woodworking is enough to fill a single blog post, this one. I’m as rank an amateur as you’ll find. But that didn’t stop me from trying to rehabilitate the teak bar cart above, which looks incredible now, thanks to a really good sanding and a rub-down with my new favorite product, polymerized tung oil.
If I could explain the nuances of polymerization I’d have pursued a different career. Suffice it to say that a heating process transforms regular tung oil into a sealant that brings out a wood’s true colour while providing a satiny, matte finish that’s rock hard and actually resists finger prints.
For my first refinishing project I wanted to start small. I bought the bar cart, above, years ago for $15 so I figured if I wrecked it, no big loss. The cart has spent the last few years wasting away in a cinder-block cold cupboard taking on flaking paint and what looked like some mold. It was too nasty to sell but had too much potential to kick to the curb. Thus, I rolled up my sleeves and got down to work.
Apparently electric sanders will leave swirl marks if they don’t rotate at least 8,300 revolutions per minute, so keep that in mind if you’re in the market for one. My hand sander rotates at 10,000 RPMs so I was good to go. You still have to follow the grain of the wood and move the sander back and forth slowly to avoid scratches. Depending on how much of the surface needs to be removed, start with a courser paper (60 or 80 grade) and repeat with a finer one. I finished by hand sanding with fine paper (220 grade) and then super fine steel wool. It’s important to remove ALL wood dust before sealing: I started by vacuuming the cart then wiping it down with a tack cloth, available at hardware stores.
Then it was just a matter of rubbing on a generous coat of tung oil and wiping off any excess a few minutes later. If you spot any imperfections, rub them out with more tung oil and super fine steel wool (0000 grade) and then give another coat of the oil. The surface will be dry in about an hour although the smell of the tung will linger for a day or so.
Refinishing my cart took a couple of hours and I ended up with a piece that’s so beautiful I hate to part with it. But I will.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:51 am
From dishrag to delicious! Another fine job…
September 21st, 2009 at 8:37 am
Nice job! And thanks for the info on polymerized tung oil.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Thanks for the tip about the ‘new’ tung oil. I like products that have a built in finish!
September 21st, 2009 at 11:46 pm
what a transformation! Thx for the tip. I’ve used tung oil in the past but abandoned it because it doesn’t give adequate protection against the abuse that furniture can take. I’ll give this variation a try. Another great “natural” product is shellac. It really brings out the beauty of the wood that varathane products don’t come close to producing.
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:35 am
You can part with that right over here. It’s gorgeous!
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 am
LOL! Sorry Vanessa, the cart was sold last night to a Craigslist buyer for $60, which I think is fair. Sure, I only paid $15 for it but those were 1993 dollars.
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:30 am
Another project that inspires! BRAVO!
Your elbow grease and the the enthusiastic reporting of it allows me to enjoy the results without doing the labour. I have learned NOT to go out and immediately buy all the equipment for any project (pick a project, any project) required because I realized that -years later - the hand sander, the table saw!?!, the tile cutter, among many,many other things were STILL IN THE BOX!!!
(I did use the drill until the rechargeable battery died-and they’re not replaceable, because they change the voltage slightly every year)
Kudos to your energy and diligence!!!
I guess ‘kids’ get my energy and there doesn’t seem to be much left — which is partly why your finished ‘projects’ give such pleasure!
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Color me impressed!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I do the same thing with the intent of selling .. but after I finish, I love can’t part with it.
Nice job!