Not Just A Fishtank Stand

but I'm very impressed that your drop cloths are color-coordinated. :thumb: Plaid and floral both...you're on it.

Help me out here, Larry... :wave:

I know that there are many guys out here in ww'ing land who have quilting/sewing wives. Surely more of you have had their wives thin their fabric stash on occasion? That's where my drop sheets came from

;)
 
Help me out here, Larry... :wave:

I know that there are many guys out here in ww'ing land who have quilting/sewing wives. Surely more of you have had their wives thin their fabric stash on occasion? That's where my drop sheets came from

;)

I'm the only one in my house who sews, so no quilt fabric from her, but LOML does give me the used translucent white vinyl shower curtains that have a few ripped out hanger holes. They make great dropcloths, but they're not nearly as colorful as yours. :D

I still think it was pretty interesting that both pieces of fabric matched the blue stain so closely, despite being very different prints. :p
 
Art,

I'm very interested in your process. Is that stain or dye? What will your topcoat be? Shellac? Lacquer? Something else?

The color coordination is great: Art for Art's sake! ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Art,

I'm very interested in your process. Is that stain or dye? What will your topcoat be? Shellac? Lacquer? Something else?

Bill,

It is a stain -- Waterbased stain from saman. I just find it in the local BORG. (now is that really a dye or stain??? err, I realy don't know, better ask Bob Flexner... ;) ) They have 27 premixed colours, and another chart showing you how you can mix two colours to get another, giving over 100 different options. It's pretty simple to use: shake the bottle, dab in a sponge, spread with the grain, wipe off the excess, let dry. As is, it is pretty dark, but still lets the grain show through. There is no noticeable odour at all. I was actually hoping for a bit darker, since the mineral streaks (it is soft maple) are showing through more than I want. I might try a second coat.

For a topcoat I am going to use waterbased flecto varathane diamond, spraying it on with my Earlex 5000 (first project for that tool).
 
Art you have good taste. That looks like the same color that my daughter picked at the local borg for the bed I built her.:thumb:
 
I'll be interested to see how the blue looks on the finished cabinet, but I'm very impressed that your drop cloths are color-coordinated. :thumb: Plaid and floral both...you're on it. :p


Vaughn youre so observant. :rofl::rofl:


Help me out here, Larry... :wave:

I know that there are many guys out here in ww'ing land who have quilting/sewing wives. Surely more of you have had their wives thin their fabric stash on occasion? That's where my drop sheets came from

;)

Art getting Loml to thin out material is like WW2 in this house. Thats an area i dont dare go near.


I do like the blue:thumb::), cant wait to see the whole thing together and with the tank on top. Should look real good. How come you did not use the Earlex to apply the stain? Just curious is it too think or does it need wiping in I know this is probably a dumb question but i had to ask since i would have used the Earlex and since i plan on getting one i need to learn :dunno: Is it too thin to apply by spray?
 
How come you did not use the Earlex to apply the stain? Just curious is it too think or does it need wiping in I know this is probably a dumb question but i had to ask since i would have used the Earlex and since i plan on getting one i need to learn :dunno: Is it too thin to apply by spray?

I might for a paint, but this is a wipe-on-wipe-off stain... Can you use those in a sprayer? But then you'd have to stop spraying and wipe every now and then. I don't think it would work.
 
Interesting color choice. Most would go typical wood colors like golden oak, etc. Where did that choice come from? Is this for yourself or a customer? Will this blend in to the room or is it intended to stand out?
I like the color, and being a stain it lets the grain show through. Very nice ...
 
Interesting color choice. Most would go typical wood colors like golden oak, etc. Where did that choice come from? Is this for yourself or a customer? Will this blend in to the room or is it intended to stand out?
I like the color, and being a stain it lets the grain show through. Very nice ...

It's for us.

Matt, this was originally planned to be a painted stand right from the get go. I was thinking of trying out milk paint. I first thought of a brick-red, or a mustard wash (ie: early shaker), or a muted blue. I just wanted to try something else. LOML cast the deciding vote on blue. ;)

But unfortunately the milk paint idea did not pan out. The company I was going to buy from does not recommend a waterbased topcoat for their milk paint (I won't do oil-based poly in my basement shop). And when you consider that they also recommend that you have a dedicated blender for mixing the paint... well that just got to be a bit too much for just wanting to try it out.

As for the whole "blending" into the room... well my wife and I actually like to keep things eclectic and mixed up in our furnishings. So I have some shaker-type stuff, and some mission-type stuff, and some whatever-I-felt-like-at-the-time stuff. I have neither the funds nor the time to redecorate our entire house to strictly match a certain style.
 
Progress Report...

Two steps forward, one step back, as they say. :(

Got the drawer fronts attached, and touched up the stain here and there.
The next step would be to spray on the varathane.

However, my wife and I brought it upstairs to see what it looks like in a better light and location, because I wasn't sure I liked how things were looking. We'll wait until tomorrow, during daylight (if the sun comes out!) to be sure, but it looks like I'm going to start over with the finish and paint it.

Here's the front, side, and other side (I ran out of stain on that last one, during the 2nd coat, so it looks really blotchy)
IMG_3320_2.jpg IMG_3321_2.jpg IMG_3322_2.jpg

And here is an "un-enhanced" close up of one of the drawers. On my monitor this colour is reasonably true. A topcoat of varathane should give it some shine, but it just looks too blotchy as it stands.
IMG_3323_2.jpg

I think the fault is partly the wood. I've used this stain before, on basically clear stock, and it was nice. It gave colour but you could still see the wood grain. This maple had some dark mineral streaks in it. When I selected the stock I thought it'd be okay, but they really showed through the stain and were distracting. So I put on a second heavier coat of the stain -- and let it dry more before wiping off. Now you can't really see the grain, but the effect looks muddy/blotchy. If you're not going to see the grain, I think I might just as well paint it and have a nice smooth and solid tone to it.

On the other hand, I think the top looks good and the fishtank does look nice on top. :)

Better to make the call now, than after it's been put into use!
 
Okay... Almost done. I think the blue paint does look much better than the blotchy blue stain. Today I finally attached the top to the base, and also installed the drawer pulls. They're a sort of pewter/silver-look set that LOML and I picked out at Lee Valley after MUCH browsing.

(It's funny, we went into the store intending to buy one set, after browsing on the web and in the paper catalog... but after browsing in person we left with a totally different set!)

IMG_3390.jpg

As I mentioned before, I think, the top-right drawer is a few inches shorther than the other ones. In the photo you can see it doesn't make a huge difference out front.
IMG_3391.jpg

But around back it lets me have a hideaway spot to put a power bar, wall-warts, and probably an air pump.
IMG_3392.jpg

Here is a look at the large left-hand unit which is where we plan to "hide" a trash can and a small recycling bin.
IMG_3393.jpg

We'll probably let the finish cure/harden another few days before we start thinking about setting up the new (new to us, that is) 30gal tank on it.
 
Finally...final photos.

The tank has been installed and running for a while, but we were slow and cautious about populating it. Today my wife finally picked up the last bunch of fish and here we are:

First an overall view of it, positioned in the hall by the kitchen -- main crossroads of our house, which we wanted.
IMG_3498.jpg

Closer 3/4 view:
IMG_3497.jpg

Here's a bit of the guts. This is the hidden shelf behind the top-right drawer where I hide some pumps and cord mess. I had originally planned to wall this off from the drawer, but decided to wait and I'm glad I did. Now I just need to pop out the drawer and everything is right there easy to access. The downside is that a wayward cord can get tangled in a drawer sometimes, but that is rare:
IMG_3499.jpg

Now, hopefully all the fish get along!
...art
 
Very very nice Art. But did i say blue is my favorite color. I like everything about it. Must add the paint is definitely better than the stain. If it had been milk paint and you had stressed it to look like wear that would have been different.

Love the tank. Oh and the draw for garbage bin is real neat. In our house lately the bin for garbage is small and the recycling bin is big of course we also have the green bin for veg peelings etc. Are you guys on the green bin system yet down in London?

Oh and i meant to mention i like the dolly you had that on. The handle on the edge is a neat idea.:thumb::)
 
Are you guys on the green bin system yet down in London?

Oh and i meant to mention i like the dolly you had that on. The handle on the edge is a neat idea.:thumb::)

Nope, no green bins here, we just put it in the composters out back -- got two of 'em.

I actually put a handle on the end of the dolly as well as the side. It's been surprisingly useful -- mostly just so I can pick it up and stash it aside when not in use.
 
Help me out here, Larry... :wave:

I know that there are many guys out here in ww'ing land who have quilting/sewing wives. Surely more of you have had their wives thin their fabric stash on occasion? That's where my drop sheets came from

;)

man i am so sorry art,, i was to busy climbing trees and didnt hear your call for help.. and yup i get left over towels and anything else she deems disposable.. sometimes i am in the top ranking:) the blue paint did help it out. in the future you might try sprayun your stain and then whipping it off.. and after your done and you still have blotchy area try hittun them with mineral spirts if you used a oil base stain. to blend back in better.. once again sorry i am late to the call for help but you look as though you survived and i will be closer for the next few months:)
 
Top