I love the salvation army

[matratzac]

I found this at the salvation army for $15. It is one of those open backed bars and its made of HEAVY and THICK wood. What a deal! I'm sanding it down right now and I am going to repaint it. I will put something in the 30-40 gallon range on top.

Heres a pic

 

[rich311k]

Congrats, nice pick up.

 

[odessadude]

Cool!

I'm with you. I always go for the bargins.

Here is a pic of an old Philco console that was stripped. I have had 2 X 20 gallons on it for about ten years.

 

[matratzac]

any tips on getting the treatment off the wood? right now im just sanding it with sandpaper but its a real pain in the ass becuase its so slow. i have no access to an electric sander, so thats not an option. i just have to get the treatment off so the new paint will stick.

 

[odessadude]

Just scuff it up with some Scotch Brite and clean it off with some alcohol.

Your paint will stick fine.

 

[jsoong]

If you are just painting it, you don't need to expose bare wood. <Staining is different, in that case you should use a chemical stripper - they make water based one that is not too bad.>

All you need to do is to scrape off all the loose finish, sand to scuff up the surface & feather off any eneven paint areas. After that I'd use a solvent based primer <that cabinet looked lacquered & regular paint won't stick to that!>. Try to find a primer specifically for old paint if you can (avoid water based primer as that will not stick to lacquer). After 1 or 2 coats of primer, you can top coat with the paint of your choice & seal with urethane.

 

[An t-iasg]

Moved to the DIY Projects forum.

Good luck! Solid, heavy furniture is hard to find these days!

 

[R&amp;L]

I don't know what color your going to paint it but, the 1st thing that caught my eye was that if that's where your going to keep it then you will have to move the fish from the wall above it.

Why noy move the fish to the squares on the front. Two on each side, two top two bottom.
Just a thought.

I need to find something of that nature myself. Good find.

 

[matratzac]

I don't know what color your going to paint it but, the 1st thing that caught my eye was that if that's where your going to keep it then you will have to move the fish from the wall above it.

Why noy move the fish to the squares on the front. Two on each side, two top two bottom.
Just a thought.

I need to find something of that nature myself. Good find.

yea, that stuff will be moved. good idea with the putting it on the table, tho! i might have to try that...

 

[QTOFFER]

Go to your hardware/paint store and ask for a deglosser or liquid sandpaper. I've used a product called "Dull N Bond" that softens glossy finishes so that paint can adhere. You just wipe it on and wait 10 minutes before applying primer or paint. You'll have to apply an oil-based primer first if you're planning on using latex paint. I repainted some high gloss enameled bathroom cabinet doors and was very happy with the results. Deglossers have very noxious fumes, so do this outdoors!

 

[matratzac]

I found this at the salvation army for $15. It is one of those open backed bars and its made of HEAVY and THICK wood. What a deal! I'm sanding it down right now and I am going to repaint it. I will put something in the 30-40 gallon range on top.

Heres a pic

ok guys, its finished, and we got a tank. its beautiful. we got new hindges, handles, painted the entire thing, waterproofed the top, and even put a back to it.
heres a pic

heres another pic:

 

[An t-iasg]

Wow! That looks great! You did an excellent job. That's the perfect stand for the tank (which looks excellent too!) What size tank is it?

 

[matratzac]

Wow! That looks great! You did an excellent job. That's the perfect stand for the tank (which looks excellent too!) What size tank is it?

its a 55 gallon goldfish tank.

right now i just have 1 lionhead and 1 panda telescope

 

[TwoHobbies]

WOW Nice

 

[rich311k]

Nice tank. You did great work.