After I cleaned up the cris-mess yesterday, I fired up the belt sander and decided I’d finally finish my table top. That thing ripped through the glue blobs that would’ve taken ages with a palm sander, so I finished it. Bottom got belt sander, 60 grit, 80 grit and 100 grit. Top had already got to 80 grit, so I went over it again with 80, then 100, then 150 and last with 220. I was inspired by the belt sander, so I did the base, too. Belt sander rules, but still, fuck that blue paint, or at least whatever they put over it that turned yellow over the years. Anyway, I sanded that down to 150 grit because it was only getting painted anyway.

I’d decided on Colonial Maple stain because that was the closest I could find to the tables that we got with the house.

That was two coats, but I wasn’t happy with it. A little too light and a little too orange. P was going to Walmart, so I asked him to pick up some polyurethane, and some stain in Early American. While he was gone, I started painting the table base.

He had a lot of stops to make, so I also took down the curtains on the west windows and de-ruffled them. Big pile of ruffles, which I’ll wash later (curtains already washed and dried).

After he got home, I put a coat of the Early American stain over the maple. This is just applied…much too dark.

Wiped off, still wet. Better.

Couple of hours later. I’m still arguing with myself about applying another coat of Early American.

I won the argument. Second coat of Early American. This is the colour I want, and by no coincidence, it matches the colour on the can label of Colonial Maple.

One full coat on the table bottom. One more to go!