Stained Countertops
I was finally able to stain the countertop in the outdoor kitchen this past weekend.
Assembling this countertop was an exercise in patience and woodworking skills. In a quest to keep the budget as low as possible, I chose to use cheap 2x4's to make the butcher block countertop. The moment I ripped a 2x4, it bent in two directions... a lot! This happened with every single 2x4 I ripped! Needless to say, assembling these bent strips of 2x4's into a straight countertop was frustratingly tough.
Once the two six-foot-long countertops were assembled, I then cut them to size and screwed them together in place. At this point, I hit them with 60 grit sand paper... then 80 grit... then 120 grit... then 220 grit. All this sanding happened between rain showers.
Saturday morning was beautiful here (actually, it was a bit too hot for my health) so, while we had some unusually good weather, I applied a stain conditioner to the countertops and then applied a few coats of stain. The first coat of stain was still too light so I applied a second coat... still too light... I applied a third coat and it looked good.
Yesterday, I applied three coats of "High Traffic Flooring Polyurethane" to the countertops and they are beginning to look like a finished product...
The sink is just temporarily placed into the countertop in these photos....
This seam where the two countertops join came out fairly well especially since the wood was in such warped and bent shape in the beginning!
The countertops still need at least three more coats of urethane but that will need to wait for another day since it is supposed to rain today and it is quite dark out there. I only need two hours between coats so I can knock out those last coats in a single day. Then, after it cures for a few days, I will polish the top.
Once the countertops are finished, I'll pick up some more lumber so I can cut and assemble doors and face frames. Then I can stain the lower cabinets.
This little kitchen is taking shape and beginning to look like a kitchen!
Assembling this countertop was an exercise in patience and woodworking skills. In a quest to keep the budget as low as possible, I chose to use cheap 2x4's to make the butcher block countertop. The moment I ripped a 2x4, it bent in two directions... a lot! This happened with every single 2x4 I ripped! Needless to say, assembling these bent strips of 2x4's into a straight countertop was frustratingly tough.
Once the two six-foot-long countertops were assembled, I then cut them to size and screwed them together in place. At this point, I hit them with 60 grit sand paper... then 80 grit... then 120 grit... then 220 grit. All this sanding happened between rain showers.
Saturday morning was beautiful here (actually, it was a bit too hot for my health) so, while we had some unusually good weather, I applied a stain conditioner to the countertops and then applied a few coats of stain. The first coat of stain was still too light so I applied a second coat... still too light... I applied a third coat and it looked good.
Yesterday, I applied three coats of "High Traffic Flooring Polyurethane" to the countertops and they are beginning to look like a finished product...
The sink is just temporarily placed into the countertop in these photos....
This seam where the two countertops join came out fairly well especially since the wood was in such warped and bent shape in the beginning!
The countertops still need at least three more coats of urethane but that will need to wait for another day since it is supposed to rain today and it is quite dark out there. I only need two hours between coats so I can knock out those last coats in a single day. Then, after it cures for a few days, I will polish the top.
Once the countertops are finished, I'll pick up some more lumber so I can cut and assemble doors and face frames. Then I can stain the lower cabinets.
This little kitchen is taking shape and beginning to look like a kitchen!
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