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What do I use as a seal to make something waterproof?

16 years ago

I am new to this fixing up things. My mom gave me a darling little rustic table that I am using in my kitchen for my kids to eat breakfast at. It is so rustic that the paint is peeling, but I LOVE that. What do I put on it so that their spills or glasses don't leave marks on it? Polyurethane? Something else?

Here's the table I'm talking about:

{{!gwi}}

THANKS!

Comments (9)

anjabee
16 years ago
Summerc~ I don't have an answer to your question, just wanted to say how cute your table and chairs are. I love prim and rustic. Love that color blue on your walls as well.
I think a few coats of clear poly would probably work, but don't take my word for it. Hope someone else with more furniture experience will answer for you. Great pic! :) ~Anj
nonacook
16 years ago
I agree, clear paint of any sort would seal it. Just use a couple of coats, unless it is a very thick sealer.
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If this is an old piece, all solid wood, no veneer, maybe a full inside and outside coat of spar varnish will hold the moisture (humidity, not rainfall) away so that the glue joints do not fail the first year. An old veneered piece, failure. If, OTOH, it is a new piece, it is a combination of MDF (like compressed paperboard) plywood, particleboard and veneer. MDF or particleboard take on moisture there is no stopping what happens. I would hesitate to recommend an automobile wax for furniture, most of them leave a white trace in the cracks. A colored furniture wax (like Briwax) will get rid of the white residue. Nothing known to man will get rid of silicone residue, if it contained any. But, on to your question: to prep for spray varnish, scuff sand with 220 grit, vacuum off, or blow with compressed air, and wipe down with a tack rag. Work in a space with no breeze to cause drift. An overspray of poly is very troublesome to get of your car (not to mention a neighbor's)
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I'll add this then: Durock? It's an approved substrate for any of the surface applied membranes. Sure it generates dust when cut with a power saw or angle grinder. But if you score and snap with a blade? It's pretty clean. It is heavy when compared to foam...but you'll be installing a half-dozen sheets max. Foam board? Sure, it's even lighter in weight. Here's all I recommend. Find the foam you want to use. Choose a membrane, example, Hydroban sheet membrane. Then call Laticrete's tech department and ask what thinset/adhesive they recommend for adhering their membrane to the EPS/XPS/foam of your choice. If you get a solid answer, by all means move onward with the project! If not, repeat for each foam/membrane/adhesive combo you can think of. Honestly, and again...I'm a guy who thoroughly appreciates the DIYer mentality...I built my own houses, boats, kayaks, canoes, airplane, swimming pool, I've drilled my own wells for water, I've done a couple of frame off car resto's...all solo. Trust me, I embrace the DIYer mentality. But showers? Here, on this forum, I do worry about compromised showers. Because houses are the most valuable investment most people on these forums will ever make, and water damage from a shower can just muck things up in tremendous fashion. Plus, it's near impossible to properly repair a shower short of tearing it out and rebuilding it. If your primary concern is weight and dust? Then I'll wave the bugger flag. And I'm waving it in an attempt to help you out. Just buy USG foam board and be done with it. Hydroban sheet is maybe $1.25 a foot? Kerdi about $2. Foam board? Maybe .40 cents. Adhesive? Who knows. Best case, you're saving yourself $1 a sqft by trying to make your own versus buying USG's product. For a shower of your size, that's maybe $75 you're saving. On an expenditure of how much for the entire shower? It's a fairly small percentage. Again...I THOROUGHLY embrace the DIY spirit. But with you being motivated by weight and dust? I'd spend the extra $75 to get the USG foam board. Lightweight. No dust. And you KNOW it's going to work. Plus you'll avoid the pain of having to lug a heavy and dusty bag of thinset home and the pain of trying to thinset or adhere the membrane of your choice to the foam of your choice with the adhesive of your choice on your own. Just my opinion. Worth the price paid. Good luck!! Seriously. Whichever way to proceed, I'd love to hear how things turn out.
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craftylady-2006
16 years ago
You will find decorative paint wood sealants at Michael's or Joann's Craft Store. The one that I like the best is Americana, it's about $5.99 for a large can.

However, just my opinion as I don't do sealing of wood too ofen - I think the suggestion of using a clear poly sealant might be better especially since the table will be used as an eating area for children. I'd put on a couple of coats of the poly. Don't want to take any chances that the paint is lead based.
justgotabme
16 years ago
Summer, what a cute table, chairs and setting. LOve the wall colors, the big red star and the wood tone of the railing with the rustic table and red chairs. Very neat!

The first thing I thought of when you said your children eat off the table is how old is it? Could it have been painted with led paint? That would be my first concern. If it's latex paint then no worries. You said you like the rustic look of it and poly coating would take that look away permanently. I'd head to my nearest fabric source and get some very thick clear vinyl (sold on rolls at the end of most Wal Mart cutting tables) to use as a table cloth while the children are eating or you could premanently attach it by stapling it under the top. Either way makes for a very easy clean up without damaging the peeled paint look. Even stapled, if you ever want repurpose it, just remove the vinyl and you've got your perfectly old peeled paint table back.
mariend
16 years ago
Sand first, then seal the whold thing. Then to make sure the top is flat, then you could paint top, then put a water proof table cloth on. That way you could remove to clean etc. Decorate the legs and under the top--you could even use decals if you don't paint things. Or cut pictures on, paste then seal over. Go to someplace like Home Depot or Lows for ideas on painting sealing etc.
Good luck
User
16 years ago
I would sand it with fine sandpaper outside wearing a mask to smooth out the peeling paint flakes. Then coat with 3-4 coats of water-based flat polyurethane for protection.

If you like the way it looks but just want to protect the top, how about buying a piece of glass to cover the top? Glass shops will grind the edges smooth for you. Then you can display kids artwork or whatever underneath the glass for visual interest.

When my kids were younger we had a map of the world on our kitchen table under a vinyl tablecloth. When we discussed current events at meals we located the geographical area.
sistersunnie
16 years ago
I'm with Dian57 on the sand, then water based poly for protection. Did the same with an old table of my grandmother's, love it and it holds up.

Love your set up!
WickedHeart
16 years ago
I would use Folk Art Lacquer Matte Finish. That's what my daughter uses for a protective sealer on her pet rocks. A gloss just wouldn't look nice on them. The matte finish works perfectly. We've used it on hundreds of rocks.
maryroche57_yahoo_ie
12 years ago
i want to make my own place mats
i need to seal them to water proof
any ideas please

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