Vintage Doors into Tabletops?
By charloI have these two beautiful vintage doors. I want to turn them into tabletops.
I have most of it figured out. The legs will come from here: http://www.tablelegsonline.com/shop/20-htype-legs-p-361.html?cPath=8_289
What I'm unsure of is how to finish the top. I don't want to use a slab of glass laid over. I'd like to do some version of using lacquer, glaze, finish of some sort to create a thick, clear finish that makes the surface flat (ie. fills in the rectangular sections). It was suggested to me at the local hardware store that I use a fiberglass resin.
Anyone have any experience with this? Any ideas I'm not thinking of? A friend suggested contacting an autobody shop and asking them to apply a fiberglass resin since it'd be similar to what they do on cars. Any truth to that, or likelihood of them being willing to do it?
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charlo
PS. i should note that apart from the reaction-site, the epoxy worked beautifully. it is thick and hard and completely transparent, really glass-like, without being glass -- stunning!
charlo
thebeezkneez:
we ended up going with a product from sherwin williams. don't remember exactly its name, but it's a bar topping epoxy. it is *extraordinarily* expensive, i think it will cost somewhere on the order of $300 to coat one table. BUT since we only paid about $15 for them in the first place, i'm okay with the outlay.
that said, something to be aware of: something in the wood of the door reacted rather fiercely (heating up a LOT and bubbling away) with the epoxy, totally scarring the finish in one section. that required extensive sanding down and re-pouring. all i can say is, this ended up being a much more complex project than i'd imagined!
thebeezkneez
charlo
hi judy, I'd love to hear your idea! I've talked to some guys at some hardware stores, and people have repeatedly mentioned a product called BarTop (not surprisingly, a polyurethane epoxy used on bar tops to create a thick transparent coat), but I'm still searching for options... what are your thoughts?
jb
Did you turn your doors into a desk yet--because I think I have a solution that won't ruin the integrity of those beautiful doors. judy
DesigningMom
Oh I like the idea of folding legs Charlo. I repurpose furniture for personal use and to sell so that's why the first thing I thought of was finding used legs. It would be nice if all furniture folded up with the way I change my home decor from month to month. I may just start thinking of that when I repurpose.
~Becky <><
charlo
Hi Designing Mom,
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm going to look into the cost of an epoxy resin online. Since I found the doors themselves on CL for cheap, I'm not concerned about paying a bit more to finish them up.
As for the legs, I'm probably going to need to buy them new as I'm looking for a particular folding-leg design. I live in a large open space loft, and need to be able to fold the tables away when they're not in use.
DesigningMom
Justin's right about epoxy resins not being cheap. You can sometimes find them in craft store in smaller packaging so an online source might work out better. I have no clue if an auto body shop could do this for you. Though you are not wanting glass it may turn out to be a better buy.
As for legs I'd check out a salvage store or maybe tables for sale on Craigslist instead of buying new. Think GREEN!
Justin
You may want to try an epoxy that is specifically made for thick applications. They're not cheap, but they should work for this. Here is an example:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21371
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