kegerator / keezer - prepping for service

Kyle · November 28, 2011, 09:18:49 AM

For anyone that went this route, how many coats of verathane / polyurathane did you put on your wooden bar top? I've got two coats of stain, one of verathane, and planning a total of three thick coats of verathane on the top. The sides are stained, but I'm not planning to put anything else on them since I don't think they'll get wet.

DandyMason · November 28, 2011, 10:26:57 AM

I went with 3 and 3... I wanted a dark finish, so ended up staining it 3 times... then 3 coats of the verathane.

Im almost considering another coat of verathane.

Kyle · November 28, 2011, 11:05:08 AM

thanks - yeah, 2 coats of "gunstock" stain came out the perfect colour for me.

Yeah, I think you'll want to sand the top layer of verathane if its more than 24hours since the last coat.

The 2nd coat went on really thick since it was a tad cold this morning compared to the recommended temp for it. I might just go ahead and do 4 coats, we'll see what it looks like when dry.

DandyMason · November 28, 2011, 11:09:37 AM

Yeah if I put another on, i will definitely sand it first. I will likely do another

Thomas · November 28, 2011, 11:22:56 AM

12 coats. You need to sand all layers you apply to keep smoothing it out so there are no big bumps at the end. And it needs to be progressive, mabey start off with some 260 grit for the first coat, and work up to some 3000 grit or 0000 steel wool for the final few layers. The automotive stuff need to be wetted before use but gives an amazing finish. Steel wool work good too, but any little splinters that get trapped in the varathane could rust and look bad.

You dont want to put it on really thick either, that could cause bumps or uneaveness in the final finish and make sanding difficult. The ideal finish should be many thin layers of poly. Thats why lacquer finishes look so good, they are applied as a very thin spray, and usually have 20-30 coats.

Kyle · November 28, 2011, 01:57:39 PM

yeah, I forgot to sand before staining (had the sand paper right there and everything), so I just didn't bother to with the verathane layers either... looks pretty good still, though sanding would have been better.

I will do the next 2 coats indoors so its not thick in the cold, and if it looks bad when dry, I'll sand it right down to the wood at some point in the future (when its warm outside) and re-do it.

Jmac00 · November 29, 2011, 10:11:49 AM

don't forget to post some pics

Kyle · December 01, 2011, 09:34:02 PM

So I got it all cleaned up and put some IPA on tap. Its about 3 days since the last coat of polyurethane but when a bit of beer dripped out of the tap, it made a white water mark. The mark went away after I wiped it and then it dried, but is this a symptom of the poly not being fully dry, or needing additional coats?

Thomas · December 01, 2011, 10:55:35 PM

poly should be dry within 24hrs of application, unless it was super cold and applied too thick. And three coats should be enough to provide water resistance. As long as the spot is gone after cleaning I wouldn't worry too much. BUt you can always apply more coats of poly to guarantee a good seal.

Kyle · December 02, 2011, 09:41:23 AM

yeah, it was really cold when I put it on (-3 or something). Of course the stain was fine but I forgot about the whole "water-based" thing with the verathane, so it was about the consistency you'd get from a mix of 3 or 4 parts milk to one part yogurt.

I'll keep water away from it for now.

One good thing though - my passive cooling pipe that starts at the taps and follows the hoses down, terminating in a coil resting on the freezer plate: works really well.