Javatime's Theater*Bar*Game Room Build - Page 3

Randy,
I mixed up an ounce this afternoon and it covers all those small pin holes/flaws pretty well so I'll skip any sanding. And yeah, I'll be using the torch. I hope to get to the final flood coat later this week. I went back and read everyons's etex thread again and feel pretty confident with the final pour.
Thanks, Rich

Thanks beach,
Only the bar top, rail, and drip tray get the etex coat. The sides have 2 coats of poly. I hope to get to the final flood coat later this week.

Rich

No problem beach,
I used a brush and spatula and let it run down the sides. This stuff has the consistency of honey and is self levelling so you don't have to worry about any brush and lap marks. Bubbles can be a problem when using this stuff, especially on hardwoods because air pockets in the wood pores have to go somewhere and rise up. That's what Randy was referring to a couple posts back advising about using a torch. The CO2 from the torch helps to pop the bubbles as they form, not the heat. I had very little bubbles since I used a very thin seal coat first to seal the wood pores. For the final flood coat, I'll have a torch ready and I won't be using any brush because you basically move and push the etex around. Check out Randy's (HeyNow) and Neuner's thread. Several others on here have used it with mixed results.
Rich

I also had a couple coats of poly on the top. Etex recommends a scuff sand prior to going over a poly finish. So I did the light scuff sand, but ended up with a dull, white finish that looked horrible and couldn't remove it even with denatured alcohol or acetone. Maybe becasue the poly coats were too thick? humidity?? Well, I wasn't about to risk putting the etex seal coat over that so I ended up using paint stripper to remove the poly completely. Fortunately, it worked out great and the poly came up easy and I was left with the identical prefinish treatment that came with the hardwood. Luckily, the prefinish treatment on the oak flooring comes with a titanium finish that even paint stripper will not harm or remove.

Rich

Here's some updated pics on the final pour after the seal coat. The bar top and drip tray turned out great...smooth as glass. The bar rail has a few ripples because of the curves, but it's not too bad. It's tough controlling the pour on a curved surface. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the final result. I let the etex bottles sit in bucket of room temp. water for about 20 minutes to get them up to 70 degrees. Just make sure they don't fall over in the bucket because they are not sealed under the cap! As others have mentioned, a torch is a must to kill off the air bubbles. I ended up doing the rail twice. On the second rail pour, I taped off the bar top with blue painters because I wasn't about to do the bar top over again and used just a brush. It came out better since I let the etex sit for about 10 minutes before applying.



Finally installed the oak cabinet handles (IKEA - $0.50 a piece and a great find).



The speakers finally installed along with the faux HVAC vents to cover up outside water/sprinkler shutoff valves.



I had to pad this vent out an extra 3/4" because I was too lazy and didn't want to stop sheetrocking and cut the pipe to move the valve another 45 degrees upward.

Thanks RTROSE/Dinger,
I've been scrambling the last couple of weeks getting all those little things done that I have been neglecting for months. My son came home on leave from the Army last weekend after a year so it was a good incentive to get my butt moving. I bought the Etex back in late fall and was a little concerned about the shelf life, but it was OK. They don't give an expiration date so who knows how long that stuff has been sitting in the store.

Thanks Guys,
I'll pass that along to him. We have him home for a couple more days before he heads back. Somehow, working in the basement has been therapeutic to me. Being a vet myself having served in the Air Force in the early to mid 70s in the post Vietnam "era" days, I know it's a much different world today than it was in my time. Great previous post Hanes... I can fully appreciate your words.

I also have 30 years working for the DoD in the logistics area and still enjoy making sure our troops get the stuff they need to do their job. The other day I couldn't believe my local store was out of stock on the wireless router I wanted. Kinda puts things in perspective.

Wow...small world Randy. I went in August '73 and also went to Shephard for Tech school (F-4 acft. mechanic) and over in the PI from 75-76. I spent most of my time stateside at good ol' Seymour Johnson in Goldsboro, NC.

OK...OK...OKayyyy! Yeah...I'd better PM Randy and take discussions offline about whether he frequented the 'Fire Empire' and some other infamous bars in the Phillipines because this forum is definetely not ready for those threads...lol

elkski,
Yes. Envirotex Lite, or Etex for short, is the clear, glass coating you see on restaurant tables and a 2 part mix. There is a couple of different brands out there that do the same thing, but most in here have used Etex. You can pick it up at Acmoore or Michaels. Try searching in here and you'll find several others that have used it too.
http://www.eti-usa.com/consum/envtex/envlite.htm

I think I was going to finish the bathroom in the fall...fall of last year that is but I haven't done squat. So with a 4 day weekend coming up, I'm hoping to make some headway in between raking leaves and blowing out the sprinklers. I painted last weekend and picked up the vanity, sink, exhaust fan/light, toilet, door and molding. Everyone's complaining about going all-the-way-upstairs to use the bathroom. Besides, I'm running out of coffee cans...