Update: Protecting my Counters
beekeeperswife
11 years ago
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CEFreeman
11 years agohobokenkitchen
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Updated pics of new protection method of 16' outdoor Trachy
Comments (8)Good luck but the northernmost Windmills on the east coast to have lasted any significant amount of time are around Rehoboth Beach and Cape May NJ, and the only to have lasted a really long time around Virginia Beach and Hampton. So, roughly 1000 miles south of the southernmost point of Newfoundland! Even Martha's Vineyard has been below 0F, and quite recently, too. St. John's average HIGH in winter is < 32F/0C. That's really going to suck the life out of even the hardiest palms. Years ago a guy in the mountains of Colorado did very scientific experiments on keeping Trachys alive and the time factor below freezing was a major player, along with seasonal record low. Because the palms can't be metabolically active below freezing....See MoreFinishing/Protecting IKEA birch counters
Comments (6)My Numerar birch are in the kitchen, but I was put off by the idea of the resins in Waterlox and the difficulty of storing it once open. Intead, I finished mine with pure tung oil (not a proprietary "tung oil finish") thinned with citrus solvent as needed. The finish is holding up well with regular kitchen use. The link below is where I bought both tung oil and solvent. I also found the info on the site very helpful. Best of luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Real Milk Paint tung oil...See MoreProtecting particleboard counter edges
Comments (17)My very-much-on-a-budget family has a nice new Wilsonart laminate countertop. I ran my finger under the overhanging edges and, sure enough, there is laminate on top and particle board underneath. My kids splash a lot (the previous countertop disintegrated due to splashing which caused water leaking which did about what you'd expect to fiberboard), and I hate messing with anything oil based if I can avoid it plus I'm terrified of ruining the look of my beautiful new countertop by smearing something icky on it, so after much internet research, here's what I'm trying: (1) two coats of Minwax water based polycrylic, which is alleged to give a crystal clear finish and it apparently does. (2) after the Minwax has had a week to cure, I'm going to pick a day when the countertop is super dry (ship the kids to Siberia for a couple days maybe?) and then protect the most vulnerable area (the three feet directly in front of the sink, we don't have a dishwasher), by running a cut to fit half inch strip of duck tape along it, on the theory that duck tape fixes everything and it won't be conspicuous since it will be underneath the countertop lip. Duck tape kept the old countertop functioning a couple of years beyond its normal life span, so maybe I should just start off right and get the duck tape in place BEFORE the MDF has a chance to get wet. ____________________________ I'm quite nervous about my method. There's a big online controversy over whether it's okay to use waterbased polycrylic on MDF - one person alleges that use of water based polycrylic will cause the MDF to separate from the laminate because hey, it's water based! - but others think it's okay, so I decided to try it. The two coats of polycrylic did cause the MDF grain to come up - it was smooth before and it's now rough to touch - but I don't know if that's good (because it absorbed the polycrylic and will now be impervious to water) or bad (because the nay-sayer who says it will cause the laminate to separate is correct.) I'll let you know in a year or so how the countertop is getting along and whether it is in peaceful co-existence with the kids!...See MoreCounter protection for espresso machine area
Comments (15)I naively believed nothing could hurt my granite countertop until the day I discovered that my coffee maker developed a slow leak at the base and sat in strong dark roast for days. Yes, it left a mark. A friend said soak it in boiling water and that did the trick. For the next 10 years, I never had another problem. And I never put the coffee maker direct on the counter again. I used a glass cutting board for awhile but drips could sneak under it. So I switched to trays. There are so many pretty ones. And it is so easy to move the coffee maker out every couple weeks to clean in the back corner. I am currently using a beautiful glass tray with a 2 inch lip I found at the Home Goods. It is perfect and so unintrusive. Form + Function works for me....See Morecarp123
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