Between Awnings and AstroTurf

Living the American Dream of Homeownership in The Nation's Capital

Well Hello There!

It’s been awhile. And I don’t even know where to start discussing what has happened in the last 3 years. So I won’t!

Instead, I’ll go through my phone and post pics in reverse chronological order and you’ll see just what DIY and not so DIY adventures I’ve done with the place. It’s been 8 years and this journey is far from complete – but that is homeownership for you!

When two dear friends left DC, they asked if I wanted to keep their great grandmothers sewing table. It folded down, it was easy enough to store and easy enough to set up whenever I needed a table. So I happily agreed.
It was even the first table I had a meal on in this house. Here is the move in crew having a Popeyes break. I paid for their services with chicken and biscuits.

Now that we’re in the time of coronavirus, I needed a new work area where I could plug in my laptop and take work calls 5-7 hours a day. And I immediate thought of that trusty sewing table, gathering dust, just tucked away, waiting for some love and attention.

Began sanding with 80 grit.
Did a second round with 120 grit, then final sanding with 220 grit sandpaper.

And this is when the fun began. I have never done anything like this before, so I leaned heavily on the internet and my brother to explain polyurethane. In the end, I used a water based polyurethane, as it is a bit more forgiving, dries faster and let’s face it, it was all I needed.

I sanded between coats – also something I’m not sure is necessary, but is common practice and couldn’t hurt. I’m told that it helps the coats bond. But again, I’m not sure if that’s the case with water based polyurethane or not. But here we are.
I love the surface. Just enough for what I need, and no fuss or frills. Clean lines. What more could I want? (Storage for my fountain pens, but I digress.)

Why is this desk in my basement, you ask? WELL, last spring we had a bit of a roof incident that I will be sure to write about in a subsequent post.

Take care of your old wood, friends! They’re harder and harder to come by (affordably) and such a joy to refinish and bring back into heavy use and rotation.