Garage Counter

[Bob Heine]

When we bought our dream retirement home fifteen years ago, the only cabinet in the garage had a homemade dog washing sink (two plastic laundry sinks bonded together with fiberglass and polyester resin). When it started leaking three weeks later, I replaced it with a leftover piece of Poplar butcher block and a plastic drop-in laundry sink. The butcher block wasn’t deep enough so I spliced a Poplar board to the back. That board wasn’t as thick as the butcher block so I shimmed it with a piece of plywood. Put about five coats of urethane varnish on the countertop and it looked pretty good. Fifteen years has not been kind to the countertop or the plastic sink but because it’s in the garage, it didn’t bother me. Apparently it bothered my wife. She suggested I replace the sink -- a half-hour job.

When the new sink went in for a trial fit, the wood countertop looked really bad. It's only six screws and some caulking.... A little time with the electric belt and DA sanders and the dings and scratches were gone, along with the urethane varnish. Some of the black water stains didn't come out but I decided not to turn this into another endless project. A short session with some 400-grit paper on an 11-inch DuraBlock and prep time was over.

Rather than fill the garage with clear dust, I decided to spray outside. Mr. Murphy had already called in my request for a blustery afternoon so I moved the project to a spot in front of the workshop at the far corner of the property which blocked most of the wind. First session of spraying included an accidental trigger pull before I had the gun adjusted. The gob of Universal Clear landed on the main section of the counter. Oh well, I forged ahead and laid down a fairly heavy coat, all of which disappeared into the poplar. The glob leveled out a bit and ended up being the shiny area. Next day I laid down three coats (half hour between coats) and it was starting to look pretty good. I set it out in the sunny (and windy) part of the yard and went inside. Without telling me, Murphy had ordered a light shower an hour after I finished spraying. It remained sunny and windy while I carried the counter back inside. The clear was set and I was able to wipe off the droplets.

Day 3 found me in the yard block sanding the countertop with 400 again. This time I got rid of the gob and the surface was close to being flat. Some of the poplar blocks in the countertop were softer than others so the surface had lots of highs and lows. I somehow managed not to sand through but I failed to completely level the surface. In a moment of clarity I mumbled something about it being a garage sink and counter.

Three final coats and I was done. Of course Murphy ordered up a couple of really strong gusts as I was spraying the last coat. A half-dozen tiny leaflets from a nearby Royal Poinciana tree floated right into the fan and became instant embedded artwork. I took off my mask and apparently attracted a family of gnats and other bugs, one of which decided to check the dryness of the clearcoat. I walked away.

 

[Bob Heine]

When I calmed down a half-hour later, It occurred to me that this was fixable. I dug the leaves and bugs out of the clear with the tip of an Xacto knife but that left indentations. I mixed up a tiny batch of clear and dabbed a big drop into each indentation, hoping it wouldn't shrink too much.

The half-hour break made me realize this was a perfect learning opportunity. After the countertop set up overnight, I re-installed it and put the sink in, with clear silicone caulking. I waited another day and blue-taped over the repair lumps. I have one of those run files but am not crazy about using it. Instead I made a small sanding block out of a scrap of red oak and put a piece of 400 PSA paper on it. I want to thank Mr. Shine for his tip -- it worked perfectly (once I realized you have to clean the blue tape and glue off the sandpaper).

I didn't cut and buff the counter -- it looks pretty good as sprayed and If my wife caught me spending more time on this "half-hour project" things could get ugly.

This counter is 30.5" deep so it has room for a small microwave (handy for popcorn and re-heating my coffee when I'm covered in dust or grease). I also use the garage sink for personal hygiene (toothbrush and Waterpik on the counter and shaving stuff in cabinet above). I avoid a lot of master and guest bathroom cleanup with this simple change.

All in all I'm really happy with this project. I got to shoot some Universal Clear with extra slow activator (4103-4). I got to practice blocking techniques and even some simple repair procedures. Down side is my wife is impressed and although she didn't say anything, the workbench in the kitchen (yes, there is a solid birch workbench in the kitchen) is a little scratched up and the top has a couple of stains....

 

[Barry]

Perfect practice project, like you said.
Now get the wifes block out of the kitchen and do that, when you are ready to spray call me with temp and wind conditions and I will give you a cheating tip on that thing but will need to know the other info first.

 

[Bob Heine]

Thanks Barry. I tried my best to screw up but the Universal just made it all look good. I'll call before I shoot the workbench.

I've been shooting small batches of black epoxy on lots of Corvette chassis parts. I even began lifting the body off the frame of the Corvette. Working alone I am using hydraulic jacks to lift a little at a time and stabilizing the body above the frame using 1/2" all-thread shafts at four body mount locations. I plan to lift it about six inches and shoot the frame. It takes more time but this way the project isn't consuming the whole three-car garage.


I love the epoxy and I know it's going to save my ass on the fiberglass. I figure the black single stage or base will be available just about the time I need it.