r/Woodworking_DIY

Went with Baltic birch with exposed edges. Mitered corners. Extra 45 degree cut for extra depth (not sure if like it.

I used 4 extremely thick shellac coats on my wooden floor, and it still smells 3 weeks later. What should I do?
So, 2–3 months ago, some crackers fell onto my carpet. I didn’t pick them up, and by the next day, the carpet had basically “eaten” them. After a while, there was a Cheetos-like smell coming from the vegetable oil in the crackers. I tried everything baking soda, soap, vinegar, nothing worked.

I eventually took the carpet out,
thinking I would be okay.
Then the room heated up during the summer, and the smell came back. The whole room became warm, humid, and smelled like Cheetos. I tried everything on the wood too baking soda, heating the area where the crackers had fallen, using paper as a sponge, heating it with a blow dryer while applying baking soda, putting books over it, etc. Nothing worked.

For a couple of weeks, I was miserable. Then I used a fan blowing directly at the spot. It worked because it kept the wooden floor from heating up. I couldn’t keep the fan there forever, though, so I looked for a permanent solution. That’s when I found shellac.( Dewaxed)
Unfortunately, I didn’t know how much I was supposed to use.

I sanded the floor, but because I wasn’t exactly sure where the smell was coming from, I ended up sanding a larger area. I had marked the specific spot at one point, but after a while I took the tape off. So when I sanded it, the smell spread throughout my 1 × 1.5 m area.

I got really disappointed. I was so tired from doing everything that I didn’t think every move through.
Anyway, I applied 4 thick coats of shellac. I started with a very thin coat. After that, I applied a thicker one, and then one that was about 10 times thicker. So, think of it like this:
In a 1 × 1.5 m area, I applied 350 mL of shellac over 4 coats.

I knew it was alcohol-based, but I thought the fumes would be fine after four hours. I stayed there the first night, but I got a nosebleed and felt very dizzy and confused.
Since then, I’ve been living in another room actually, in another house. I can’t do this anymore. There is still a smell and a lot of chemical odor in the air, so I can’t stay there.

One week ago, which was about 2 weeks after the application, I sat in my room for 3 minutes. I got a headache, my nose became very dry, and my eyes felt strange.
I haven’t checked the room during the last week. I’ll check tomorrow and see how it is, and I’ll post an update here.

Also, if you check the photo, you can see that I applied shellac in the gap between the floor and the wall/skirting board too..4 times.
What should I do? Should I remove the shellac and do it properly, or should I just wait longer?

I’ll check tomorrow and see how the smell is and give an update here.
As for the ventilation and the fan you’re seeing: most of the time, I had the fan blowing out of the window. I also had the door open, as well as the balcony door and the window. For 1–2 weeks, I only had the fan and window open, and for the last week, I also kept the other doors open.

I’ve also been placing the fan in different positions for the past half a week, trying to get air into the gaps and other areas.

One last thing, when I stepped on about half of the area,the part that isn’t near the wall, where the chair is it felt fine. But when I stepped on the area next to the wall, it cracked. I felt some small pieces and checked to see if it had broken or something, but it hadn’t.

There is also a small gap between each floorboard. In the larger gaps, I can actually insert something, so the floor isn’t completely sealed.

Will the Cheetos smell come back? Will the shellac eventually cure completely and stop releasing alcohol/chemical fumes? What should I do?

Good afternoon! I'm currently working on a nice set of Adirondack deck chairs, 4 of them are staying at the family cabin and 2 are being auctioned off at a fund raiser for my wedding next year. I have all the pieces prepped and sanded ready to go, this weekend I'm going to work on assembly and finishing.

I'm just alittle lost on what varnish I could choose. Usually I prefer water based products because its non-yellowing, not plastic-y, and results in a thinner film on the wood.

Problem is the chairs that will stay at the cabin will be exposed to the elements, including snow. Because it's a beach front property they will be exposed to; high uv, bright sun, high winds, severe storms, sand, and spray from the lake. I was lucky enough to be given some good quality hard woods for this project (teak, red oak?, and one other hard wood that I have not identified yet) so I'm wanting something that will preserve the natural colour and grain of the wood without yellowing.

My question is, will a water based varnish hold up to these conditions or should I opt for a spare urithane because it's more durable?

Thank you in advance!

These are the two varnishes that I'm looking at:

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/varathane-diamond-finish-premium-water-based-polyurethane-wood-finish-for-outdoor-in-satin-clear-946ml/1000423119

Or

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/varathane-diamond-finish-premium-oil-based-polyurethane-wood-finish-for-outdoor-in-satin-clear-946ml/1000686140?eid=PS\_GO\_140203\_\_ALL\_PLA-526641&eid=PS\_GOOGLE\_D24\_Vendor-Funded\_GGL\_Shopping\_Rustoleum\_Rustoleum\_\_PRODUCT\_GROUP\_pla-2412009654375&pid=1000686140&store=7056&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad\_source=1&gad\_campaignid=21080414365&gbraid=0AAAAADhdmz6fiLUHrW7iCmguMYH6tgweN&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-frTBhCvARIsADv4XY5LjGVfdlKvsXPxfr1j0oEbqtyYKoIKpccdMSe0C10q6YfjALDmECoaAgxsEALw\_wcB

I know this isn't exactly wood "working," but I am not sure where else to post this. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I am hoping at least a few others here can point me in the right direction.

My wife and I moved into our house, and they left a pretty nice Ethan Allen table in the barn. I've sanded the top, but the legs have too much detail for me to sand comfortable. The legs/base is currently black, but we want to strip it to use oil stain like we plan on doing with the top.

I have read about Citristrip, Dad's easy spray, Klean Strip, and even some deck strippers like the Behr one from HD and Max Strip. All of them have at least a few 5* reviews, but all of them are under 4 stars, cumulatively. I don't want to ruin this base but I also don't want to waste money.

Any ideas on this? TIA BIG TIME in advance. I'll be forever grateful for any help, as my wife and I are both tired of looking at this and just want it to be done.

Come out for some good grub and see what else you can do with timber Hot Springs Demo Days – Norwood Sawmills

I'm looking to refinish (a different color) this fly rod/fly fishing organizer which I am guessing is made of pine? Should I use a a water-based stain after a pre-stain conditioner? or just a gel stain or....? As to color, I'm trying to decide between doing a reddish-brown or some sort of a darker natural golden color to color coordinate with my fly rod tubes. Any suggestions or ideas would be welcomed greatly!

So my wife and I bought a new IKEA KIVIK 4-seater couch with a chaise lounge. I was putting the back support and the seat frame together, and when I picked it up to flip it, I heard a cracking sound.

I checked underneath and saw that the wood broke in a few places. I already talked to IKEA customer support, but because I transported and assembled it myself, they said warranty won't cover it...

Was wondering if there's any way to fix this? Any guidance would be much appreciated!

Thank you all in advance!

The standard 80cm (31.5") depth won't fit in my room, so I need to reduce it to 60cm (23.6"). Since MDF is easy to saw through, here is my plan (see pic):
Cut 20cm off the back of the MDF top.

Shift the frame forward using the existing pre-drilled holes (red arrows).

Edit: a couple of people in the comments figured out it probably splits onto 2 pieces: the top, and the legs & apron. All I had to do was unscrew 18 screws. No cutting or wrecking in any way. Thanks!

I can't move it to the room it's going to live in unless I take the legs off. I'm also planning on sanding it all down and refinishing it, which would be much easier if I could take it apart. It's homemade by someone. I think they used glue. I took all the screws out of all the legs and there was no give. I took all the screws out of one long side and the middle flexed but the ends were solid, even after I hit them with a mallet. They look like butt joints but if they are then why are there 4-6 long screws in each leg? And why don't they budge when I hit them with a mallet?

I realise this is a putting things together sub rather than a taking things apart sub, but I thought maybe knowing how to build things with wood would be helpful in figuring out how to take things apart that are made from wood.

I have a slab of roughly 2-3in thick, live edge, red cedar. I’m making it into a desk by attaching a sit-stand desk base.

I want the wood to have a natural look and feel, showcasing the natural grain of the wood. I don’t want the final product to end up too intensely red. I want low shine like satin finish. I do NOT want the wood to look or feel like it is encased in glass or wrapped in plastic.

The desk will be used in an office space, so it will be indoors at all times and will not have a huge amount of UV exposure. It will be used almost daily as a desk, but wouldn’t have the same kind of rugged wear-and-tear that a dining table would.

I’ve read a lot about differences between oil-based and water-based and spar urethane or wood conditioners or waxes, but I’m just feeling lost and like I can’t trust the random websites trying to sell me stuff. My question is: What’s the best product(s) to use for finishing and sealing it?

Thank you for your input!

I had this vision in my head to build a sturdy, rustic climbing frame just like the stuff we used to build back in the day from whatever was laying around the yard.

Designed and built it myself using a Stihl chainsaw to cut custom joinery so it holds rock-solid without relying on cheap metal brackets. My partner took care of the painting while I watched the kids (not sure who got the harder task! 😄).

Loved how the wood grain came out on top after applying the finish. My daughter already gave it a 10/10 safety & fun test! Let me know what you think!