I didn’t have much of an idea of what to expect, only that I was told the Bunnings team would be doing some demo’s on stripping, sanding and staining on old recycled furniture – so they had me right there when I saw the sign out the front of our local Bunnings hardware store a couple of weeks ago.
So I grabbed a flyer and signed up.
After signing in, we received our Bunnings goodies bag, and I collected a lucky door prize along the way. I’d say there were more than 100 ladies turned up from all walks of life, wanting to learn something new.
Celebrity guest for the evening was from The Living Room TV show. Barry is a builder/designer/reno guru and his segments on the show are usually full of great DIY tips.
There’s also a segment where he pops in to a Bunnings hardware store and picks a random couple and asks if he can come home with them to do some DIY around their house … PICK ME!!
Now to the hands on stuff … we had the opportunity to build a couple of DIY craft projects, so I went for the ‘serving tray’ which was all pre-cut, just whack it together with some wood glue and nails and you’re done!
Here’s me tacking the bottom in place…
They drilled some holes for the side handles. Now the ladies before me were all getting shiny silver handles, but when I joined this crowd, for some reason they said they weren’t doing the handles any more, we had to do rope handles … okay. That sounded alright…
But … the “rope” was actually just twine … so I’m thinking I’ll definitely replace that when I get this thing home.
They had options to paint it there, but I wasn’t fussed over having a shiny gold or silver serving tray, so I’ll paint it myself … later.
Here’s a decorative paper I chose to place on the bottom of the tray:
Yep … check out those fancy handles! LOL. My knots didn’t even stay through the holes!
I’ll be fixing this with thicker rope!
Another section of the Bunnings timber yard where they hosted this night, the team from Ozito were giving their tips for working with wood. From stripping varnish (below) …
… to sanding back for a smooth finish. They had some great recommendations for orbital sanders, sanding sheet sanders and belt sanders (which I learnt are really too powerful for the furniture type jobs)
This dining room table belongs to one of the Bunnings ladies who brought it in especially for the demo. Lucky her – gets a reno for nothing!
Here’s something I hadn’t done before – applying stain with a roller. I’ve always wondered if I was using enough stain on my rag as I apply.
He applied the stain quite thickly, left it for 5 mins to soak into the wood.
(Sorry – fast action shot and these are all iphone photos!)
But you can see how its a good coverage. I was getting blotchy results and I think it could have been my application method. You can still use a rag to apply, but next time I won’t be too stingy on the stain.
Here’s the finish after he had rubbed the excess stain off in a circular motion going along the grain and then circling (almost oval motion). This colour is Maple, which is not exactly what I would’ve chosen. I do prefer the darker walnut tones and black Japan is another nice darker stain.
Overall, it was a great night with lots of lucky door prizes given away and a lovely supper of wraps/sandwiches and desserts! They sure know how to put on a good spread on their DIY nights.
Even if you’re a seasoned DIY-er, there is something there for every one to learn.
Now … just have to apply these skills to my upcoming restoration projects!
Happy Painting everyone!
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Disclaimer: I have not been asked by Bunnings to promote their store. This blog post contains my own opinions and observations.
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