The Compass Rose Table
My good friend Glo handed me the table and said, "Do whatever you want with it. You have total creative freedom on this project." "Thanks Glo!" I yelled. So I started out by sanding the table down with 3M 150 grit sandpaper. By sanding it I wanted to make sure the primer would adhere to the original wood. Time: 1 hour.
After sanding, I primed the table with 2 coats of KILZ 2 Latex Primer. Then gave it another sanding with 3M 220 grit to get it ready for paint. Time: 2 hours.
After painting the table with 2 light coats of General Finishes Snow White (I wanted to give it a washed out distressed look) I created the Compass Rose artwok and installed the vinyl graphic. Unfortunately I didn't get a picutre of the paint, but you can see here it's a nice bright white. I think I was so excited to start on the artwork I forgot to take the picture! Oops! Time 2 hours paint. 2 hours artwork.
The orignial idea was to create a nautical star, but I changed my mind at the last minute. Can anyone say artist? After installing the vinyl graphic I painted it with General Finishes Queenstown Gray giving it 3 good coats. You'll notice the heat gun in the picture. I used it in between coats to speed up drying time. Time 2 hours.
After hitting it with the 3 coats of General finishes Queenstown Gray, I removed the artwork to unveil the Compass Rose image, border and beautiful washed out General Finishes Snow White paint. Time: 2 hours.
I let the gray dry overnight. Came back the next day and distressed the table with 3M 220 grit sandpaper. After I was happy with the look I coated the bottom and top of the table with 3 coats of General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane Flat Topcoat.
Total time on the compass Rose Table project was 13 hours. It was a fun project and I'm pleased with the finished work of art. Hope that who ever purchases it will enjoy it for many years to come and maybe even hand it down as a family heirloom. It's a one of a kind piece of artwork. Thank you for your time, Abel Van Flores. (By the way, the Compass Rose Table sold in ten days at Vintage Flavor, La Quinta, California).
