Hi,
I’m in the process of building a tack box for my daughter as a late 8th grade graduation present. For the uninitiated, a tack box is taken to horse shows, and sits in the aisle of a barn, next to your horse’s stall, and holds the various equine paraphernalia (called “tack” in the horse world). They range from plastic Tupperware containers, to plywood boxes, to things that look like furniture. Typical size is 36″x20″x20″. Hers is built out of QSWO with dovetailed corners.
I need a good, protective top coat for it. It’ll be indoors almost exclusively, but it’ll visit humid, dusty, dirty barns when it is used. It’ll need to be wiped down with a wet rag on a not-infrequent basis.
Any suggestions?
Replies
Polyurathane. Oil based, fast dry, minwax gloss. About three or four coats with a light sand between coats and a final sand with 600 grit, then maybe wax it. Should last a LONG time.
Definitely use polyurethane. It should hold up well and is easy to re-do when necessary................like after someone sits a bale of hay on the top - lol.
P.S. My "tack box" is the bed of the pickup. - lol
Barry, I'd go with oil based paint. I've banged together a couple of tack boxes for my daughter over the years. The abuse they receive is unbelievable, ha, ha. Slainte.
Richard Jones Furniture
I need a good, protective top coat for it..
With horses near it I wonder why??
I do some stuff for horses.. Mostly 'standards' and he like...
I would use cedar and a QUALITY Transparent stain as in Olympic or the like.. Opaque if it it used out doors...
Well, poly is the obvious choice. But there's different types, and I wondered which was better. "exterior" and "spar" varnish sounded like it would be best. But the research I've done indicates that they are rated as exterior grade because they have UV inhibitors, and added softeners to accommodate greater wood dimensional changes outside. Since this won't be exposed to the sun, this probably wouldn't be the best.
The recent FWW had an article about finishing exterior furniture, using several coats of epoxy, followed by a varnish. Is this overkill? I'm thinking yes, since this won't sit in the rain.
I'd hate to do paint. I'll only do that down the road if the original finish just doesn't hold up.
An old horse person here (figuratively and literally, degree depending on the day's aches and pains). I hate that epoxy finish (my opinion only :>) The softness of the spar urethane might be OK, because it would resist chipping, no??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I hate that epoxy finish
'gotta ask: why? Too "plastic"?
"Too plastic?" Yep. Even in the small pictures in the article, it just seemed that way. Reminds me of the craft items where you pour a bunch of plastic in a mold. Maybe it would look better in person, I dunno. Your question "Is it overkill?" is salient. I think you're right that the answer would be yes. Unless the horse decides to take a whiz on it periodically, LOL!
I'd go for an easily renewable finish that isn't likely to chip easily.
Wish I were making one for myself. I miss the good ol' days of mucking out and toting grain buckets!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG -
You miss mucking out stalls??? I'm sorry, but have you been sniffing the paint thinner, or something? lol.
If you really want to experience deja vu all over again, c'mon down to CA. My buddy's stock trailer needs cleaned out..............so we can make a few more trips to the stockyard - lol
My body's all worn out from being in the horse business for about 15 years. Pretty much on the sidelines now, so I'll have to pass on your kind offer.<g>forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The softness of the spar urethane might be OK, because it would resist chipping, no??
Exactly.Gretchen
Penetrating oil: watco, minwax, or varathane brand. I use Varathane #66 clear. These finishes will protect the wood well enough, they obtain a nice soft look, absorb scrapes and dings with ease and can be renewed with themselvs, another brand, or simply wax. If you put a poly on it you'll be able to count the scrapes and scratches with your eyes closed. This isn't a piece of furniture.
Drawing upon my unlimited knowledge of horses I suggest you put on a finish that smells agreeable to the horse-if he sits on it or hoofs it becuase he doesn't like it either way the box is HISTOREEEE.
Sorry-did I just say un limited?
Was in the horse business for a lot of years- The nature of the activity is hard on EVERYthing- So long as you're sure the tack box will always be indoors (I can't imagine this), I'd shellac it- I don't care how hard the finish, it's going to be scratched, chipped, rubbed, gashed off- Shellac isn't much of a protective finish, but it's the easiest to repair and your tack box is either going to be repaired a LOT or look like it needs to be-
Not an expert, so take it for what it is worth...
Oil (Watco) would probably provide the easiest finish, and touch up is an absolute breeze (it WILL need to be touched up). If you are worried about moisture/abuse, interior poly over oil (or straight poly) would work well I would think. I suppose exterior varnish would be o.k., but they are not as hard or scratch resistant as interior. If she leaves the box outdoors however...
Just don't paint it. QSWO is too pretty to paint. With all the radial flecks, oil would make it pop a bit. White oak also weathers nicely all by itself, so you could just leave it unfinished.
Barry,
The best advice anyone could offer you (from one who was married to a horsey person for WAY too long), sell the %&*$ horse, use the tack box for a tackle box, and get on with life. As you can see by all the answers here, horses are way too much trouble for this?
LOL, if it was just one. At this point it's 3 full-size horses, two ponies (one's supposed to be for sale, and I think the other's on "indefinite lease"), 2 miniature horses, and I don't know how many minature donkeys.
The tack box is for the teen-age daughter, who takes one of the horses to dressage shows. This box is intended to be taken to these "snooty" shows, not to sit in the back of a pickup truck on a trail ride camping trip (they use the Rubbermaid containers for that!).
At this point I'm leaning toward the watco approach, and touch-up as needed. I can always cover with poly varnish later if it looks like that is required.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled