A good customer asked me to build a cherry cover. This is really quite simple and will be used to cover her "hand-stitched" embroidery and to keep her cats off of her work.
Cherry hardwood and plywood. I used the Shaper Origin to cut the box joints and I used Rubio Monocoat with hardener for the finish. The color is clear/Pure and is a single coat.
The finish cures in 24 hours but is pretty dry 24 hours later in humid garage.
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I also have a customer wanting a sewing machine cabinet similar to the one I built for my wife a few years ago. But she wants smaller somewhere around 4' long and or half the length that I built for my wife.
I'm sure it was fun to have a small quick job. Almost instant gratification. ;-)
I'm curious about the Rubio Monocoat, especially the "with hardener" part.
In my thread about refinishing the coffee table, you mentioned varnish, specifically General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. Two or more coats, depending on how I applied it.
So teach me something: Why wouldn't a single coat of Rubio Monocoat with hardener be a good choice for a coffee table? Is it not as waterproof, not as durable, etc? It sounds like at least it's cat proof. ;-)
Yes! Light weight and I had all of the materials on hand.
OK so, I am/was assuming the table will be protected from the weather. Indoor use.
With that in mind, Arm-R-seal is about $30 per quart and will lay down a relatively durable finish and if you are only doing the top you should have a lot left over, you might consider going a pint. But usually for not too much more the quart is less expensive per oz. Arm-R-Seal leaves a hard finish. It is a good product. If the surface will see a lot of wear it will hold up the best long term.
Rubio Monocoat is expensive .350 ml IIRC will cost you $50+. That is the total make up of the finish and the hardener. BUT Robio goes a very looooong way. For small jobs it is advised to use 2 syringes for measuring. I mixed about 32 ml to do all sides of this project including bottoms and edges inside and out, and I has mixed too much. Rubio can be poured onto the surface and use a plastic scraper to squeegee it all over the surface. I actually used my stir stick to drizzle small amounts onto the surfaces for more control against applying too much in one area. Remember a little goes a very long way. Then about 10~15 minutes later you buff the excess and entire surface with a WHITE sctoch brite style pad. You can also use that type pad to initially spread the product. After the buff let it sit over night. The finish will be a matte finish, not quite a satin finish, so little to no sheen.
I bought the product and the hardener as a kit. 250 ml of the finish and 100 ml of the hardener. I have finished this project and the 18 boxes I built for Christmas with this product. I probably have 80% remaining.
Rubio is about as fool proof as it gets and the manufacturer does not recommend a second coat. Just remember to buff out the wet shiny spots about 10~15 minutes after application. You want the surface to look dryish.
Arm_R-Seal will be difficult to repair. You might have to completely sand down and reapply.
IIRC Rubio Monocoat was developed in the 60's in Spain to be a wood floor finish. So it is relative durable. It is kind of a recent thing, at least for me, that the product has been used for regular woodworking. It is becoming readily available. My local Woodcraft carries it. There are countless places to buy it including Amazon. And they offer the finish with out the hardener in small $10 bottles. AND it comes in
50 or so colors. I have only used the clear/Pure color. Rubio is EASY to repair. It is a hard wax finish. If you get a scratch you simply sand it out and reapply the product. No lap marks and it is said that there is no trace of where the old finish and the newly repaired section is at.
Watch these video's. Pro's are using this stuff too.
Woodwhisperer
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Blacktail Studio
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Rubio Monocoat USA
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Rubio on the floor
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Working with a prefinish color and a contrasting Monocoat finish.
Leon, any idea how well Rubio is for refinishing a sun damaged exterior door? I haven't researched it yet, but I wonder if it may be better than typical UV finishes. Since it's easier to repair, this may be a better option for repairing sun damaged Ext doors.
I do not know, nor do I know if it would be good against rain.
It would be a good experiment though. You can get small sample bottols on Amazon for a bout $10. A small bottle should be more than enough to cover several square feet. That said, the small sample bottles do not come with the hardener/accelerator. With the accelerator cure time is 7 days and is pretty much dry to the touch over night. With out the accelerator IIRC the cure time is 30 days. I would advise that you keep the sample piece out of the sunlight and elements until cured. And I would think the sample should be out doors for at least a couple of years to get a true feel.
Back to sun damaged If the finish has gone bad the repair should be easier but if the door has gone too long there may not be much hope as I have seen the wood open up at joints and on the face too. Almost to the point where the wood has started to go grey in color.
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