# Aquarium stand refinish.



## dmolson21 (Nov 30, 2008)

So I just picked this up off craigslist for $75. It held a variety of things, but I cleaned it up pretty good. It's sitting full of water now to make sure it doesn't leak because it had rodents at one time that chewed at some of the silicone, but so far it seems ok. Hopefully long term it will be good too. It came with filters and everything, but they need a really good cleaning. So the stand doesn't look to great right now and I want to clean it up real nice. Anyone have good advice/steps on how to refinish it. I'm on a pretty tight budget, and I wish it was black to match the rest of my furniture. But I also could just do a dark finish. Also, is there anything I should rinse the inside with to make sure the urine is gone from past inhabitants. Any help would be great. Thanks!

Full shot of the tank









Shots of the stand
Front








Back


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

couldn't you either use a stain stripping agent, and strip back down to bare wood, then paint it black... or possibly just roughen it up with some sand paper, and paint right over it...
i would try that on the back(if there is a back) or just a small portion on the side, and see if that works first... if it works fine, then just do that for the rest of the stand... if not, then we can try something else...


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Yep, if you want the "Black Enamel" look that is popular with a lot of furniture, just scuff the entire thing with fine grit sand paper to remove the gloss. Then paint it with black enamel paint. That way the existing varnish will protect the wood and if you ever change you mind and want it wood again you can use stripper to remove the paint and then the varnish back down to the natural wood. I get better results from spray cans for a more smooth look but a roller would also keep from getting "Brush strokes" in the finished product.


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## R-DUB (Jun 3, 2007)

I have to disagree with the previous post. I would not paint over existing varnish,shellac,polyurethane etc... I also dont understand how after scuffing or sanding the original surface would leave the varnish? Therefore helping in any later stripping? Sand prime paint. Preparation is everything in painting. Lighly removing the old varnish is best followed buy a descent primer. Then paint GOOD LUCK!


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## becikeja (Oct 14, 2007)

I agree with R-DUB it's best to strip or sand the stand down to bare wood and then paint it black if that's what you want. I would suggest using an enamel paint for cabinets. I will not say that it makes the unit ready for outdoor use, but it repels water very well if you happen to get water on it during a cleaning. It finishes up real nice and it's easy to apply. The only negative is that it takes around a week and half to get good and dry. Yeah you can touch it after a couple of hours and it feels dry, but just leave something sit on it for a couple of days and you will know what I mean. After 10-11 days it's practically indestructible.


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