Inspiring the Adventure of Creativity
A great place to order glass and my favorite- One Day Glass. Though I've never had anything arrive in a day, ordering is super easy, and I can't get it cheaper locally. Their quality is great and they do a great job with shipping.
One Day Glass- The link takes you straight to their order page, and here are the order details:
1. Select tempered glass (safe and strong)
2. Select rounded corners (looks good and saves your shins)
3. Enter width- 24" (good size for most wagons, though you will need to determine for yourself- see below)
4. Enter height- 45 1/4" (good size for most wagons, though you will need to determine for yourself- see below)
5. Select corner radius- 5" (For me, just the right size)
6. Select rounded corners- a, b, c, d (select carefully to make sure you select them all)
7. Select thickness- 3/8" glass
8. Select clear glass
9. Select pencil grind (without a polished edge so it blends with the antique)
10. Ensure your smiling when you get it. SELECT CAREFULLY and review your selections before you order!
How to Determine the size of your wagon's glass top.
Most wagons are about the same size, so the size and shape I laid out for you will probably work. The two wagons I repurposed had beds that were approximately 34 1/2" long by 14" wide.
I like to make sure nothing extends out further than the glass top to prevent tripping. The tow bar hangs out a ways, and I like to make sure it's covered. I also like to center the glass on the wagon so the glass will extend an equal measurement off the back. Remember I also like to shorten the tow handle so it folds up just under the glass top.
DIY Cheat Sheet
Repurposed Wagon Coffee Table
You can burn a lot of time trying to figure things out from scratch- Like Ben and I did. Well we're not keeping secrets. We went and did the work and laid it all out here for you!
Clear coating the steel wheel bands.
I prefer not to paint the steel wheel bands (wheel tread) to prevent the possibility of it rubbing off on flooring. I also like the natural rustic weathered look of the old steel. I lightly rub off any loose rust, being careful to preserve the aged patina and coat the raw steel with Penetrol by Flood. It's great for preserving raw steel. It will dry in a day, but will take several days to get really hard. One coat always seems to do it for me. Spin the wheels 10 minutes after you coat them to make sure you don't have any runs.
My favorite polyurethane for achieving an antique sheen.
The difficult thing about oil based polyurethane these days is the manufacturers definition of sheen. when a can says satin the finished product is more like semi gloss. Not good when your going for an antique look. The bigger problem though, is local stores rarely carry lower sheens than the miss-named satin.
I like to use Zar 33913 Ultra Polyurethane, Oil-based, Clear Antique Flat. but even with this product, the sheen is not flat, but a low sheen satin. Just what the doctor ordered. You'll probably need to order it online.
There you go!
I hope we boosted you for a good head start on your coffee table project.
And with some useful secrets you can apply to other projects as well.
Let us know how it goes, we love to hear from you!
Setting the glass in place on the table.
I use 4 clear rubber self stick bumpers to set the glass on the wagon bed. I simply stick them on each corner and place the glass centered over the bed.