First, the side question! I've got a plywood top on my stand, and my tank is a basic Marineland with a rim/trim on top and bottom. Do I need to put a thin layer of something like yoga mat material between the tank and the plywood, just in case there's any irregularities in the surface that could damage the trim on the tank?
Okay, now for the meat! The friend of mine who helped me build the stand just showed me a shed chock full of wood slats of varying widths that I can have for free. Some of it's pallet wood, and some of it's trim but it's all nice and weathered looking, which is the direction I decided I wanted to go with skinning the stand. My question is how to protect it from inevitable spills and splashes and the possible leak. If I put clear coat on it, won't it be shiny? Which would kind of defeat the purpose of a weathered-looking wood stand. Putting a few layers of Kilz on it will also kind of ruin the effect. I was hoping to leave most of it looking old and raw(ish). Any way to make it water resistant without also making it look stupid? I do plan to put a little paint on some of the slats, so it looks like a structure that had once had color, but I'll sand most of it off. Thoughts? Thanks!
Okay, now for the meat! The friend of mine who helped me build the stand just showed me a shed chock full of wood slats of varying widths that I can have for free. Some of it's pallet wood, and some of it's trim but it's all nice and weathered looking, which is the direction I decided I wanted to go with skinning the stand. My question is how to protect it from inevitable spills and splashes and the possible leak. If I put clear coat on it, won't it be shiny? Which would kind of defeat the purpose of a weathered-looking wood stand. Putting a few layers of Kilz on it will also kind of ruin the effect. I was hoping to leave most of it looking old and raw(ish). Any way to make it water resistant without also making it look stupid? I do plan to put a little paint on some of the slats, so it looks like a structure that had once had color, but I'll sand most of it off. Thoughts? Thanks!