Cart Troubles

So I have this metal cart.  I'm trying to turn it into a bar cart.  It's being very stubborn!

Here is the original pic.  It's old and gross and so very dirty.  But I am determined to give it a jazzy makeover!

I started out with a good old rub down with some warm, soapy water, and then a spray with the hose on the jet stream setting...

All ready to tackle!  I hand sanded with 80...that's the really tough stuff.  This thing is metal and the dings and nicks and scratches in it are deep and no joke!  As I was sanding I ran into some gooey stuff.  Gross.

Out came some of this stripping gel to get it off, as well as some of the chipped paint.  I'm repainting it...so why not?  I like this gel because it's low odor  and safer, so you aren't afraid that you will strip your skin off as you go.  You should always wear gloves.  I should listen to my own advice;)

Scrub scrub scrub...

Ok, that's better, right?

More sanding.  Those dings are really making me mad at this point.  I know I probably need to figure out how to fill them.

I sand it down with the sander anyways, I give it a good go around maybe 3-4 times.

Then I figure I'll need to put a layer of primer on, just so I can see what is showing up.  When I run my hand over it, I can't FEEL any of the nicks, but that doesn't mean they won't show.

Well, they totally do.  So off to Home Depot or Lowes (at this point, I've been there so much I can't remember which one I go to!  That is SAD) and the guy there suggest this.  I really want spackle...that will work on metal, but apparently that doesn't exist (I see the need to create this product!) but this epoxy stuff does.  He said that will "probably" work since it's used to fill in dents/dings/nicks on appliances and other household things.


Well, it doesn't work Mr. Home-Depot-or-Lowes-man thank you very much for wasting my time and money!!

Actually, it may have helped a little, but after 3 or 4 coats of it, I can still SEE the stupid holes.  So Dave runs off to Pep Boys to grab something for the car and I ask sweetly, "Could you ask the guys there if there is a car dent/scratch filler thing?"  I am hoping he used those words!  He came home with this...

THIS!  This works awesome.  It was gray, but who cares?!?  It really filled those stubborn dents!!!  After I used THE.WHOLE.CAN on it, I sanded it down again.  I have primed the whole thing with white (it's a good outdoor primer that will help the next color stick and stay) and I can only see a teeny tiiiny bit of the scratches/holes/dents whatever they are called.

My mom says "the piece is probably going to tell it's story no matter what you do to it, if after all that you can still see something" so at this point I am letting it cure up before I spray it orange.  Yes, it's going to be a pretty but non obnoxious orange.  Hopefully after my training tomorrow (dumb) I'll be able to start coating it, if the weather cooperates.

Stay tuned for the Outdoor Cart Saga...it's riveting!

PSA - Don't spray paint in your house!!!  ;)