Top coat for a coffee table

I'm finally finishing a coffee table I've been working on for some time. My finishing schedule looks like this...

- transtint dye mixed in water. .5oz dark walnut/.5oz golden brown per quart.
- minwax tung oil 1 coat
- de-waxed dark garnet shellac 1 coat at a 1lb cut.
- ????????
- antiquax in a dark brown

I was thinking of using 2 coats of arm-a-seal for the top coat, but the stuff I have on hand is gloss. My wife wants a more subdued, "in the wood", finish. This table will see some abuse so I'm not sure which way to go. I should mention that I'd need to wipe or brush this on and the product will need to be mostly (or completely) idiot proof.

Edit: Oh, it's black walnut.

Can someone recommend a top coat? Maybe General's gel topcoat or something from Waterlox?

Thanks for the help.

Why the Minwax Tung Oil Finish? It's a wiping varnish that contains zero tung oil. If you're looking to enhance the figure, use BLO. Tung oil, if you had the real stuff, has to fully cure (sometimes weeks) before top coating to avoid issues. You can put the shellac over the BLO the same day if you must, although most folks wait at least until the next...

As far as your top coat, if you like the General Finishes product use it.

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Originally Posted by Jim Becker

Why the Minwax Tung Oil Finish?

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Hmmmm.... I knew there were other properties in the Minwax product, but I assumed some tung oil was involved. I've already passed this step in the schedule, and it looks pretty good as is. Am I going to be OK layering shellac over the Minwax? Will BLO make a significant difference? I've only completed the table top so it wouldn't be too much work to sand it down and prep it again.

Thanks Jim!

I used Formby's tung oil finish on the prep island in our kitchen. It's not tung oil either, and is probably nearly the same thing as your minwax product. I wiped it on, a couple coats, and find that it is a great topcoat without making the wood shiny. After 4 years, there are no watermarks or other stans. Prior to that had just used BLO and it didn't protect well at all. This stuff protects the wood well. If you need the shellac for color, rough up the minwax coat with some sandpaper first and since the shellac is dewaxed, you should be fine.

Then after the shellac, you could top coat it with the minwax again.

David

I'm afraid Jim is wrong about the Minwax Tung Oil Finish. It isn't a wiping varnish (Formby's is) it is an oil/varnish mix and about the same as Minwax Antique Oil. Whether that makes a difference depends on whether you followed directions or not--in particular where is says to buff with a clean lint free cloth. It's not supposed to stay on the surface. If your wife wants a "in-the-wood" finish, this may be about where to stop. Add another coat, or perhaps two, buffing each well after a short soak in period. Wax would be entirely optional.

Shellac is a film finish. After the oil/varnish it will begin to form a gloss film. A 1 lb. cut is very thin and won't have much effect, but still it does mean that you should not put an oil varnish material on it, because it will inhibit the penetration of the oil varnish so any left on the surface would dry rather soft and almost gummy.

After the Shellac, you could either put on more shellac, and then rub out the film to a satin sheen or you could put on varnish such as Waterlox, or McCloskey Heirloom (if still on shelves) or Pratt & Lambert 38. The varnish will provide a lot more protection, but that will only matter if you or your guests have problems with the use of coasters. The General Finishes varnish is a basic polyurethane varnish--I'd avoid a poly top coat.

Steve,

This table will be assaulted by small children on a regular basis. It'll need a durable top coat. I was thinking that the General's gel finish would work because of the urethane. From what you're saying, I should skip the shellac step so I don't ruin the finish if I go this route?

A complete in-the-wood finish is not required, but I'd like to keep the surface build-up as thin as possible while still offering protection from water stains.

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Originally Posted by Steve Schoene

I'm afraid Jim is wrong about the Minwax Tung Oil Finish. It isn't a wiping varnish (Formby's is) it is an oil/varnish mix and about the same as Minwax Antique Oil.

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I misspoke for sure! Thanks for the clarification, Steve.