Need Help Choosing a Finish For My Hickory Kitchen Table top

[Anthony Brown]

I have a Hickory kitchen table that I am building and I need help choosing a finish for the table top. I have 3 kids, but the youngest is 7, so the table will take some abuse, but not a ton. The kids have dedicated desks for doing homework, so that shouldn't be a huge issue either. With all of that being said, I still want to put a durable satin (preferably water-resistant) finish on the table top that is relatively easy to apply. At first I was thinking polyurethane, but after doing a bit more research, it seems people feel that's only good for floors and not table tops. I was also looking at Marine spar varnish, but I have seen that discouraged as well.

Could anyone point me in the right direction for what I am looking for?

Basically, here is my criteria:

1.) Durable and (preferably) water-resistant
2.) Fairly easy to apply
3.) Satin finish (if possible)
4.) Drying/curing/re-coat time isn't like 1 week (although this is a BIT less important)

Any help given would be great. Thanks!

[Prashun Patel]

Polyurethane can look a little plasticky, but it's durable enough for a table. It can also yellow over time. IMHO the objections are with its aesthetics not performance.

i do however find it easier to apply as a wipe on varnish than others I have tried.

I am a Waterlox original sealer finish fan for color clarity and durability.

[Prashun Patel]

I also just finished my own kitchen table in ensuro clear poly satin and it seems pretty durable. I sprayed it. I don't have a lot of history with it, but if you have spray equipment, it's hard to beat this in the ease of use category.

[Anthony Brown]

Thanks Prashun. I am very familiar with polyurethane and have used it before, so applying that wouldn't be an issue for me at all. If you had to choose between Waterlox and Polyurethane, which one would you choose? If Polyurethane is also pretty water-resistant then that may be the way to go, but Id still like your input.

Is it true that the cure time on Waterlox is like 1 month? I read a post on another forum from a Waterlox representative that whatever you use Waterlox on is good to use within 7 days, but other people have said it could take up to 1 month to cure/use. That may be too long for me.

BTW, what are people's thoughts on me using Minwax Polycrylic instead of polyurethane?

I do not have spray equipment, so whatever I use must be able to go on by hand.

[Andrew Hughes]

Hi Anthony, Most of my work I use shellac,My second choice is General finish.Mostly because I can get it quick it's sold in several stores close by.One of my favorite wipe on finish is a gel wipe on urethane.It goes on quick builds fast and dries fast.If you do try it wear a mask.After it dries it's safe.I used it last on a table for a lunch room at a doctors office.Last I heard its holding up well.
Someday I would like to try Waterlox it's not sold here in California.

[David Hawxhurst]

between regular poly and waterlox i would go with waterlox. waterlox takes 30 days or so for full cure, but is usable after 7 days.

[Anthony Brown]

Hi Anthony, Most of my work I use shellac,My second choice is General finish.Mostly because I can get it quick it's sold in several stores close by.One of my favorite wipe on finish is a gel wipe on urethane.It goes on quick builds fast and dries fast.If you do try it wear a mask.After it dries it's safe.I used it last on a table for a lunch room at a doctors office.Last I heard its holding up well.
Someday I would like to try Waterlox it's not sold here in California.

Thanks Andrew. Yeah I think I am going down the polyurethane route. I have used it before to create mirror finishes, so I know I will be safe simply brushing or wiping it on. I hear Waterlox is great, but since I have had some unexpected speed-bumps on this project I think it's better that I stick to something I have used before that's still durable.

[John TenEyck]

My experience with GF's Urethane Gel Topcoat has been poor. It is not very chemically durable. Acetone and DNA and ammonia containing cleaners will damage it, as will even water from a leaky potted plant if left for a few days. I would strongly advise against using that product on a table top. However, GF does make several excellent products, including their WB EnduroVar and Enduro Clear Poly, as Prashun mentioned, and their OB Arm-R-Seal. Arm-R-Seal looks great and is easily wiped on and impervious to nearly anything, but takes at least 3 weeks to fully cure. The WB products look great, too, IMHO. At 4 coats they will not look like plastic. They will cure very hard in a week. You can apply 3 coats of them in a single day. If you have spray equipment they would be my choice, if not, Arm-R-Seal or Waterlox or P&L 38.

John

[Anthony Brown]

My experience with GF's Urethane Gel Topcoat has been poor. It is not very chemically durable. Acetone and DNA and ammonia containing cleaners will damage it, as will even water from a leaky potted plant if left for a few days. I would strongly advise against using that product on a table top. However, GF does make several excellent products, including their WB EnduroVar and Enduro Clear Poly, as Prashun mentioned, and their OB Arm-R-Seal. Arm-R-Seal looks great and is easily wiped on and impervious to nearly anything, but takes at least 3 weeks to fully cure. The WB products look great, too, IMHO. At 4 coats they will not look like plastic. They will cure very hard in a week. You can apply 3 coats of them in a single day. If you have spray equipment they would be my choice, if not, Arm-R-Seal or Waterlox or P&L 38.

John

Thanks John, I will go down the polyurethane route. So between Minwax Poly and Enduro Poly or Arm-R-Seal I take it you recommend the Enduro Poly or Arm-R-Seal?

If so I will have to see where I can find some.

Thanks.

[whit richardson]

Ahhh we want durability but pretty too... for absolute durability go with epoxy! Can't be beat for durability. ;-)

But seriously if you can't spray a KCMA certified finish meaning something certified by an industry trade group for about bullet proof finishes or don't have a sprayer I'd agree a nice looking polyurethane is the best bet for holding up. A note about sheen... folks all seem to want something besides gloss these days but just understand that over time any finish exposed to people (includes kids) will get body oils on it and stuff that will make the sheen more glossy over time.

[ALAN HOLLAR]

Avoid spar and marine finishes for table tops or anything that gets much wear. They are tough but not hard, show microabarsions quickly and do not polish well. They are formulated to maintain the flexibility needed to account for large wood movements caused by weather exposure.

[Anthony Brown]

Thanks guys. I am going the poly route. It just seems like the best all-around decision and finish. My only question is is Arm-R-Seal that much better than the Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane? I would prefer something that dries quicker in between coats, but if the Arm-R-Seal is a better product then I will go in that direction.

Thanks.

[John TenEyck]

I don't know if Arm-R-Seal is a better product than Minwax Fast Drying Poly, but my testing showed pretty much nothing affects Arm-R-Seal and it looks great so I have no reason to look elsewhere. But if you can spray I would use EnduroVar or Enduro Clear Poly, or Enduro Conversion Varnish if you want the best of the best and are willing to pay for it. All are WB and will dry very quickly with minimal odor. You'll be done in two days and can start using the table in 7 days. Enduro Clear Poly and Conversion Varnish are KCMA rated. EnduroVar is not but I don't know why because it tested equivalent to slightly better than Clear Poly in my testing. You can buy EnduroVar at Rocklers or Woodcraft (I think). You can buy all of GF's products at Homestead Finishing or WWHardware, and probably Amazon. Surprisingly, Rocklers had the lowest price when I bought a gallon of EnduroVar last week.

Don't confuse Minwax Polycrylic to be in the same league as the GF products I listed.

John

[Anthony Brown]

Thanks for the info John, Yeah I am FULLY aware that Polycrilic is not the same as the Polyurethane. I have no interest in using the Polycrilic at all. Since I don't have any spray equipment I decided that going the Arm-R-Seal route makes the most sense. Even the guy at the Woodcraft store said that he ditched the Minwax Polyurethane and is going exclusively with Arm-R-Seal, Shellac, and Waterlox for all of his needs. Arm-R-Seal does have a longer drying time which will extend my project time, but I haven't heard a bad word said about Arm-R-Seal yet, so I'm gonna roll with that.

I will let everyone know how things turn out.

Thanks for the advice!

[Mike Henderson]

The most durable finish (that is reasonable to shoot) is a pre-catalyzed finish.

Mike