Hockey stick table - how to finish?

[Dirk Eyman]

I'm a novice woodworker, and I didn't know how to tackle this issue.

I am working on a table for my basement. My idea is to put it behind a sofa which faces my TV, so I can sit at it and use it almost like a bar for eating and drinking while watching games.

I've built the top from cherry, hard maple, and hockey sticks. Because of the use it's going to take, and possibility of spills, drinks, wet cup rings, et cetera I'm thinking it needs a very durable finish. I don't mind the thing looking like it has been used but I'd really like to preserve the sticks. Some of them were my son's that he used during games so I don't even want to sand them.

I want to oil the wood first - tung oil, teak oil, not sure. But I'd like the cherry and maple to pop, but not really darken either of them.

Normally, I'd put a bunch of coats of polyurethane on a table but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do on something that will have painted parts. Also, several of the hockey sticks aren't even painted direct on wood, but are actually painted above some kind of fiberglass, or plastic resin coat or something. I'll post a close up of a cross cut of it below so you can see.

So my questions are: which type of oil to use first, and second, do I poly this thing? Do I use polycyilic? Should I use an epoxy bartop type finish instead? And if I go that route, how do I go about doing so on a top like this without a higher edge?

Any help, thoughts, etc appreciated.

Here's some pics - if you want to see larger resolutions go here

[M Toupin]

Very cool idea!

I'm thinking something along the lines of the flow on epoxy used on bar tops.

Mike

[Kent Adams]

I know little about finishing, but I would think the flow on epoxy is the way to go as well. It accomplishes everything you want. Someone else with more knowledge than me though will confirm. Great idea there you had.

[Dirk Eyman]

Yeah I was thinking bar top epoxy would probably be the answer. I'm a bit worried I'd mess that up somehow. Without a higher edge to the sides I was wondering how it would work. I watched a couple youtube videos of the application and might give that a try.

Does anyone have experience doing this with a certain brand and type? I'd like some opinions and or recommendations before I just go buy the stuff they sell at HD.

Also, that's pretty pricey compared to a thing of poly - is it better to buy from a certain place online or something?

Also, is there a certain oil finish I should use first? Will that play nicely with the epoxy?

[Dirk Eyman]

I went ahead and used Watco teak oil on the top. I'm going to let it dry for a few days and then use System Three Mirror Coat.

[Kent Adams]

Looking good!

[Steve Schoene]

Oil on top of wood that is already sealed is a bad idea. Oil finishes are not supposed to be allowed to build a film on the surface since such a film will be quite soft--almost gummy in many cases. It won't make a very good base for other finishes.

Pour on epoxy isn't a very good idea either. It will deteriorate over time, yellowing, becoming cloudy, and accumulating scratches. When that happens there is little you could do to remove or repair it.

Personally, I would apply a coat or dewaxed shellac as a tie coat, and then apply a number of coats of varnish. Pratt & Lambert "38" would be great since it is light colored and yellows less than most polyurethane varnishes.

[Dirk Eyman]

How quickly does the pour on epoxy stuff yellow? This will be in my basement, which gets very little to basically no sunlight. I thought it could be sanded and re-buffed?

Kind of unsettling info, as I already paid $70 for the mirror coat stuff!

[M Toupin]

I'd defiantly put a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac before the epoxy just to eliminate any compatibility issues. As far as yellowing and becoming cloudy; I have a Cyprus wood clock hanging on the wall I made 30+ years ago. It's neither cloudy or yellow, but granted, it just hangs on the wall. Personally I wouldn't sweat it though, it's a functional piece for the man cave, it's going to get some dings and dents and probably some beer spilled on it. But even if it does get scratched up you can sand it and buff it out.

Mike