Finish for dining table...

[Steve Wurster]

All,

I'm making a dining table from American Black Walnut; trestle style with a live-edge top without breadboard ends. The base pieces are nearly done; I hope to get started on the top sometime in the next few weeks. I need some suggestions for a finish.

We want the finish to be satin, not glossy. But of course we want something that can take a little bit of abuse. I'm not against having to touch up the finish on maybe a yearly basis, but having to do it more frequently than that would get really annoying. I do not have spray equipment, and my shop is in my basement in the same room as the furnace.

My first thoughts were to do either shellac or BLO as a sealer coat, and then something like Waterlox on top of that. Then there was also the wipe-on poly-based finish that Prashun posted about. Anyone have any thoughts on those, or any other ideas?

Thanks,
Steve

[Mark Kornell]

With either of the choices you mention, there is no need for a sealer coat of shellac or BLO. Waterlox is a tung oil-based varnish; it has no problems adhering to raw wood and will impart plenty of "color". Wipe on poly is also an oil-based varnish and likewise will adhere to raw wood and give a warm amber color. Waterlox is a bit darker than WOP.

Both are quite durable, Waterlox probably a little more than the poly due to the type of resin in the varnish. Waterlox will build a thicker finish considerably faster than the WOP. A coat of WOP dries a lot faster than Waterlox but is a lot thinner.

[Gene Davis]

General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Satin. Easiest thing you'll ever do. Wipes on. Do three coats, 12 hours apart.

If you want to get to building finish sooner, as walnut is quite porous, coat it first with a liberally brushed-on application of General Finishes Seal-A-Cell.

Live edge, huh? Why is this look so popular now? Archaeologists will conclude, in 100,000 years, that we ran out of tools to dress our wooden tables properly.

[Jim Becker]

My standard regiment for this is BLO, de-waxed shellac to seal and then a water borne topcoat (typically Target Coatings) in the appropriate sheen. I spray both the shellac and the water borne. But if you want to wipe or brush, you can go right to an oil based varnish, such as the Arm-R-Seal that Gene mentions, although for a wipe on finish you'll want more like 12 application coats, not just three. And you'll need temperatures that are in the range as specified by the product manufacturer.

[Prashun Patel]

To be clear, I posted about that Minwax Poly because it's easy - not because it's necessarily optimal. It's forgiving because it's satin, mixes well with mineral spirits, is pretty cheap, and fairly low odor. I mean, it's a good workhorse finish.

Waterlox Original Sealer Finish or Arm R Seal are also good, fairly easy-to-apply wipe on finishes too.

[Steve Wurster]

Thanks, all. I'm going to try a few of the suggestions on some scrap pieces and see how they come out. Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

I'm going to try a few of the suggestions on some scrap pieces and see how they come out.

ALWAYS the best practice!!

[John TenEyck]

I've used gallons of Arm-R-Seal and have never applied more than 5 or 6 wiped on coats and usually fewer. The can recommends 3 or 4. You folks who apply 12 coats must be wiping it on a lot thinner or are wiping some of it off.

John