Advice on finishing live edge Monkey Pod coffee table

[Travis Richards]

Hello,

Sorry in advance for the long post...

I'm in the process of finishing an old live edge monkey pod slab that my grandfather brought back from Brazil ~50 years ago. To clean the board up I had to make a few cuts and then used an orbital sander with 80, 120, and 220 grit sand paper. I finished the table up with 400 grit. Now that I'm done cutting and sanding I'm undecided on how to finish the table. I know little to nothing about finishing and the number of potential options is intimidating.
Here's what I've done so far:
IMG_3113 (2).JPG
After reading up on the subject and thinking about what I want I've decided that I'd like a low gloss satin finish that shows off the grain as much as possible. Considering it will be a coffee table I'd also like something that's resistant to water stains. As mentioned above it's a live edge slab and I've decided to leave the bark on even after reading that people almost always remove the bark. My thinking is that the bark has managed to stay on for 50 years so maybe it will stay that way. If the bark does start to come off I can remove it later and re-finish that edge. With that said, I'd prefer to leave the bark unfinished and untreated (if possible). Before trying any type of finishing I used some mineral spirits to look at the grain. The mineral spirits brought out a beautiful red color in the wood which was the color I'd seen in photos of other finished monkey pod projects (above). Assuming that reddish coloration is natural, that's the color I'd like the finished product to have. After using the mineral spirits I asked around for finishing advice and the two most common suggestions were oiling or using a water based satin polyurethane varnish. I decided to try applying a few coats of polyu to a small portion of the bottom of the table to see what it would look like (below). The Polyu looked OK but it didn't bring out that same red color that the mineral spirits did. At that point I was reluctant to continue because I wasn't sure the polyu would give me the finish I wanted. I haven't tried any oiling techniques yet.


IMG_3140.JPG
So, I have some questions and would be grateful for answers/advice
1.) Why did the mineral spirits bring out a red color in the wood while the polyu did not?
2.) Is oiling preferable to a water based polyu?
3.) Is either one better at bringing out the color I saw with the mineral spirits?
4.) Will oiling protect from water stains?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Cheers,
Travis

[Gary Muto]

Water based urethanes dry very clear and the wood looks as it did dry. This is "normal". You can use oil or a natural color oil based or water based stain under the water based finish as long as you let it dry fully. General Finishes recommends 72 hours for gel stains (oil based) to cure before top coating with a water based finish. I like to use shellac under a water based finish to impart some color. It looks nice and acts as a barrier coat so anything can be applied on top of that.

You can also just use an oil based finish but I prefer the water based finishes for durability.

[Bill McNiel]

Travis,
I would suggest Waterlox OSF, wiped on. It is very durable (I have used it on a number of Dining & Sofa Tables- anytime a wet glass is foreseeable), easy to apply (there are a bevy of threads here concerning application), can easily be rubbed out to the sheen of your choice using MicroMesh and will definitely pop the grain. It does has a very slight amber tint to it which should compliment your chosen wood nicely.
FWIW - Bill

[Phil Mueller]

Regarding your oil question. Try a small area underneath with Watco Danish Oil...natural tone. See if you like that. The oil can be applied liberally, let soak in for a half hour or so, and then wipe off. Wipe it every hour or so after, as it might leach out for awhile. This will not result in a durable finish...just bring out the grain/color. After a week or so of drying, apply a more durable clear finish as suggested above. Be sure to dispose of anything that has been used to apply the oil properly...rags, gloves, brush, etc....soak in water, or hang it out flat to dry. If improperly disposed of, it can spontaneously combust.