I am ready to finish a large walnut slab L-shaped desk with waterfall ends and would like to use a water based poly to finish due to ease of use , clean up, and multiple coat application time. I repaired/sealed several defects and cracks with epoxy--smaller splits with CA--and am wondering if water based will bond/seal to the epoxy. Also, does the water raise the grain? I generally use Daly's Satinthane and it has always covered epoxy and CA well. I usually hand rub Daly's profin teak oil in up to 400 wet /dry paper to fill in the grain(sanding sealer??), then apply Satinthane. Great finish but lots of work. Newer versions of the waterbased stuff are advertised as very durable-even for a desk, and the ease of use mitigates a little less durability. Not sure how much difference there is with color and grain highlighting. My research indicated the water based is a lighter finish not sure if an issue with walnut.
So, question is--what type of finish would you recommend and any brand suggestions. Thanks, JCB