Rockhard varnish - sound right?

[Matt Day]

I was planning on using Behlen's Rockhard Tabletop Varnish for my recently completed kitchen table (wormy maple with walnut BB ends). I expect it to get a lot of use and abuse and I think Rockhard is a good choice.

I've read that I should thin it 10-20%, and I was going to apply 3 coats with a foam brush with the suggestions from a FWW article in mind. Should I wet sand between coats? I've also read I should wet sand with 400 between coats, then after the 3rd go up to like 2000. I'm not too sure here.

Also, maybe a dumb question, but I should use the same finish on the entire project (not just the top), correct?

TIA

Edit: After some more research, it seems a lot of people suggest not thinning at all to help avoid bubbles. Maybe I'll do that.

[Matt Day]

Anybody? I was hoping to apply the first coat tonight.

[Steve Schoene]

I'm not enthusiastic about foam brushes, I much prefer a good bristle/oxhair brush. Some people swear by foam brushes some at them. I am in the latter group.

Definately thin--though I'd only go above 10% if needed. Thinning is what eliminates bubbles. Leaving it thick tends to keep them from popping when the varnish levels.

Rockhard is an excellent choice for table tops. It's not really necessary to coat every thing with the same finish, though I think most do. Tops can be Rockhard and the base shellac or lacquer.

[Chris Fetting]

This is a great finish but it takes a lot of time and patience.

IMG_1273_web.jpg

Table above has 8 coats of RockHard then I buffed and polished. First coat was thinned 50% and I sanded between each coat. Looks great but took a full two weeks just to finish. If you have any voids use a grain filler first. It will take forever if you try to fill with varnish. That is what I tried on this project. So far (two years) finish is holding up very well.

Oh yeah. I applied most coats with a foam brush. Works very good as long as you don't over brush. A good natural brush was also used so I could lay on a thicker coat.

Good Luck.

[Rob Millard]

Matt,
I saw that same article in Fine Woodworking, and was skeptical of the foam brush idea, but I’d howl at the moon, wearing a tin foil hat, if I thought it would make it easier to apply Rockhard; it actually worked very well, which suited me, because I dislike cleaning brushes.
I don’t like to thin the varnish. It seems to level nicely straight from the can, and thinning only increases the chance of creating witness lines.
3 coats is a minimum I usually go with 4 on close grain woods and 5 on others. It would seem that this would end up looking thick, but the sanding between coats removes most of the build up.
I don’t sand after the first coat, but after each successive coat, using 220 or 320 grit. I don’t do this for adhesion, but to have the surface a flat as possible to insure very little sanding is necessary on the final coat. After the final coat has dried a week, I sand with 600-800 grit until I have a uniform dull surface. If I’m happy with the look at that point, I let it dry another 2 weeks, and sand up to 1500 grit and polish with rottenstone on a felt block, or most often I use an automotive buffer, to bring up a wet gloss and knock it back down to a more attractive sheen with the rottenstone. If, after sanding that final coat, I'm not happy with the look, or if I feel that I had to sand too much in any one spot to get a uniform surface, it's back to the brush.
I only use varnish for table tops, it is just too difficult to rubout and takes too long to dry, to use it any place else.
Rob Millard

[Jim Becker]

Lot's of good advise already...but I'm also not a fan of foam brushes for "good work"....

[Matt Day]

I applied the first coat last night to the legs and apron. Since I have walnut on the top, as well as the apron and legs, I thought it would be best to stick to the same product to make it look the same. Good practice with it too. Earlier in the week I sanded to 220, then prior to finish I vacuumed the surface then went over it with a tack cloth. Last night I thinned about 10% and went at it with a foam brush. I probably won't thin it next time at all. I learned you need to take it slow with this varnish or air bubbles area a sure thing.

For the first coat, it looked great this morning! I'll probably do 2-3 coats for the legs and apron, then 3-4 on the top. I need to do some more research on wet sanding and "rubbing out the finish".

Thanks for all your advice.

[Matt Day]

I found some good info on wet sanding with pumice and rottenstone on Lee Valley, as well as another site.

I haven't had time to apply the second coat yet. I was planning on scuff sanding dry with 320 before the second coat. Can I use a tack cloth to clean up the dust?

[Joe Chritz]

Yes a tack cloth is fine. I prefer the "reusable" cloths. Microfiber or something like that.

Someday I will do a rubbed out finish on a table. I generally just finish and leave it at that.

I haven't used Rockhard but have heard it is really nice stuff.

Doing a lacquer finish on an old Chevelle gave me enough wetsanding to last two lifetimes, but man did it look fine.

Joe