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Thread: Finish for a rough barnwood bar top

  1. #1

    Finish for a rough barnwood bar top

    Hi everyone-

    We just had a 3-inch bar top (for an indoor bar) made from beams of on old school house. The lumber mill left the grey, barn wood exterior on the sides and the top of the piece. We would like to keep the grey barn wood exterior on the top, without sanding and staining it. However, we can't figure out how to finish it...protecting the wood and covering up the splinters.

    We purchased a self-leveling epoxy from Lowe's, but are concerned it might made the piece look ecapsulated, like it is covered in plastic. We've also read that epoxies can crack and yellow over time as the wood changes throughout the seasons, and might harm the wood. We've considered using Waterlox, but don't know if this would cover up the splinters or protect the wood enough.

    Does anyone have any recommendations about which product we can use to finish this bar top while retaining the natural grey barnwood exterior?

    Thank you!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Jim, I have experience with barn wood as there is a lot of it in our great room. For horizontal surfaces, I've been gradually replacing it with cherry. Why? It's a poor surface for anything you want to sit on it and unless you do encapsulate it in the resin, it's going to be a maintenance headache; both for personal safety (splinters as you cite) and for cleaning. A regular film finish will not do the job with this stuff unless it's unusually smooth already. IMHO, of course...but again, based on experience. (Don't even get me started about the beams that are 14 feet up in the air and nearly impossible to clean...)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Fayetteville Pennsylvania
    Posts
    248

    You either need to work it down

    to a smooth surface and finish like normal lumber or accept the encapsulated look (the standard for bar tops the world over) of the Pour On epoxy system. No other choices I'm afraid.

    Ed

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