This week’s question comes from Chris. He writes:
I am making a end table with a walnut top and I am looking to protect the top from water rings, accidental spills etc. Do you have a suggestion for something that will provide a little more protection or would a oil -varnish blend work? A buddy of mine mentioned that I could use wax as a final protective coat that would be easy to reapply as needed. Thoughts? Thank you for the great shows and you are really doing a great job helping to teach other woodworkers.
And here was my reply:
Hey Chris. An oil/varnish blend is ok, but probably not the right finish for a heavily used table. Your best bet would be varnish. I would recomend 5-6 coats of a wiping varnish like Arm-R-Seal. This will leave you with a beautiful finish that protects the wood from the abuse it will most likely see. And skip the wax. Wax is pretty useless in terms of protection. And not to mention, once you apply wax, you are committed to a regular waxing regimen in order to keep the surface looking good. Eventually you will have that wax buildup issue too. So save the wax for your car. :) Good luck.
If you want to learn more about my favorite finishing method, you should check out my DVD, A Simple Varnish Finish. My goal with the DVD was to demystify finishing by going over each and every step of the wiping varnish process. Even someone new to the world of finishing can create a show-stopping finish if they follow the methods outlined in the DVD. So check it out!
Wow! Can finishing actually be that easy??? Thanks for giving a simple solution.
One question for you Marc: Do you need to thin the first coat of Seal-a-Cell at all or just apply it as is?
It sure can be that easy. :)
You can thin Seal-a-Cell, but its already in a wiping formulation. So you can (and I have) diluted the first coat. But you don’t have to.
Thanks for the great question and answer… like most (I think) people, finishing is the part I’ve always been most concerned with. I’m always nervous at the end of a project that I’ll have spent all that time making sure my piece is flat, square and sturdy, just to mess it all up with the finish!
Thanks again!
Marc,
What would be the drawbacks of using a lacquer?
Thanks,
RJ
Hey Ron. The primary disadvantage I see with a lacquered top is scratching. You can also have problems with moisture as well. Blushing (white haze) can occur from too much moisture as well. This can all change if a catalyzed lacquer is used. A good cat lacquer can rival some of the best polyurethanes in durability. Not perfect, but still pretty darn good.
Marc,
I am confused. You stated that “An oil/varnish blend is ok, but probably not the right finish for a heavily used table. Your best bet would be full-strength varnish.” And the Arm-R-Seal label states that it is an Oil & Urethane Top Coat. What is the difference between this and an oil/varnish blend?
Pete
Good question Pete. I should have been more clear. You are absolutely correct. Seal-a-Cell is an oil/varnish blend. But I am recommending that for the first two coats. That way the piece gets the benefit of the added “warmth” that oil brings to the wood. It tends to impart a nice amber color. The topcoat is really where all the protection comes into play. So hitting it with 3-5 coats of Arm-R-Seal (a pure varnish), gives you the protection you need on a table. But the color is a bit warmer than it would have been if the Seal-a-Cell had not been used.
That make sense?
I think his question was because Arm-R-Seal doesn’t say “pure varnish” on the front of the can. Instead it says: “oil and urethane topcoat”, which seems remarkably similar to the “combination of oils and urethanes” in the product description for Seal-a-Cell. Is it just that one has more resin than the other?
(Unfortunately, the General Finishes website doesn’t have a separate product info datasheet for the Seal-a-Cell. MSDSs are similar to my uneducated eye.)
Matt
Good topic! I have been absolutely intimidated by finishing so I went and bought an excellent book on the topic. It is by Bob Flexner and is called “Understanding Wood Finishing.” I highly recommend it. It is onsale for half price at Rockler.com now (unfortunately I way overpaid for it at a local bookstore). Here’s a link: http://www.rockler.com/product.....r%20Outlet. $9.95 :)
Thanks,
Joe
what about norm’s fav wipe on poly? i hate hate brushing on varnish(who doesnt!?)
Marc,
Do you know if local stores carry these products? I looked for them today at the big box store (orange one) and couldn’t find them. S&H is pretty expensive on big gallon buckets of varnish!
Ben, it appears from the General Finishes website that they’re closely aligned with unfinished furniture stores. So if you have one in your area check them out. Also, the GF website had a “where to buy” page for the locating nearest dealer.
I have sanded and stained a maple table with gel stain (using your recommended diluted Bulls Eye Seal Coat as a washcoat), and it looks great. I have applied 3 coats of wipe-on poly and plan on doing a few more since I need this table to be extra durable (3 young children…don’t want glass marks every time they put one on there). However, I just read on your website about wipe-on Arm-R-Seal. Should I apply a few coats of that as the final coats instead of wipe-on poly to make the table more resistant to wear and tear? In other words, does it serve the same purpose as wipe-on poly but even better? Also, I have not sanded at all between my 3 coats of wipe-on poly and it’s still super smooth overall, though after the third coat I have noticed a few rough spots. Should I sand? Steel wool or wet sandpaper? (Sanding terrifies me…I’m always afraid I’m going to destroy what I’ve done.) Many, many thanks. (BTW, cool t-shirts…ordered one yesterday.)
Hi Megan. The Arm-R-Seal is overall a better product in my opinion. But that’s not to say that the wipe-on-poly you used isn’t good. At this point, I would just stick with what you have. I don’t know that the difference would be noticeable enough to justify buying a new can of finish.
So I would probably add another 3 coats to that table to make sure you have enough protection. And yes, definitely sand between coats. Use 320 grit or higher and lightly sand after the finish dries overnight. It will powder up and turn the whole table grayish/white. Vacuum off the dust with a brush attachment and if you want, wipe the whole thing down with mineral spirits and a clean cotton rag. Once you apply the next coat of finish, the cloudiness will go away and the beauty will return. Especially in these final coats, sanding is vital if you want to achieve a smooth finish. And don’t worry about destroying the finish. As long as you don’t sand through the top layer of poly, you’ll be fine. And when I say “sand the surface with lightly with 320″, I mean fold the sandpaper in your hand and give the surface 3-4 light sweeps. No elbow grease please! :)
Enjoy the shirt and thanks for ordering one!
Please help:
I?ve used the Arm-R-Seal products a few times, and they have always worked very well in terms of creating a nice looking, durabale finish. However, I recently built a solid wood countertop and finished it with mineral oil followed by 3 coats of the Arm-R-Seal Satin. First time using the satin, and now white marks are starting to show up when drink glasses are left on it. Any idea why this would be/how to prevent this in the future/how to correct my current problem?
Thanks!
Well one thing that jumps out at me is the use of mineral oil. MIneral oil is a non-curing oil and I’m surprised you got the Arm-R-Seal to cure at all. I can’t say for sure what is causing the problem, but having mineral oil under Arm-R-Seal definitely isn’t a good thing. So that would be the first thing I’d recommend looking into.
That could definitely be it. So best option would probably be to sand down the whole thing and refinish? Bummer.
Bummer indeed. If you don’t like what you see, then that might be the only option. Poly sucks that way. :)