best polyurethane for dining room table

[HydroSqueegee]

so the table was looking pretty rough. sanded it all down, stained it and tomorrow i'll put some poly on it. However, is it really what needs to be used on a dining room table? if so, oil or water based?

help!

Old thread revived by spammer.
admin allisolm

 

[0roo0roo]

oil
water is not as durable.

 

[DrPizza]

I don't think I'd use polyurethane for a table top - I'd go with varnish. Perhaps a layer of shellac, then the varnish. Regardless of whether you use polyurethane or something else, it's going to be multiple coats.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/Community/QADetail.aspx?id=29433

Also, what type of wood? Regardless of which finish you use, many will lift the grain a bit - you'll have to do a little bit more sanding after the first layer.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

i was planning on 4 coats of poly. no idea what kind of wood it is. bought it used from some person few years back.

 

[0roo0roo]

I don't think I'd use polyurethane for a table top - I'd go with varnish. Perhaps a layer of shellac, then the varnish. Regardless of whether you use polyurethane or something else, it's going to be multiple coats.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/Community/QADetail.aspx?id=29433

Also, what type of wood? Regardless of which finish you use, many will lift the grain a bit - you'll have to do a little bit more sanding after the first layer.

why not? its pretty bullet proof, and water proof to boot. sure its harder to repair flawlessly but i doubt its going to get gouged that bad until years down the line, then you can sand and just add another layer probably. other finishes are more repairable as they sorta melt into one another whereas poly doesn't, but poly is impermeable in the first place and probably tougher over all.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

k. so i got some sweet sweet oil based poly. natural hair brush to apply? mineral spirits to clean the brush when im done?

 

[NetWareHead]

why not? its pretty bullet proof, and water proof to boot. sure its harder to repair flawlessly but i doubt its going to get gouged that bad until years down the line, then you can sand and just add another layer probably. other finishes are more repairable as they sorta melt into one another whereas poly doesn't, but poly is impermeable in the first place and probably tougher over all.

I was always under the assumption that shellac based finishes would blend into one another, thus making it easier to repair any damage. A new coat of shellac would meld with the older one making it easier to achieve a seamless repair. Whereas with poly, sanding would be needed.

 

[highland145]

k. so i got some sweet sweet oil based poly. natural hair brush to apply? mineral spirits to clean the brush when im done?

Lightly sand between coats.

And I'm a sucker for a coat of paste wax, applied with 0000 steel wool, buffed to a high shine. Necessary? No. Poly needs to be cured 1st and if you have to re-coat because of damage, you have to strip the wax.

Whatever happened to Marlin? IIRC, he had a lot of experience in this.

 

[Mandres]

I don't think I'd use polyurethane for a table top - I'd go with varnish. Perhaps a layer of shellac, then the varnish. Regardless of whether you use polyurethane or something else, it's going to be multiple coats.

fwiw polyurethane is a type of varnish. There are many different types, defined by the type of resin used to make the finish. poly is one such type.

 

[0roo0roo]

I was always under the assumption that shellac based finishes would blend into one another, thus making it easier to repair any damage. A new coat of shellac would meld with the older one making it easier to achieve a seamless repair. Whereas with poly, sanding would be needed.

yep but the shellac is more prone to damage in the first place

 

[Jaepheth]

A layer of epoxy is how they do restaurant tables. It's a bit pricey, but a single coating of that is equivalent to something like a hundred coats of varnish.