Bartop coating

[4x4American]

I have decided that on rainy/slow days I am going to try and do some woodworking to sell some of my side lumber and such.  Right now I have an air dried 8' piece of knotty pine live edge on both sides.  I sanded down both sides as it was grayed and ugly looking.  It looks real neat, I think.  I am wondering what I should coat it with to make it a little darker and then give it that bartop finish that makes it glossy and waterproof and all that.  Should I put some stain on it and then poly?  I was planning to put legs on it and try to sell it to a local bar.  Do you think 8' is too long?  Can I just poly the top and leave the bottom how it is?  Or should I put something like boiled linseed oil on the bottom?

Thanks

[mesquite buckeye]

Anything that is going to get wet needs to be completely sealed up. My vote is a good solvent based polyurethane. Water will run around the edges and get to the bottom eventually.

[Ianab]

That would be my choice too.

If the bar is going to actually be used hit it with a good polyurethane varnish. Finish both sides for stability and protection, but of course you don't need to be as particular about the bottom side.

[69bronco]

You should seal all sides, if your using (bar top finish) careful what you use under it. I've seen a top that had poker hands and chips in the epoxy, kind of neat.

[Lawg Dawg]

8' is a large bench..I would put a good coat of BLO  all the way around first thing.  Let that dry good then poly the top and the bottom again, then just put some more coats on the top and legs.  Sand between coats for a silky smooth finish. Don't forget to seal the bottoms of the legs also.  Good luck!

[OffGrid973]

Look up info on marine varnish vs. poly for the final coat as marine varnish can handle the wet rings from glasses better.

That was some advice I recieved from an epoxy sales guy who seemed very knowledgable to me.

[ozarkgem]

Look at Glaze Coat. It is kick butt stuff. Lowe's sells it.

[Kbeitz]

I'm stuck on 2 part Epoxy. One coat and your done and It looks super...



 

[4x4American]

Thanks fellers

[Solomon]

I'm stuck on 2 part Epoxy. One coat and your done and It looks super...



 

  I concure with the two part epoxy resin.
Go to   uscomposites.com      look for   "Kleer-Kote"   Table top epoxy.
  Follow the directions to the letter and you will get great results.
DO NOT USE OIL BASE STAIN  Before you use the epoxy.
Use an alcohol base stain if you're going to stain it.
On wood , I mix a smaller amound first and brush it on for a seal coat.
Wait 48 hours then sand it thourghly, vacume up the dust, blow it off with an air hose then wipe it down with a clean cotton cloth and a generous amount of denatured alcohol.
Now mix up your flood coat, pour it on, use a bondo spreader to help it flow to the sides and corners.   Let it self level,  have a heat gun or lit propane torch handy.
Put heat to any air bubbles you see , DOT NOT PUT A TORCH FLAME IN THE RESIN !
You will have about 15 to 20 min of working time.
Once it starts to get the least bit stiff or tacky,  LEAVE IT ALONE !!!!!
  Their phone number is on the web site,  call and talk to the techs.
US Composites are the only people on this continent that make it,  everyone else buys it from them and puts their own label on it.    You will get the very best price from them.
  Good luck with it.  PM me if you want my cell number,  I will be happy to school you on it,  I use it a lot and always get good results !

[4x4American]

I think that's what I'll try then, the 2-part epoxy.  Thanks!

[Kbeitz]

I think that's what I'll try then, the 2-part epoxy.  Thanks!

You will love it...

Dont mix up more than you can work with. It sits up fast.

[Solomon]

I think that's what I'll try then, the 2-part epoxy.  Thanks!

You will love it...

Dont mix up more than you can work with. It sits up fast.

Let me add that "I Get 15 to 20 minutes of work time as I said"
Tempeture , humidity ect... will lengthen or shorten the time you have to work it.   
Thanks for chiming in on that one Kebitz .

[ScottAR]

What they said.  I have no direct experience with the above product but pretty well all the work time/pot life specs in the automotive refinish industry I deal with are stated at 70 or 75 degF. 

The rule of thumb is every 10 degrees raise in temp; cuts these times in half.  So if you try at 95 degress your gonna have a bucket o' plastic brick in 15-20 minutes.  ;D  Something to keep in mind.

[VT_Forestry]

The 2 part epoxy is some great stuff...I'll echo what everyone else said about following instructions *EXACTLY* and if you have to do more than 1 pour, that's ok - if instructions are followed *EXACTLY* they'll blend together perfectly and you'll never know the difference.  I have probably 4 pours on this coffee table here:



One thing to keep in mind, and I learned this first hand - Once the parts are mixed together, it's an exothermic reaction, meaning it's producing heat.  If you have too much mixed up at one time, it'll get so hot you can't work with it.  Mine actually melted the plastic container I was using.  I never mixed up more than a pint at a time (8 oz epoxy and 8 oz hardener).  Given my temp and humidity, that's about as much as I wanted to try to mess with.  I got about 15 minutes of working time before it started getting tacky.  Good luck and have fun - if you follow instructions *EXACTLY*  :D you'll have an awesome end result

[OlJarhead]

Check out 'Parks Super Glaze' it's what I use on small stuff but many use it for bar tops.

[Dave S]

2X on US Composites - less than half the cost and the same or better product.
Dave