A regular question from customers.

[customsawyer]

I sell several large slabs every month. Most are to experienced table builders so it is fairly routine. Now and then I get asked what finish to put on the table top, bar top, counter top. Some are interior and some are exterior. I normally recommend a quality epoxy as they seem to hold up to heavy use from what my builders tell me. Do y'all have a go to mix for interior and one for exterior?

[firefighter ontheside]

For interior table tops I use oil based minwax poly.  I won't use anything else but oil based poly on tabletops because I want table tops to be impervious to water.  With about 5 coats I can leave a sweating glass on the table all day and it won't leave a ring.

[doc henderson]

I use the total boat brand of two-part tabletop epoxy for bars.  they make a UV protected two-part spar poly as well, but I have not been able to try it as it has been "out of stock".  @tule peak timber told me how to tone down the sheen, so it is not so glossy, with a hard oil wax.  
I use minwax spar urethane with UV for outdoors but it requires refinishing after a few years.

[firefighter ontheside]

I've not used it yet, but I know General Finishes Arm'r Seal is a very good oil based poly that a lot of people use.  Mostly I don't use it, because it is not available very locally.  I should use it so I have some personal experience with it.

[doc henderson]

I have used the general finish oil poly, and it is the clearest (least amber tint).  I am not sure it is UV protected for outside.  

[boonesyard]

We've gone almost exclusively to Rubio Monocoat (hard wax oil) for our interior bars, desks and tables. It is, as it says, a one coat application product, but we gain a bit of sheen with a second coat. Very easy to apply, repair, and offers excellent protection. They also offer a Hybrid product that I've heard works well for exterior projects although I've never used it. Our exterior go-to product has been General Finishes Outdoor Oil. It's a linseed oil product with UV inhibitors. Outdoor furnishings require much more maintenance, so ease of repair is important. 

[metalspinner]

I like ArmR Seal products. 

What I do not like are heavy, thick finishes on wood. Part of the appeal of wood is its texture and that gets lost with thick coatings. 
This weekend we were in Lexington. The hotel restaurant had a large walnut natural edged table. Crotch wood and everything. About 36" x 9-10'. In my opinion, it was ruined by a thick epoxy coating. 

[Brad_bb]

Remember that epoxies in general will break down from UV light over time.  A UV resistant finish will help, but it's preferable to keep epoxies out of sunlight.  This goes for any type of epoxy whether resin, glue, paint, powder coat, or automotive primer.  Some of the early powder coats were epoxy based and they faded and broke down in sunlight.

One finish I've been using a lot of on barnwood trim and Ash T&G is General Finish High performance flat and their Exterior 450 Flat.  These are water based clear finishes.  When used on barnwood or new wood, they don't leave the wood looking like plastic when using flat.  A lot of finishes can make the wood look like plastic.

We have used the Exterior 450 extensively on our Ash T&G  for our exterior barn doors and stall run doors and inside out mini barns on the Ash 2x T&G that is on the walls and stall partitions.


 
(my horse is NOT dead, just sleeping)

[Poquo]

I like Deft Exterior water based poly for a non yellowing finish it has UV blockers. It dries fast so I like to spray each coat so I don't have to sand out brush marks between coats. Some projects I want the yellow tint oil based products have. Not a big fan of epoxy finish but will use it when requested. I've done some test pieces of ERC with Cabots Australian Timber Oil, they've been outside for 3months so far and still look good.

[doc henderson]

Glad your horse is OK @Brad_bb     smiley_horserider

[Don P]

The Cabot's comment brought up a memory. Dad was a fan of their stuff. I've applied many cans of their coal tar creosote back in the day, then we used their stains on his houses, back before the VOC regs. One is etched in my memory, they picked out the color off a little chip. I restained that whole house, it was certainly safe during hunting season  :D. Back then it was a boiled linseed oil base and we doctored it with some japan drier added to kick it off in our humidity, there were other goodies in their mix. Those old recipes killed bugs and fungus dead, probably us too. I used the timber oil on a TF a decade ago, it isn't the old stuff and is pretty protected but it seems to be holding up ok. It is overdue for a sand and recoat on the porch posts. A tabletop outside is a whole other animal though, that is harsh service. I'm thinking of slabbing some of these boulders  :D

[kantuckid]

In modern finishes poly-wipes are easily applied, thin enough to pop the grain details and impervious to water. I've become a fan of them and only use satins, never gloss. For a warmer varnish made the old time way and expensive too, Waterlox is tops in my book. It is not a clear white finish such as firefighter sought for his floor project, like a gym floor finish is. It's by far the best furniture and floor finish I've used if you want a "warmer" look to your wood. 
As for bar top type finishes I've never been into that area much but I'll share that I did do one such top many years ago using auto body clearcoat as the finish. Obviously it's UV resistant and dries very hard. It can be mixed as viscous as you like, thicker than you'd typically spray in an auto body shop. The table I coated with AB clear is ~ 30" dia Catalpa "cookie" disc and looks the same as the day I did it sitting on a screened in porch under roof but getting some UV and humidity, etc. year round. Pricey but probably not as compared to bar top stuff they sell in woodworker catalogs. It's a urethane material. 

[doc henderson]

when I use bar top epoxy, I do not apply it in a thick 1/4 inch layer, but numerous thin and sanded layers, and then dulled to a satin sheen.  classy, but not UV protected.



 

 

 

My cousin Mike, his wife and mother in law.  this spalted sycamore needed the epoxy support.  had layers of thin penetrating, filled with regular visc. and then the bar top thicker.  thanks for the guidance @tule peak timber