Replies

1. 
   jackplane | Jun 20, 2005 06:24pm | #1

   Polyurethane or epoxy.Be sure to coat all sides.

    

1. 
   scooter1 | Jun 20, 2005 07:19pm | #2

   Shellac is incredibly water resistant.Regards,
   Boris"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

2. 
   user-343246 | Jun 20, 2005 07:51pm | #3

   I have minwax helmsman's spar varnish on a food table for my dog.  It's held up to 3 years of abuse.  Spar varnish is made for that type of stuff.  Use 3 to 4 coats, and thin the first two.  Be sure to get the ends. 

   Beware, oil based finishes will turn the maple yellowy.  Water pased poly (polycrilic (sp?)) will keep the maple white, but it will wear off too easy.

   -Matt

3. 
   jazzdogg | Jun 20, 2005 08:17pm | #4

   Scott,

   The movement of towels across the bars can have an abrasive effect over time - especially if used by kids, most men (myself included), or indifferent housekeepers; I'd steer away from soft & flexible finishes like spar varnish.

   You'll be storing wood in a steam chamber of sorts; seal all surfaces, including the end grain

   A wooden dowel will tend to sag under the weight of a [wet] towel if too long, and increasing the diameter can make them look too large - especially in a small area like a bathroom; I'd keep them as short as possible. If necessary, position the bar with the grain oriented vertically to resist sagging.

   If you can't talk her into making the bar supports out of wood, and using a product that doesn't require a finish, like stainless steel or plastic, for the towel support, I would recommend a hard and durable finish like multiple coats of varnish or shellac, followed by a thorough rub-out to provide a poshed surface that's smoother and less porous than you can get straight off of a brush or gun.

   If you're thinking about renewing/restoring the finish in the future, shellac seems much easier than varnish.

   Good luck,

   -Jazzdogg-

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

1. 
   Gretchen | Jun 20, 2005 08:26pm | #5

   Does anyone else think that hanging a damp towel on a shellac finish will cause it to "blush" white?

   How about a highly burnished piece of maple with no finish.Gretchen

1. 
   jazzdogg | Jun 20, 2005 08:58pm | #6

   "How about a highly burnished piece of maple with no finish."

   Gretchen,

   Sounds ideal!-Jazzdogg-

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

1. 
   MarkRD | Jun 20, 2005 09:10pm | #7

   Go with Bamboo - practically indestructible :-)Mark
   

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

2. 
   MNScott | Jun 20, 2005 10:59pm | #8

   Jazzdogg, Gretchen,What if I were to put a coat of danish oil on the bar and then burnish it? Would that work as well as no finish and burnish?Thanks,
   Scott

1. 
   jazzdogg | Jun 21, 2005 02:45am | #9

   Scott,

   Were I to apply an "oil" finish, I would sand in several coats of Liberon Finishing Oil because it's a product I know and trust, and because I have complete faith in the way it polymerizes into a desirable finish. I would also wait until it was thoroughly cured before installation:

   Scrape/sand raw wood through 220-grit

   Sand in oil with 220-grit wet-or-dry abrasive - wiping away the oil/sawdust slurry after ~ 30 minutes

   Wait a day for the oil to cure

   Sand in 2nd coat of oil with 320-grit

   Wait a day for the oil to cure

   Sand in 3rd coat of oil with 400-grit

   Wait a day for the oil to cure

   Sand in 4th coat of oil with 600-grit

   Wait a full week for the oil to cure

   Apply a high quality carnauba wax (I prefer Liberon Black Bison)

   Note: It is extremely important to discard oily rags carefully to prevent spontaneous combustion.

   Good luck,

    -Jazzdogg-

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

2. 
   Gretchen | Jun 21, 2005 06:04am | #10

   I have to say I have NO idea.  But I do have to say that I would not put any wax or oil on it unless it was sealed in with a finish film.  You are putting "things' on this rack that "finish"/wax will come off on.

   I do think, kind of thinking about wood, that just a burnished wood would make a good towel rack.  NOTHING on it. It will age to a nice patina.  Sometimes nature is better.Gretchen

4. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 21, 2005 09:56pm | #11

   Id go to a stone shop.. Ask for marble.. SHE WILL like it... Expensive but just tell her I knew you would like it......

5. 
   DANL | Jun 22, 2005 12:27am | #12

   Okay, this is overkill, but it's the way I tend to do things--get one of those laminated hollow tubes (I think they're layers of veneer with epoxy glue?) that I've seen in woodworking catalogs. Put a stainless steel threaded rod down the center for strength and mortise it into something like teak. That should hold you for a while!

6. 
   EdHarrow | Jun 22, 2005 05:09pm | #13

   If I wasn't so lazy I'd take a picture.

   We have a cheap, oak towel rack in our bathroom for guests and kids (at a lower height).  We have had more than a few kids use it as we do (did) foster care.  I don't know how long the rack has been in use - 10 years is a guess.  The finish, IIRC, is Minwax spar poly, probably 3 coats.  I have done nothing to it since hanging it, and it looks as good (or bad, LOL) today as when I hung it.

   Your results may vary.