One day not very long ago my wife said, “Let’s make a kitchen table!” I asked her if she was sure about this. We lived in an apartment and had a dining table that was to big for the “kitchen”. Of course when she said “let’s make a table” it meant something totally different than if I had said it. But in the back of my mind the list of tools I woul HAVE to have to build this table began to grow.
After six months the table isn’t done yet. I’m still not sure how to finish it. It’s a kitchen table, white oak top, red oak base for a young family: two girls under 2. I am debating whether I want a super smooth finish (pore filler) or a textured top with dirt filled pores. What kind of finish will stand up to the abuse this table is destined for?
Jase
Replies
I made a new benchtop at home. glued up a load of pine boards and then finished it with a 50/50 mix of turps and linseed oil. let it dry for a few weeks ( that was more accident than design cos I didnt get round to installing it ) and it looks great. so far no water marks. food doesnt bother the thing. all this for ONE COAT. If it looks gungy I will recoat. I figgure with a hard working table, better to have one you can scrub and not worry about to much.
best of luck
Wood Hoon
A lot of people will disagree with me, but I use a spar varathene to finish tabletops. It resists water and chips, and look great. I done several, and nobody has complained yet. Good Luck, Len (Len's Custom Woodworking)
Firstly, remember the finish is just a very thin coating on the wood. It's smoothness and hardness will resist scratches and scuffing. However, it's the wood itself that has to resist dents and such. Next, a "super smooth" finish will best resist minor scraches, but will also best show any scratches it does get. As for dirt filled pores, it's not a black and white decision here. White oak has large open pores, but these can be partially filled with finish, and the result is pretty easy to clean. You can give it a sheen, yet the open pores break the pattern of the surface enough to hide minor scratches. For a working kitchen table, I'd tend to use a bartop finish, which is made to resist abuse and food spills.
Gerry
I have the Electra Beckum jointer/planer and it is a verygood machine. I use the jointer more then the thicknesser. The 10" jointer is a real plus. Also, if you have limited space, the combo machine makes sence. I bought mine in Germany in 1985, and have been using it in the US since.
I think that a jointer is a necessary machine - at least more then a thicknesser. If you don't have a jointer, then get the combo. It only takes a few minutes to switch, and mine is a jointer most of the time. The jointer and planer operations usually take place at different times of a project, so "thrashing" back an forth shouldn't be a problem.
I refinished a kitchen table top not to long ago. I used a marine spar varnish and had very good results.
Steve - in Northern California
How about Watco Danish Oil? If you wet sand the table top with the oil itself, the slurry will fill the pores with perfectly color matched sawdust/oil mix that will harden to a smooth pore-free surface. Watco is available in a range of colors from clear to Dark Walnut (which I often use as a base coat for Mission style furniture). You can always recoat or re-wet sand with Watco if the surface gets damaged (did I say if?). I've done this on white oak before, and it works like a charm. Any finish subject to children ought to be repairable without stripping down to bare wood or endless sanding. I can't think of a more practical, easy to apply finish. You will have to finish both top and bottom of the table to prevent warping. Good luck.
You said in your reply, "You will have to finish both top and bottom of the table to prevent warping. Good luck."
What exactly does that mean? I made an Oak table that I finished with a stain and then 4 coats of hardwood floor Varathane. I did not do the underside. Are you saying that I should finish the underside the same as the top? The table is only 15 months old and I would like to keep it in good shape for a long time.
take care and the LORD bless
daleM
Water vapor in the air moves in and out of wood. If the wood is drier than the air, water vapor diffuses into the wood until the wood and the air reach a balance. If the air is drier than the wood, vice versa. No finish (or at least very few finishes) will prevent this transfer of moisture, but some finishes slow it down more than others. If the finish on the table top is very resistant to vapor diffusion and the bottom has no finish, the bottom of the table will absorb more water when the air is moist, and swell more than the top, which is warping. When the air is dry, the bottom will shrink more than the top and warp in the other direction.
If you've had the table for 15 months and haven't seen it happen, it probably won't, as long as you live in the same place and don't make any changes to your heating or air conditioning. But finishing the bottom is probably cheap insurance.
Do I need to stain and varathane or could I just apply 3 coats of varathane?
take care and the LORD bless
daleM
I apologize for giving the impression that I'm an expert. I'm sure one the the true experts will correct me, but I don't think stain under three coats of varathane will make a bit of difference one way or the other.
Edited 5/18/2002 3:00:40 PM ET by UNCLEDUNC
The difference in water absorption between bare wood and a sealing coat of nearly any film finish is far greater than the difference between that and multiple coats. No, you don't need the stain. Apply a coat of varathane, scuff sand when dry, then apply a second coat which should then seal the surface. In building furnature with a lacquer or varnish finish, the inside portions that are not visible are often just sealed with shellac. You don't need an exact match (other than for certain cases with veneer).
In any case, I would recommend that he follow Uncledunc's advice. Problems can sometimes take several years to appear.
Gerry
Here's another option that I've used for 20 years when my kids were growing up and just made another version for my daughter's home. Make an overlay table top for everyday use and remove it for more formal occasions.
I was just starting woodworking when we did the first one, so I had a kitchen countertop fabricator make it. It was not very expensive, about $100, but I'd double that estimate now (that was over 20 years ago and I spent nearly that recently for materials).
The one I made recently, I had experience and tools, so I did it myself. If you are inexperienced with laminates and want to try it, I'd recommend getting and reading Herrick Kimball's Making Plastic Laminate Countertops http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1561581356/qid=1021652737/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-8648262-1747865 It's by far the most thorough treatment of the subject that I've seen.
I got 1/2" MDF and glued on extra thickness along the perimeter to cover the edge of the table and hold it in position.. Allow some room for the top to expand and contract -- at least 1/2" across the grain direction. Then put a high-density decorative laminate (Formica, Wilsonart, etc.) over the top. You could also edge with the same oak that you're using for the table and used a rounded or chamfered profile. Just about any of the countertop edge procedures would work OK. I glued on some felt from the fabric store to the underside to prevent abrading the wood table top. If you want, you can add vinyl wallpaper corner protectors along the bottom edge to protect your chair backs and arms.
This saw us thru all the crayons, Kool-Aid, spaghetti, and milk spills over the growing up years. When we had adults over, we removed the top.
>> Make an overlay table top for everyday use and remove it
>> for more formal occasions.
That's very appealing. I was going to suggest putting Formica (r) on it. Then when the kids are old enough to be trained to be gentle with the table, remove the Formica and refinish the top. I like the overlay idea better, if it can be easily secured.
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