Hi, I built a rustic barn wood coffee and side table many years ago and, at the time, I really liked the very rough look of them, however, with a toddler running around the house now, the danger of large splinters in little hands is very real. I need to finish the table in such a way that the rustic look of it is retained, but the surface becomes smooth and safe. I also have limited time, so I can’t spend days and days doing this – a quick weekend fix is what I’m looking for.
I’m not a fan of polyurethane and I prefer to use natural products whenever possible. That being said, I’ve strangely been wondering if a clear epoxy resin finish would be a good solution for this table – giving it a glass-like finish that allowed all the imperfections of the old wood to show through. Also, is that ok with the ceramic tile inlays?
Any suggestions? Epoxy resin or a different clear finish? Photos of my tables are linked here: https://gaiaworkshop.viewbook.com/album/barn-wood-living-room?p=1
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Hmm. The pictures don't show it to be as rough as I imagined as I read your post. Is there any finish on it now? While I understand your goal, I think encasing it in epoxy would ruin it. I think what I would do is carefully go over it with your hands and fingers, or maybe use a cloth, and find the rough spots and/or snags. Carefully trim, sand, or glue those spots to remove the hazards and then apply a couple of coats of satin or flat poly. I would probably thin it maybe 25% or more to keep it from building up too much thickness. Mask off the tiles. No need to put poly on them. Also, remove it from the steel frame if you can. That will make the work easier. Also, you might go over it lightly with a fine 3m abrasive pad after the final coat (and maybe between coats) to remove any remaining raised grain or pointy nibs.
Splinters in small children are pretty rare.
The last one I saw was from a phoenix palm leaf!
The main risk is from running past an edge - yours are metal so there is no risk of splintering there.
Splinters get pushed into the body when a body part contacts loose pieces at exposed end-grain. You need only treat the bits where this might occur.
If you limit the leverage possible by shortening any splintery bits and fix the rest down with cyanoacrylate or for the truly paranoid, epoxy, you will be sweet.
That having been said:
Whilst significant splinters in toddlers are rare, injuries from heads and shins impacting sharp corners are not, and coffee tables are a major source of injuries.
My advice is to cover the table with something soft until the child is at least 4, preferably 5 years old. You are worrying about splinters which are a low risk, but those sharp steel corners are deadly...
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