I am building a “furniture quality” table for a powder room vanity and I will be undermounting a porcelain sink under a quarter sawn white oak table top.
I realize that wood and water aren’t the best of friends, but due to the limited usage that this sink will get, I’m prepared to break some of the rules.
My question is, what finish should I concider using to minimze the problems that might evolve over time? By the way, I want to maintain a traditional “Stickley” appearing finish, although a fumed finish is not an option. The application will require something much more durable than that.
Thanks for any sugestions.
Replies
I'm prepared to break some of the rules.
Be prepared to re-finish on a regular basis too.
When the iron from the water in your pipes reacts with the oak , you'll get black stains that usually find their way beyond any protective finish. Still, epoxy is a good finish in this situation.
There was someone on here a month or so ago (I think it was here) that made wooden sinks. Yep the entire sink was wood. I would find that post and see what his results were.
I attempted to find the discussion on the wooden sinks, but without any luck. In fact, I have seen wooden sinks but I'm not sure what process they used to finish them. No doubt the finish would be suitable for a counter top.
Use a water based dye to establish the color without providing a sealer, which in this case would be a second rate sealer. After this I would begin with a penetrating epoxy. Smith & Co. makes a good one for this purpose. You will use this on the entire surface, but you want the end grain to soak up epoxy until it will accept no more. Then top coat with a good varnish--use plenty of coats.
Warn the customer that any ding in the finish requires prompt action, or the finish will turn yellow and flake off and require complete refinishing. I'd bet five years will see the need for a refinishing.
Frankly I can understand wanting an oak countertop, but using an undermount sink is just asking for trouble, with only a small stylistic benefit compared to a top mounted sink. Granite is more elegant anyway.
Sort of a hearsay refinement of the epoxy sealer/varnish topcoat: When my dad was alive he kept his old wooden boat in top shape. When varnishing the teak he would prime/seal with the Smith epoxy and then apply the first thinned coat of varnish just when the epoxy still a bit tacky. He claimed that if one waited until the epoxy fully cured there would be no permanent bond between the two materials. I have no reason to doubt his technique..... the bright work always got a lot of compliments.Some dialogue on a boat builders forum might prove useful.
Yes, it is true that the varnish should be applied before the Smith's epoxy has fully cured. That apparently allows some cross linking between the epoxy and the varnish, bonding the varnish very closely to the epoxy. This is mentioned in the instructions that come with the Smith's.
Thanks for that info.
Thanks for the advice. I do think that I will try the method that you propose. As far as the granite is concerned, yes it would be the ideal material, but it wouldn't give the same effect as the solid wood top.
There was a thread around here some years ago about wood countertops. And I decided to give one a try for a vanity in a lightly used bathroom in my own house. I used a drop in sink, though, rather than an undermount.
I wasn't highly confident that a wood top would work over the long haul, so I made (and saved) a 1/4" template for the top, which I figured I could take to a granite fabricator if the wood top did not work out.
I used 6/4 QS white oak.
For the finish, I used an oil/spar varnish/paint thinner concoction I had used successfully for lots of exterior projects. I used this, rather than a film finish, because it is easy to refresh the finish by simply rubbing it down and reapplying a coat or two of the mixture.
The top has been in use now for about 3-4 years, and the original finish still looks great. However, whenever any water splashes on the surface, we wipe up the drops, which I realize is a lot to ask of most users.
Surely, the epoxy finishes mentioned above would be more durable, but you are still faced with water spotting, which is very visible on any wood surface. For heavily used countertops, I would opt for granite, or one of the other more traditional countertop materials.
********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled