Finishing a bar top table

I started refinishing refinishing restaurant furniture and bars because my family were in the restaurant business – a nice captive client base.:)
For bar tops, I’ve used Behlin Rockhard Table Top Varnish

It’s a short oil phenolic resin varnish that is very durable and can be applied by brushing.

For stripping off old finishes, I’ve started using Franmar SoyGel with great success.

Blessings…
Bro. Tenzin

-- 温故知新

Does the tabletop finish have any uv inhibitors. The table in question has a softened finish due to the sun and heat hitting it all day.

-- Nathan Corson

Nathan – as for stripping the old finish, I’ve tried several chemical strippers and have had fair luck with them. Went to a home show several years ago and tried a SoyGel. It was more environmentally friendly, but I wasn’t happy with it.

I worked for a master cabinet maker who introduced me to cabinet scrapers and now I’m hooked. I stumbled across an old Stanley #80 scarper in a flea market and now it is the only tool I will use to refinish anything. I can scrap down a table top in a fraction of the time I spent with chemical strippers and it does a smooth, clean job. The only drawback is learning how to sharpen these tools. There are methods explained by googling the #80 scraper. Besides the #80, I own a set of card scrapers (1 straight edge, concave and convex).

As frustrated as I was learning to sharpen these tools, It was the best time investment I have ever made in my woodworking endeavors. Good luck!

-- Bernie: It never gets hot or cold in New Hampshire, just seasonal!