# What's a good finish for a coffee table?



## Starfury (Jul 1, 2015)

My next project is going to be a walnut slab coffee table and I'm trying to figure out what to finish it with. I'd like a satin look finish and see several products out there.

General seems to rate well, be easy to use, and looks good.

Minwax-easy to get at big box store. I've used their products in the past and they work..but never really got the look I was going for.

One other thing I've saw is boiled linseed oil mixed with poly; haven't tried that but I'm wiling to experiment and learn something new.

Any opinions?


----------



## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

My choice would be a light coat of BLO for color, let it dry and coat with a very good quality varnish (to me, that means nothing from Minwax). If you don't want to use an oil based product, let the BLO cure several days and apply a good quality waterborne, like one of the GF offerings. This would give you a very durable finish, which is important to me since I treat coffee tables quite roughly. Should you not want to use BLO for color, a coat of garnet shellac is also very nice on walnut, followed by the topcoat of your choice.


----------



## Starfury (Jul 1, 2015)

Here comes a "dumb" question:

What is BLO? I'm guessing the "O" is oil but not sure about the rest. I'm currently doing a shelf, it's got 2 coats of Danish Oil on it (and is drying) before I put a final coat of something (maybe Shellac) on it.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

These are both very durable finishes one is oil base the other water base

https://www.amazon.com/General-Finishes-ASQT-Arm-R-Seal-Urethane/dp/B00ANLI2HY/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1514826250&sr=1-2&keywords=General+Finishes+oil+finish

https://www.amazon.com/Minwax-63333444-Polycrylic-Protective-Finish/dp/B000BZYYH4/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1514826412&sr=1-6&keywords=water+based+polyurethane

BTW BLO is boiled linseed oil.


----------



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> These are both very durable finishes one is oil base the other water base
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/General-Finishes-ASQT-Arm-R-Seal-Urethane/dp/B00ANLI2HY/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1514826250&sr=1-2&keywords=General+Finishes+oil+finish
> 
> - a1Jim


+1 on Arm-R-Seal. You get the luster of oil and the durability of urethane. They have a satin version. I prefer to wipe or spray, depending on the size of the piece, wait the recommended 24 hours, and wet sand with progressively finer grit sandpaper between coats. If the weather is warm, you can sneak on a second coat after a couple of hours, but wait to do the sanding.


----------



## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

I've used the Varathane Poly with good results.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I used Shellac on my cobler's bench/coffee table. It is reasonably durable, but the best thing is that shellac is very easy to reapply/fix when minor scratches occur or your favorite ETOH spills. Minor scratches can be blended in with a little alcohol and shellac on a damp cloth.

Bottom line is that the other finishes listed above are more durable, but they are also harder to repair/refinish when scratched/chipped.

Just a thought…










My cobler's bench:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/90000

My 7-drawer chest:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/78752


----------



## Starfury (Jul 1, 2015)

I've used Minwax and I'm not super impressed even after I learned that I needed to sand/steel wool between coats.

On the shelf I'm making I'll give Shellac a try once the Danish Oil dries…going to give it a week since the weather is cooler now. As for the coffee table; that I'll either do BLO/Shellac or just the General satin finish. Good thing it has an underside I can test on.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Tom
Most Minwax products I agree with you in that I don't think their very good products but their Polycrilc water base I've used for years, it's very tough easy to apply and you can recoat in 2 hours. plus it has fewer fumes that oil-based products and is not flammable.
Shellac is a great product It has many great qualities, such as use as a sealer to help prevent blotch also it's great for sealing off old finishes, you can apply any finish over it and as Mike said it's easily repaired , but it's not as tough as the two finishes I have links for and its water protection is not good.
Blo is an old-fashioned finish that lots of people seem to like, but I just don't like waiting for days or weeks for it to dry like your danish oil might take. 
If you want some great finishing advice check out Charles Neil on youtube or his website he is an expert woodworker and the go-to person for finishing.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

Arm-R-Coat provides a lustrous, and durable finish. It is my go-to finish for anything that will see a lot of use.


----------



## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

> What s up with the massive images these days of things everyone already is familiar with? Since when are plain words not good enough? The same thing is happening all over, not just on LJ. On Facebook, it s no longer enough to express something in ordinary text, it has to be emblazoned in a giant color meme with 72 pt font.
> 
> Things like:
> 
> ...


Excellent Point









After spraying pre-cat lacquers and conversion varnishes I couldn't bring myself to use anything else.

I agree with a1Jim that the Shellac is not going to give you the protection needed for a coffee table.
I'm not a fan of the Polycrylic either, but don't really have enough experience with it to say otherwise.

If your spraying finishes already, 
there is nothing more to it than spraying anything else. 
Pre-cat just thin and spray.
Conversion Varnish, just have to follow the directions for mixing catylist and just mix what you need.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

HAPPY NEW YEAR !


----------



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

LOL, Jim.


----------



## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

I am awesome….


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

If you are going to set alcoholic beverages on it, I would avoid shellac. Alcohol is the solvent for shellac and will dissolve it. For table tops I like oil based poly as it is the most durable finish and table tops due tend to take a lot of wear. I know a lot of people don't like Minwax and for most of their products I agree, the exception I have found is Wipe on Poly. Other varnishes that I like are Behlens Rock Hard table top varnish and General Finishes Gel Top Coat.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

> *If you are going to set alcoholic beverages on it, I would avoid shellac. Alcohol is the solvent for shellac and will dissolve it.* For table tops I like oil based poly as it is the most durable finish and table tops due tend to take a lot of wear. I know a lot of people don t like Minwax and for most of their products I agree, the exception I have found is Wipe on Poly. Other varnishes that I like are Behlens Rock Hard table top varnish and General Finishes Gel Top Coat.
> - bondogaposis


Bingo! And that is why I made sure to mention that interaction… NOT that I am guilty of such abuse/interaction… *;-)*

As for me… I hate finishing stuff, living with it, and THEN having to repair it when "life" happens. In those times I tend to rescind to Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" that have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called *flow* as I learned in my post graduate PhD studies at Texas A&M University during the LAST century…

In other words, when "life" happens, I want an easy fix, and a return to nirvana as quickly as possible. Your mileage may vary…

*;-)*


----------



## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

Not much else easier to fix than pre-cat lacquer, or the CV.
Using conversion varnish pretty much stops all those "when life happens" moments.
The purpose of a better more durable finish is so you don't have to refinish.
Your mileage may vary…

Conversion Varnish Test:


----------



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> Not much else easier to fix than pre-cat lacquer, or the CV.
> Using conversion varnish pretty much stops all those "when life happens" moments.
> The purpose of a better more durable finish is so you don t have to refinish.
> Your mileage may vary…
> ...












................Visual Effect (Your Mileage May Vary)


----------



## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

...no visual effect


----------



## ToolCaddy (Dec 10, 2015)

I refinished a walnut slab coffee table about 8 years ago. "I used Behlen Rock Hard Table Top" finish. My grandson has not damaged it with toy cars, etc. It is a great finish.


----------



## pontic (Sep 25, 2016)

Polyphenolates, polyacrylics, polyesters, polyuerthanes or polyvinyls those are what are available to us, these will be the most durable. each on has a manufacture that makes it the best. If you are going to put it near a picture window be mindful of the UV protectors that are in the finish you choose.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

> ...no visual effect
> - jbay


*Tell my cats that when they scratch it…*

Or when you strike your rock hard finish with the "claw" end of the hammer, instead of the flat head. Your claims also sound like one of those Chevy truck commercials where they drop a sharp metal toolbox on a Ford aluminum bed and then on a steel Chevy bed. I highly disbelieve that there is a "perfect" and indestructible finish. And THAT is why I choose a finish that is easily repaired.


----------



## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

Deleted


----------

