# Finishing Barnwood



## Bdubya (Jan 15, 2013)

First thanks to everyone who is on these forums I have been reading and learning for about a year as I am new to woodworking and you have been a great help.

My question is on finishing barn wood for a kitchen table. I have searched and read a few of the posts by others who asked similar question but I want to clarify a few of my questions/concerns.

I am currently building a farmers/harvest table out of reclaimed barn wood. This is a bit different from a normal barn wood find in that these are cherry boards. I ended up planing these boards down to reveal the wood but still leave the character of the nail holes and some splits in the wood. Now as I am getting ready to finish this I would like fill in the nail holes and some of cracks with an epoxy but I am concerned on what it will do to the finish. I have test finished some of these boards with just a clear polyurethane or lacquer . It gives me the exact finish I am looking for. My concern is that the epoxy when applied could inhibit the finish.

Is one epoxy better than the others? How should I apply it to minimize the impact on the rest of the table.

Thanks


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

http://www.gorillatough.com/index.php?page=epoxy


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

No problema. Just fill the holes and cracks with clear epoxy. West or System3 work well. Scrape any that sits proud back to bare wood, then finish with the clear coat of your choice. Waterborne poly would be a good choice for this application.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

I didn't fill anything except the knot holes that blew out when I planed down the antique pine I have. And then I did my best to make them look like knots again. I say leave the holes be and don't fill them. You can see an example on my pie safe blog if it would help.

Milo


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

*WELCOME to LJs!*

I'm not sure about your questions re: cherry, but here's the table I built with my barnwood

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/77110


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I have finished over epoxy with several different finishes including poly and never had a problem. I use System 3. Just fill the holes (watching for bubbles), let it cure fully, sand flat, apply finish, done!


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