shanenewman

maybe somone can help me on this. I am looking to put a finish on a walnut bar I have just built, someone has mentioned tung oil and I am looking for more input from this forum, I figured this may be the best place to look for an answer, Thank You in advance, Shane Newman

aclose

Shane,

i believe forum policy states that you need to post pictures of your projects before people are allowed to answer your questions

i'm just kidding, but unfortunately i don't have an answer for you. i'll leave that to the pros.

if it's a bar, you'll probably want some kind of protective finish over it to keeps spills and drips and the like from ruining your work.
what kind of 'look' are you after? do you want it to look glossy, satin, etc? if you are a little more specific on the look you're after i'm sure the experienced WW'rs here will be able to help you out. pictures are a definite plus.

JP Sinclair

Shane-

I've got a couple bar tops in flame yellow birch that I haven't finished yet but I was looking at an epoxy finish that I found on a site called epoxyproducts.com.

joesdad

Shane, laquer is an easy and durable finish for any hardwood, I've also used water and oil based poly's and spar varnish. The varnish and epoxy's are probably the most durable for counter tops, bars etc.

Just make sure you seal the grain first in order to get that nice smooth finish, sanding in between coats fills some of the grain, but a good compatible sanding sealer will do a better job.

Try a couple samples first and see which you like best, some have an amber tint which looks good on some walnut, but not all. Just my opinion.

Oh yeah, no shellacs. Since alcohol breaks it down.

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jerry

The first coat of any film finish is a sealer. My choice would be waterlox original varnish or rock hard by behlen. Waterlox is tung oil based and I think behlen uses linseed oil the resin in both is phenolic. I've used both and they are very good.

Regards

Jerry