walnut vanity top

I recently redid a vanity for the wife and she wanted a new top made of walnut. i found some really nice looking 8/4 walnut that i milled up and made myself a panel. this is going to go into a bathroom obviously and i want to use something very durable and completely seal the top. is there a product you guys can recommend? i have thought about using something like how they finish bar tops etc. Ive also been told to use spar varnish the stuff they use on boats by a buddy. what does the hive think?

thanks,
Thomas

I would recommend Waterlox original sealer/finish. It's a tung oil based varnish and is highly water resistant when built up to a good film. Sand to 150 or so then use a foam brush to apply the Waterlox. I would probably do 5-7 coats. Wipe it on the vertical surfaces and lightly wipe off - it's very thin and runs easily. And after you brush it on the main surface, look around the edges to make sure to wipe up anything that has run over the edges.

Waterlox has lots of helpful instructions on their website. Wait 24 hours between coats and make sure there's good ventilation - it needs it to dry and the odor is pretty nasty. I do an extra coat on the vertical surfaces after 12 hours since there will be less finish going on them. Wait at least a couple weeks before putting it to use. I think you'll be pleased with the results. Good luck.

Waterlox sure does look nice, but any good OB varnish will work. In my mind, there's no advantage of spar varnish for this application. Just be sure to put finish on all surfaces, including the bottom, at least a couple of coats but preferably the same number everywhere.

John

Ditto for Waterlox. I have a Waterloxed counter top in my shop that always has a wet glass on it to show clients its value.

In terms of durability and scratch resistance etc how will the Waterloo fare? I bought a quart of it. I figure I'll do 4 or 5 coats.

Waterlox will cure to a very hard finish which will be very durable and scratch resistant. The only think that might offer a little more scratch resistance is a polyurethane as poly is slightly softer. But the Waterlox will probably beat poly in terms of liquid resistance. The differences may be imperceptible. The main caution is to wait several weeks for it to cure, especially to reach is maximum scratch resistance.