Another table finish question...

[Jason Merck]

Based on the answers to a previous question about finishing a table, I have chosen the gloss finish Waterlox. I'm in the process of sanding down the table with only 320 grit to go, but there are some pits & small holes in the wood that are too deep to sand out. Will the waterlox fill in the holes, or do I need to do something about them before applying it? I would really hate to fill them in, they add character to the table but also do not want the finish to come out bad because of them.

Here are some pics of the table to show what I am talking about:

Crack.jpg

Crack 2.jpg

Table.jpg

Thanks for any suggestions

Jason

[Dennis Lopeman]

MAN! I can't tell if I like the table or not!!! Weird!! It's like a big wooden quilt! lol

I think I like it... I bet it will look even cooler with the finish on it... you will need to post pix after.

I don't actually have an answer to your question... just wanted to comment on your table! I DO see that it was a LOT of work!!!! I have a bunch of little cutoffs, too - do you wanna make ME a table!?

[Brent Ring]

Based on the answers to a previous question about finishing a table, I have chosen the gloss finish Waterlox. I'm in the process of sanding down the table with only 320 grit to go, but there are some pits & small holes in the wood that are too deep to sand out.

Thanks for any suggestions

Jason

Jason,

I have not used Waterlox (but am planning to for a table that I am finishing here shortly), but my opinion, after looking at the table, is that it has a bit of a rustic look to it, and so it does not require having a perfectly smoooth finish. Waterlox does have some resins in it I believe, and will smooth and fill some. You might try one well-sanded heavy seal coat of de-waxed clear shellac, and see if you dont get a bit of filling from that, then top off with the Waterlox. But on that type of table, I personally like a bit of a 'rougher' look. Just my .01.5

[Chris Padilla]

Jason,

If you're worried about those spots, just fill them in with some epoxy mixed with sawdust and sand smooth. Personally, I would have done this many grits ago or even before the sanding started but better late than never...if you're worried. You could also try some CA glue. I like to use the thicker gel kind. Squeeze it on there...sprinkle sawdust on it...press it in with a putty knife...sand smooth a few minutes later. Repeat if necessary.

[Jason Merck]

MAN! I can't tell if I like the table or not!!! Weird!! It's like a big wooden quilt! lol

I think I like it... I bet it will look even cooler with the finish on it... you will need to post pix after.

I don't actually have an answer to your question... just wanted to comment on your table! I DO see that it was a LOT of work!!!! I have a bunch of little cutoffs, too - do you wanna make ME a table!?

Actually Dennis, sorry to mislead but I bought the table. I'm in agreement on not quite sure what to make of it yet, though. I was dragged to the Crate & Barrel outlet mall in San Marcos, Texas & we came across this table for $180 due to one of the corners being broken off. It was an easy fix, can't even tell that it was broken. Too good of a deal to pass up. I'll put up a picture of it finished if you're still interested, they still sell the table I think for $900 plus shipping.

Jason,

If you're worried about those spots, just fill them in with some epoxy mixed with sawdust and sand smooth. Personally, I would have done this many grits ago or even before the sanding started but better late than never...if you're worried. You could also try some CA glue. I like to use the thicker gel kind. Squeeze it on there...sprinkle sawdust on it...press it in with a putty knife...sand smooth a few minutes later. Repeat if necessary.

Chris, you're right. I definitely should have thought about this before starting the sanding. Once I figured out I was going to go with the Waterlox (thanks to those that suggested it in my other post on the table) I just kind of jumped in wanting to get started. One of those rookie mistakes. Thanks for the suggestion. By the way, what is CA glue? I have seen that mentioned here before but am not sure what it is. Thanks

Jason,

I have not used Waterlox (but am planning to for a table that I am finishing here shortly), but my opinion, after looking at the table, is that it has a bit of a rustic look to it, and so it does not require having a perfectly smoooth finish. Waterlox does have some resins in it I believe, and will smooth and fill some. You might try one well-sanded heavy seal coat of de-waxed clear shellac, and see if you dont get a bit of filling from that, then top off with the Waterlox. But on that type of table, I personally like a bit of a 'rougher' look. Just my .01.5

Brent, that is exactly what I'm hoping for, that the waterlox will fill in some. I agree on the rougher look, that is what I want too. I just got worried since I haven't used waterlox before that it might make these blemishes that add character to the table now and turn them ugly after the finish. I don't need it to be perfectly smooth, just wasn't sure if a gloss finish on top of not perfectly smooth surface would cause some problems

[Chris Padilla]

By the way, what is CA glue? I have seen that mentioned here before but am not sure what it is.

CA glue = cyanoacrylate glue Some will cringe but this is bascially "Super Glue" although the stuff sold by woodworking is better than the stuff you can pick up at the check-out counter. Titebond also has a nice line of CA glues out...3 different viscosities.

[Jason Merck]

CA glue = cyanoacrylate glue Some will cringe but this is bascially "Super Glue" although the stuff sold by woodworking is better than the stuff you can pick up at the check-out counter. Titebond also has a nice line of CA glues out...3 different viscosities.

Thanks Chris, I think I'll look into this for some of the bigger spots like the one on the first picture (although it's really not very big - picture kind of overstates it). I think I'm going to try to get the waterlox to fill some of the smaller spots and around the black (like the second picture). Thanks for the advice.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd use epoxy. There is a good video on FWW about using it to fill voids. The author uses dye to color the epoxy black, but sawdust will work fine too. He actually went out of his way to elongate nail holes with a chisel to make them look like natural striations in a piece of cherry.

The epoxy will still show the defects (desirable) but will provide body under the waterlox. Without it, the varnish will dimple and will take forever many coats to get level, which is something you want with a gloss finish.

A more rustic approach would be to use an oil/varnish blend, or to wipe on a few thinned coats of Waterlox to seal the wood (instead of brushing it on or wiping many coats and attempting to build the finish). With either of these approaches, the voids will not be as noticeable - or will at least be complimentary.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I think you should take your router and an inlay kit and inlay some leaves or flowers into the damaged areas. Think of the points you could make with your missus.

[Jason Merck]

I'd use epoxy. There is a good video on FWW about using it to fill voids. The author uses dye to color the epoxy black, but sawdust will work fine too. He actually went out of his way to elongate nail holes with a chisel to make them look like natural striations in a piece of cherry.

The epoxy will still show the defects (desirable) but will provide body under the waterlox. Without it, the varnish will dimple and will take forever many coats to get level, which is something you want with a gloss finish.

A more rustic approach would be to use an oil/varnish blend, or to wipe on a few thinned coats of Waterlox to seal the wood (instead of brushing it on or wiping many coats and attempting to build the finish). With either of these approaches, the voids will not be as noticeable - or will at least be complimentary.

Shawn, that's pretty much what I was concerned about - if it would level out without doing anything to the depressions. I like the idea of the clear epoxy, I'm going to search for that video. The idea of wiping it on sounds pretty good too. From another thread it sounds like 50/50 mix with mineral spirits. That sound like the right track?

Thanks

[Howard Acheson]

Sanding beyond 180-220 grit is a waste of time and can lead to finishing problems. You begin to burnish the wood which leads to staining variations and adhesion problems. Most woods do not need to be sanded beyong 180 grip.

Sand to 180 grit, apply your first coat of finish thinned about 20%, let it dry and then sand with 320 paper. That will give you the proper surface to apply your subsequent coats.

[Jason Merck]

Sanding beyond 180-220 grit is a waste of time and can lead to finishing problems. You begin to burnish the wood which leads to staining variations and adhesion problems. Most woods do not need to be sanded beyong 180 grip.

Sand to 180 grit, apply your first coat of finish thinned about 20%, let it dry and then sand with 320 paper. That will give you the proper surface to apply your subsequent coats.

Hopefully I get lucky cause I sanded to 320 & wiped on 3 coats of 50/50 waterlox & mineral spirits today. Read this after I got in from the garage. So far it looks pretty good IMO, hoping it still will tomorrow after the coats have dried. Would you reduce the thinning on subsequent coats? Would not thinning as much make it harder to wipe on?

My rationale on going to 320 was since waterlox does not need to be sanded between coats I wanted the table to be as smooth as possible from the start. Keep in mind I'm new to this so I'm still learning. The first coats seemed to go on well; the varnish appeared to go on evenly on the individual pieces. Hopefully no adhesion problems come up.

Thanks for the advice