waterlox finish

[joe zarnitz]

looking for comments on using this for finish on a kitchen table-----tks,joe

[Tom Gattiker]

I love waterlox. On a kitchen table, you'll have to make a tradeoff. Waterlox is a phenolic resin varnish, like Behlen's Rockhard table top varnish. Waterlox is thin enough to wipe on, rather than brush on, which makes it very forgiving and relatively easy to apply successfully. Becuase it is thinner (more oil, less resin), Waterlox will require quite a few coats (I put 6 coats on a cofee table and it has withstoodd the kids jumping on it etc for years, but just the other day a water spill sat on it for 3+ hours and some of the aniline dye under the waterlox came up when we wiped up the spill--bummer). Behlens is a short oil varnish so it requires many fewer coats to get the same build, but it is more difficult to apply without brushstrokes, etc. and it might require more sanding between coats.

[Bobby Nicks]

I use Waterlox on just about everything I build. Over the past 3 or 4 years I have made 5 or 6 kitchen tables all finished with Waterlox.

I start with a coat of blond shellac, unless the customer wants a stain then the stain comes first. After the shellac I put on 5 coats of of Waterlox sealer/finish, then 2 coats of Waterlox high gloss or satin finish depending on what the customer wants. Of course this varies a little depending on wood, etc.

I have only had one of the kitchen tables come back, the customer spilled some acetone on the top of the table. It required some light sanding in the area of the spill and then a couple coats of Waterlox sealer and a coat of Waterlox high gloss and you couldn't tell where the spill had been. (Lucky that this table hadn't been stained.) I didn't charge the customer for the repair and since then she has purchase two other pieces of furniture from me.

I like Waterlox, have been using it for years.

Bob

[Alan Turner]

I oft use shellac, dewaxed, to build a finish quickly, and finish with 2-3 coats of gloss Waterlox, and then rub it out ot the sheen desired with 4-0 Liberon and wax. It is pretty easy. On a table, I might go with the Waterlox only on the top (both sides, to balance) and just the shellac on the legs, aprons, etc. This has a lot of efficience to it given the dry time of any varnish.

[Bob Marino]

Question for you guys. Is there any reason to prefer Waterlox over, let's say, General Finishes' ArmRSeal?

Bob

[David Fried]

The only thing my Dad ever built was the kitchen table which he finished with waterlox . After 40 years the only damage is where my Mom spilled nail polish remover.