Claro Walnut Table Top Finish

[Rob Rash]

Attached are the two boards that are going to make up the table I am making. The base is going to be made with cherry. I am hoping to be done with the woodworking part next week. Then comes the tough part. I have never worked with claro walnut before so I am not sure how I should finish for a durable good looking top. I would prefer something that looks natural and not like plastic.

I have used WATERLOX ORIGINAL SEALER/FINISH for other projects, but I am not sure if I should use it here. What about enduro-var or Arm-r-seal? Should the pores be filled and if so with what? I have heard doing it by sanding with oil and creating a slurry. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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[Prashun Patel]

Those slabs are beautiful. If it were me, I'd use Waterlox OSF. I like Arm-R-Seal, but Waterlox will be darker and richer and will be clearer if you decide to build a film.

If it were me, I'd stick with the OSF.

[John TenEyck]

Rob, any of the finishes you mentioned would look good. Waterlox will be the darkest, Arm-R-Seal the lightest after a year as the EnduroVar will darken quite a bit with time. EnduroVar sprays beautifully, so if that's appealing it would get the first (and only) vote. Whether or not you want to fill the pores is a personal choice. I really like the look of the grain with a wiped on varnish on walnut; some people don't. If you do decide to fill the grain it can be done as you mentioned by applying your wiping varnish and then sanding it to form a slurry. Wipe of the excess across the grain, let it dry, sand lightly with 320 or 400 grit with the grain, inspect, repeat as necessary, then apply more coats of varnish.

Pics when you're done, please !

John

[Rob Rash]

Thanks for all the input. I think I am going to go with WaterLox since I have used it before and it applies easily. I will post pics when I am all done.

Prashun I wanted to let you know that I followed your Maloof Rocker build a few years back. All the insight really helped when I finished mine.

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> I am not sure if I should use it here

Why not? Waterlox is an excellent choice for a dark colored wood like walnut. Plus, if you have used it on other projects, you already know how to use it and don't need to go through another learning curve for a new finish. Like anything though, try the finish out on some scrap from your project.

[Shawn Pixley]

I'd go with the Waterlox. I haven't used it on Claro Walnut. But on American Black Walnut it sure looks good.