good finish for claro walnut

[Eric l Larsen]

Just wanted some ideas on finishing a small table top.I'm fairly new to the woodworking side of things. Although I'm addicted now. I want to try and keep the color and grain in its natural state. This is a slab of claro walnut I milled from a stump/burl.The table will be outside in the damp so. Or weather but under cover. Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

Well, if you're going to put the furniture out in the weather, it doesn't matter much what finish you put on the table. It is going to get ruined pretty quickly.

If the Claro walnut is fine furniture, and indoors, varnish is a good choice. It brings out the colors and depth of the walnut, and it about the most durable finish which can be applied in a small shop. I use the wipe-on application technique. You can make your own by thinning down conventional varnish, or you can buy pre-thinned products like Minwax Wipe-on Poly.

[Eric l Larsen]

I kind of had that feeling also. Can you put a two part epoxy bar top finish on walnut? Or will it not take because of the pores in the wood?

[Yonak Hawkins]

Eric, Jamie's suggestion was based on the furniture residing indoors, not out. If it's outdoors I would suggest an oil as that finish wouldn't peel as a hard finish would out in the elements, although it would have to continually be re-applied, if it's to hold up for awhile under an overhang.

[Sam Murdoch]

Any good marine varnish will also provide enough protection for the type of use that you describe. Epifanes or Petit are a few good brands. http://www.epifanes.com/home.htm or http://www.pettitpaint.com/product_category.asp?id=56 available from quite a few places on the web.

If the table feet will be sitting on a wet surface a very good extra protection is to saturate the end grain of the feet with epoxy like West System or System 3 Epoxy. Before or after you finish the table mask off the feet and paint the epoxy on so that it saturates the end grain (sometimes needs 2 coats). Let that dry and your table will be all set for years.

[Jay Park]

Waterlox Marine finish would be a good choice also.

But to put a Claro walnut piece outdoors is a choice I wouldn't make. The sun will wear it down and be no good after a few years.

[Eric l Larsen]

Thank you all for your advice. I think I'm going to make it for indoor. Don't want to let a beautiful piece of wood go to waste.

[Ole Anderson]

You might get additional comments if you post this in the "finishing" section rather than the "workshop" section.

[Bill Cattrall]

For any wood outside the biggest problem is the sun not water. UV radiation will break down the finish unless you use a marine finish and refinish often. This all gets worse the darker the wood is, so walnut is about the worst. Epoxy has no UV protection and must be overcoated with UV protection or it will fail as a finish.


Bill