Waterlox and mirror finish help?

[Matt Palumbo]

I have never done anything like this before so I apologize if this a very
amateur question. I am making a bar countertop and am using butcher block oak. I
sanded it down with 220 git and then stained with minwax Jacobean. I then
started to apply waterlox original sealer/finish. I have about 5-6 coats of the
waterlox on it now and am still seeing the wood grain through it.

I realize I did not use grain filler but is there a way to achieve a mirror like
finish at this point? Or at least a smooth finish?

[Prashun Patel]

Apply more and more coats. The OSF is thinned, so it will take a few coats to fill the grain and get substantial build.
Also, know that with time, the sheen will become less glossy, around a semigloss.

You'll know your grain is filled if after sanding the surface with a flat block and 400 or 600grit, you get uniform dulling and no glossy spots.

If you truly want a mirror finish that lasts like that, you might switch to Waterlox Original High Gloss Finish (green can). That's a brushable, full strength varnish that will build and fill in the grain very well. It will also stay glossy longer. You can apply it on top of the OSF.

[Matt Palumbo]

Apply more and more coats. The OSF is thinned, so it will take a few coats to fill the grain and get substantial build.
Also, know that with time, the sheen will become less glossy, around a semigloss.

You'll know your grain is filled if after sanding the surface with a flat block and 400 or 600grit, you get uniform dulling and no glossy spots.

If you truly want a mirror finish that lasts like that, you might switch to Waterlox Original High Gloss Finish (green can). That's a brushable, full strength varnish that will build and fill in the grain very well. It will also stay glossy longer. You can apply it on top of the OSF.


Any idea on how many coats it would normally take? I did knock it down this morning with steel wool.
I guess I should use a flat block and 600/800 grit? Would you recommend to do that between coats or that is not good?

[Prashun Patel]

If you want to get to level quicker, then switch (if you haven't) from wiping to brushing.

On the OSF, you can sand between every 2 coats to check your progress.

Once your surface is level, you have 2 options:

1) If you truly want a mirror finish, brush on a final 2 coats, and wait for a month or two. Then use fine abrasives to give a final leveling and then polishing to the surface (rubbing out).
2) If you just want a good looking, but not mirror finish, then wipe on a final 2-3 coats after sanding with 600 grit.

[Mike Holbrook]

Hope this is not off topic but....If one wants to do the opposite, retaining the grain in the finish, then one would use less wiped on coats? Can Waterlox be wiped on over other finishes, or does it depend on the finish? Apparently Waterlox gloss works over the original, how about the marine finish...I have this old desk. I like the look & feel of the old wood. I think the current finish on it is something someone brushed on, probably a single coat as all the grain is still pronounced. I tested the current finish with alcohol, which did nothing. It looks like a semi gloss polyurethane to me.

I guess the reason to do more/thicker coats is to save having to do the job again soon and to provide greater physical protection from abuse? On the other hand, I have read that thick, hard, moisture impervious coatings can lock moisture in. Is there a greater risk of splits/seperations if heavier finishes are used? The desk I have, for example, seems to be made of very wide boards which have developed some sizable cracks over many years. Might it be possible that thinner/more frequent finishing might better protect old wood made from wide boards, porous woods, woods that tend to hold moisture.... at least as far as moisture issues go?

[John TenEyck]

Dewaxed shellac sticks to most anything and most anything sticks to it. So, with your old desk, I would apply a coat of dewaxed shellac after cleaning and prep. sanding the old finish. Then you can apply whatever you want over it. If you want the grain to show keep the number of coats of whatever you use to a minimum.

A film finish keeps out liquid water, but water vapor can still migrates through. The only logic I can think of where a thick finish might cause a piece to crack more than one finished with a thin finish is if it was only finished on one side. That can cause moisture to enter/leave the wood on the unfinished side a lot faster than on the side that's finished. The difference in moisture gain/loss would be greater the thicker that finish layer is. That said, I've built a lot of pieces of furniture and have never finished a side that doesn't show. The only exception is table tops where I do if they are made of solid wood. Nothing has cracked yet and some of them are 30 years old.

John