Red Oak Table Top

[Steve Strohm]

Hello All

Brand new to this whole world of woodworking. Must say, its pretty awesome/terrifiying.

I'll give a quick background, last month I made a coffee table and end table with 100yr old reclaimed SYP and plumbing pipes (the cookie cutter type you see on all DIY websites). While I was at the place where I got the pine I noticed a metal table base with no top for a very cheap price of $20 so I grabbed it knowing that I needed a dining table in my new apartment. I went out and bought some 2x11 Red Oak to make a table top for it. The top should be done soon and I'll be looking to finish it.

I was all set to buy Behlen Rock Hard from some browsing around this site but didnt realize the formula changed. From what I can gather since, I've narrowed it down to Waterlox Original, Arm-R-Seal, or P&L 38 (if i can get it). Which one should I go with for a table top? I'm not going to be filling the pores and am just planning on staining it and then sealing it. I plan on having kids soon so I assume it will be getting beat up pretty good.

Plan:
Conditioner (minwax)
Stain (minwax)
Varnish (?)

thanks in advance. I know these questions come up often but some of the threads seem old and not sure if the concensus has changed (not that there ever seems to be a concensus)

[Prashun Patel]

You won't need pre stain conditioner on red oak.

I would use arm r seal. It's the least confusing and quite easy to apply.

Let your stain dry for several days before too coating.

Get some extra mineral spirits. When your arm r seal can gets half full, add about 10 pct ms to it, stir, and continue.


Semigloss is the easiest of the three sheens to apply imho.

[Steve Strohm]

thank you for the reply. how many arm-r-seal coats are required? 3? so the lats one should get cut with MS a little?

I should have meantioned that I was looking for a wipe on Varnish so this fits the bill.

[John TenEyck]

+1 Forget the conditioner. Red oak takes oil based stains beautifully. Don't use water based stain on oak or you risk a major case of raised grain to deal with. I've never used Waterlox and from all the problems I read people have with it I doubt I will. Some folks will tell you that Arm-R-Seal looks like plastic. I'm not one of those people. It looks great to me. Arm-R-Seal is ready to apply right from the can, although you can add some mineral spirits to it to get it to flow out more easily. No finish lasts forever under heavy assault but ARS is very tough and durable and will last as long as most.

John

[Bill White]

That red oak will bleed stain from the pores. Keep wiping down the bleed out 'cause you'll end up with little dots of cured stain if ya don't. As Prashun posted, no pre conditioner needed.
Bill

[Steve Strohm]

thanks guys! I've spent a lot of time answering newb questions on other types of forums so I really appreciate you taking the time to answer a post from someone with 0 posts.

[Steve Strohm]

thanks guys! I've spent a lot of time answering newb questions on other types of forums so I really appreciate you taking the time to answer a post from someone with 0 posts.

one more question on the arm-r-seal, I do have to sand between coats right?

[Prashun Patel]

YMMV on sanding between coats.

here's a regimen that works reasonably well:

Sand to 220 grit.
Stain
Let dry for several days.
Flood on a coat of Arm R Seal. Dab up the excess.
Sand lightly with 320. The darker your stain, the more delicate your sanding.
Wipe on remaining coats.
Before final coat, sand with 600. wipe off dust (I prefer to wipe it off dry, not with any tack cloth or mineral spirits).
Wipe on final coat of Arm R Seal.