Buffing out a dining room table top

[Len Rosenberg]

I refinished a large dining table using Arm R Seal oil and urethane top coat. The first three coats are semi-gloss, and the final coat is satin. Once it cures I'd like to buff it out to get a slight sheen. I recall some folks use an automotive buffing machine for this purpose, a tool I do not have. I have a Festool 150/3 6" random orbit sander, but that's about it. Any recommendations? What is the process? Is there a buffing compound? Is there a paste wax that is resistant to water? Etc.

Thanks!

Len

[Bill McNiel]

MicroMesh is, IMHO, the easiest and best method for rubbing out to whatever sheen one desires and the finish can handle. BTW-I would put on 2 coats of the satin as insurance I'm not going to rub through to the semi-gloss and get streaks.

[John TenEyck]

Sorry, but I don't understand why you put satin on it if you want to rub it out. It would be better to use gloss for all your coats and then buff it out and stop at whatever sheen you like. I'd consider applying two more coats of gloss and then letting it cure a couple of weeks.

Micromesh does work great and is really easy to use. You can buy disks for your ROS; you don't need another buffer. Stop at whatever grit gives you the sheen you like.

You can apply paste wax if you want. Most any wax will repel water for awhile but none really protects the finish. IMHO, there is no benefit to applying wax on a finish as durable as Arm-R-Seal, plus it will temporarily give you a higher gloss sheen and likely get streaky if you wipe it with water. It will feel amazing after you rub it out. Just keep it clean with a sparing amount of very mild soap and water and it will serve you well for many years.

John

[David Pascoe]

I think you'll have a lot of trouble getting an even sheen, especially if you use a machine, plus any table top that gets a lot of use is going to wear down to a gloss anyway. I have satin polyurethane counter tops that are satin no more (in high use areas) due to wear mostly by hand contact.