Finish for walnut dining table

[Daren Gravlin]

I'm getting close to the finish line on a walnut dining table and would like to start trying out some different finishes on test pieces. What are your favorite finishes for walnut that would also be durable enough for a dining table top? No spray equipment. For recent projects I've been using Osmo Polyx, but not sure how appropriate that would be for a tabletop. I also found this article that looked intriguing if anyone has any experience with those methods that could chime in.

https://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/woodworking-101/tips-tricks/heres-a-secret-to-a-better-wood-finish-on-walnut/

[John TenEyck]

If you like satin/matte, Rubio Monocoat looks great on walnut. Osmo Polyox is similar but is offered in gloss, too. There was an article in FWW a couple of years ago where the guy talked about using Osmo for his tabletops.

If you want a film finish it's hard to go wrong with varnish. Waterlox, Arm-R-Seal, etc. all work well. I used Minwax WB Oil Modified Poly on a tabletop about 2 years ago. It went on great with a foam brush and still looks great.

John

[Tom Bender]

In my experience walnut fades a lot especially in light, and it starts out not very dark. I like it a lot better with a coat or two of Minx Special Walnut stain wiped on, directly on the bare wood. For a dining table you want great protection. I like oil based poly.

[Tom Gruntorad]

I just finished my walnut table the same way, Minwax oil walnut stain. I love the deep look after finishing with satin poly. It's awesome.