"Rustic" Bar Top

[Mark J Bachler]

I'm building a bar & back bar for a customer. He had some lumber he wanted to use for the bar top. He had it kiln dried & brought it over. It is full of worm holes & knots & etc. etc. He wants to use that self leveling poured top finish. My question is do I have to fill all the worm holes & cracks before I pour this & if so how do I go about it & keep the same look, or will the finish flow over these. I suppose bubbles are also a factor.

Thanx Much
Mark B

[Greg Heppeard]

First thing to do is to sand the wood smooth and seal it with a sanding sealer. The reason is: there is air trapped in the wood that will leach into the finish and cause a lot of small bubbles. You don't have to fill the cracks and holes. Seal them on the bottom side with tape, then pour the finish...it will flow into them and fill them. You could use a contrasting colored epoxy to fill them if you liked. If you start to get bubbles when you pour the finish, use a hair drier on them and it should force the bubble to the top and break it, allowing the finish to flow smoothly. Make sure you follow the directions on the bottles and things will work out fine.

[Mark J Bachler]

First thing to do is to sand the wood smooth and seal it with a sanding sealer. The reason is: there is air trapped in the wood that will leach into the finish and cause a lot of small bubbles. You don't have to fill the cracks and holes. Seal them on the bottom side with tape, then pour the finish...it will flow into them and fill them. You could use a contrasting colored epoxy to fill them if you liked. If you start to get bubbles when you pour the finish, use a hair drier on them and it should force the bubble to the top and break it, allowing the finish to flow smoothly. Make sure you follow the directions on the bottles and things will work out fine.

Thanks for the info Greg. I always get a little nervous when I'm working with something new. So I can pour this stuff right over sanding sealer huh. That sounds like the way to go to me. I'll seal both sides of the bar 1st then pour it.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Mark, just don't forget to seal any holes on the bottom side, with good tape. This will ensure that your finish doesn't just pour on through.