Recommended Finish for Walnut Bathroom vanity top

[Joe A Faulkner]

I am making a bathroom vanity with a 1 1/4 solid North American Waltnut counter top.
I don't want a high-gloss, thick plastic finish, but I also want something that will be fairly durable.
This is going in a master bedroom, so I suspect the adults will be fairly easy on the counter, but it is also sitting under a Southern facing window, so it will get lots of light.
The vanity will be in Suffolk VA which is near the coast and has hot, humid summers.

One internet woodworking instructor noted that there are tradeoffs in making this decision. In the end, he notes that if he were doing this for is own use he would use a clear penetrating epoxy followed by a couple of coats of wiped on marine varnish.

Any recommendations from this group? If you have experience with clear penetrating epoxy finish are there brands to avoid or brands you recommend? What is the curing time of these?

Also, would you use the same finish for the rest of the cabinet? I prefer a low sheen, satin finish. The entire exterior of the vanity is solid walnut.

Please help

[Jim Becker]

Z-poxy is an easy to use, resin product that is quite thin and likely has "more penetration" than thicker resins. It's also easy to level sand before moving on to whatever other clear coating you decide to use. You'll want to do all surfaces including the inside of any penetrations for plumbing. That said...there is still risk of water damage over time to any kind of wooden surface used in a bathroom like that.

If I were doing this project, I'd use Target Coatings EM9300 which is a polyester coating that's rated for both interior and exterior use and I'd choose the matte/flat sheen. It has UV additives so it will help a little with the sun exposure...walnut tends to get lighter from that. And yes, you can use it on the entire project.

[Mel Fulks]

Orange shellac on walnut is only damaged by water that sits , but even that doesn't happen often. But it's got to be freshly
mixed stuff from the flakes. Not canned ,ready to slop. And Not bleached shellac, orange only. It is damaged by stuff
containing alcohol.

[Mel Fulks]

I'm sorry , I assumed the Z POXY was expensive and only available in 55 gallon drums. NOT SO, I'm sure Jim is right.

[Bennett Ostroff]

This seems like a perfect job for Waterlox. I've finished many vanities with it and it holds up great. The original sealer/finish goes on glossy but fades to semi-gloss, but they also make it in satin sheen. I don't think an epoxy sealer would be necessary if you build it up sufficiently.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Jim, is EM9300 something I could brush or wipe on or does it require spraying? What do you know about the recommended cure time for the Z-poxy

[Prashun Patel]

I have a walnut bench IN my shower. It gets rained on daily. Granted we wipe it off quickly after use, but the Waterlox Original Sealer finish I put on looks good after even 5 years. I mean, no signs of wear.

Imho you can skip the epoxy and just use the marine varnish (Waterlox makes a marine sealer).. you can just wipe it on.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, is EM9300 something I could brush or wipe on or does it require spraying? What do you know about the recommended cure time for the Z-poxy

It can be hand applied, but spraying is certainly going to afford. better finish as waterborne finishes tend to begin drying much faster than oil based products. Cure time for Z-Poxy per coat is several hours...I forget the exact specification.

[Mike Null]

Don't throw rocks--I would use gloss polyurethane and knock it down with steel wool.