Soft Maple finishing with Tung oil

[Derek Ihnat]

SO i am wrapping up a build of ten soft maple tables for a friends restaurant. Id like to use a quality finish for the best results. With all the research ive done ive come to realize soft maple is best done in a natural finish which i am ok with. Ive also come to realize a tung oil system would produce great results.
Here is my question, with the cost of a quality tung oil system can be on the high end, do i need to finish both sides (top and bottom) of the tables with said tung oil. Or can i use a cheaper sealer for the bottom of the tables.
Also if anyone has input on tung oil or any alternatives specific to a soft maple finish please feel free to add any other options.

[David Eisenhauer]

It is hard to imagine tables in a commercial restaurant finished with tung oil. I would imagine some type of poly or conversion varnish for the anti-moisture intrusion and ongoing sanitation purposes would be the mainstream thinking.

[John TenEyck]

I agree with David. Maple is no different than any other wood. You need a durable film finish to take the abuse a table gets in a restaurant setting. Take your pick among the solvent or water borne products targeted at that application.

John

[Robert Hazelwood]

To answer your question, yes you can use a different finish on the top vs. bottom. For example I will just use a couple of shellac coats on the underside of a project since it's cheap and dries fast, then a more time consuming wipe-on poly finish for the top.

I really like soft maple- it's got loads of character and I think you're making the right call going with a natural finish.

As for tung oil, can you be more specific as to what actual product(s) you are considering? Products named "tung oil" range from 100% tung oil to Formby's Tung Oil Finish, which I'm pretty sure is just a wiping varnish containing 0% tung oil.

I tend to agree with David and John about poly (or similar) finish for the tabletops.

[Bill McNiel]

Derick,

My first choice would be Waterlox but you need to have the time to let it cure for 30 days +/- before rub out. Waterlox handles wet glass abuse quite well and is easy to recoat later on.

Next is one to two coats of Waterlox to pop the grain, and I like the slight amber tone, followed by three coats minimum of GF Arm-R-Seal.

I used Dalys "Glossthane" recently on a series of inexpensive (stained BB ply) bar tables which are holding up to restaurant/bar abuse quite nicely.

Good luck - Bill