# Clear Coationgs for Table Tops / Warning!



## jennifertemple

:sad:

I would NOT use any water based coating. I just tried some left over Varathane Nano Defence premium floor finish on my own dinner table. The first use showed a problem! It promptly got white water marks where the water pitcher sat. It faded afterward but looks terrible while present. I am going to sand it down and refinish with a solvent based product ASAP. (It also makes me dubious about using such products on floors where they may gets spills, wet feet or dripping rain wear on them. I'll be sticking with solvent based product from now on. After all, quick dry and re-coat is not the be all / end all in finishing!


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## Delta Painting

I use Fameowood Glaze coat it's water born 1 to 1 epoxy works good...


https://glazecoat.com/famowood-glaze-coat-clear-epoxy/


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## MikeCalifornia

Don't use floor finish on a dining table, check!!
I've use GF High Performance WB Poly and it was great


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## DeanV

I don’t think that epoxy is waterborne at all. Probably a 100% solids epoxy.


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## cocomonkeynuts

jennifertemple said:


> I would NOT use any water based coating. I just tried some left over Varathane Nano Defence premium floor finish on my own dinner table. The first use showed a problem! It promptly got white water marks where the water pitcher sat. It faded afterward but looks terrible while present. I am going to sand it down and refinish with a solvent based product ASAP. (It also makes me dubious about using such products on floors where they may gets spills, wet feet or dripping rain wear on them. I'll be sticking with solvent based product from now on. After all, quick dry and re-coat is not the be all / end all in finishing!


How long did you let it cure before using?


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## Redux

I thought you said you weren’t gonna use that stuff again, let alone on your own table! I think I mentioned in your earlier thread that I had water permeate 5 finish coats after full cure. 

I too prefer solvent borne/uralkyds, although the lighter color trends don’t permit me to use it as much as I’d like due to the yellowing.

Without getting too fancy, a couple of times when in a pinch, I’ve used Bona Traffic HD Satin 2K WB floor finish on tabletops. It’s easily obtainable at almost any hardwood flooring supply. It can be roller or pad applied, is self leveling, and will yield as close to a sprayed finish as you can get. The finish is pretty much bomb proof. I’ve had standing water on the Bona for upwards 2 weeks in some instances, not leaving the slightest blemish, even having spilled lye on it..and Not When Making Peel Away!

I used the GF High Performance once. It’s GF’s consumer brand finish. I had used it only in a pinch on two fixed cabinet panels adjoining a vanity sink countertop. The finish didn’t last a month before water spotting after a 4 week cure. Ended up stripping them and using a WB 2K instead. IMO, The GF HP has pretty poor chemical and water resistance.


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## Mr Smith

This finisher recommends adding the CIC Polyurethane hardener to the CIC water base conversion varnish.


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## jennifertemple

cocomonkeynuts said:


> How long did you let it cure before using?


48 hours where the product recommends 24 BUT I also find the water borne is not as bright and clear as solvent based. The look is not as nice.


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## jennifertemple

Alchemy Redux said:


> I thought you said you weren’t gonna use that stuff again, let alone on your own table!


I won't buy it again; this was leavings from the prior job. (I almost never toss material, I use it to play and experiment with on my own time.) Any experiments I do are ALWAYS on my own stuff! I'd never do anything that was not tried & true over time on a paid contract. With my own stuff I can redo it as many times and in as many ways as it takes to make it right again. It was a whimsical experiment that I did not like the result of. It is still really hard to apply with out getting those dang micro bubbles! I like the clarity of the solvent finishes better and IMO they are tougher than water based. Also the water borne products react badly to a fair variety of cleaning products. I've only used the one product, once. It was my first time trying water borne clear coats and in far to many ways I was not happy using it. I'm sticking with solvent based polys for as long as they will let us buy it! Besides, I'm always happier using products I have always used and where I know exactly what to expect. One does need to experiment with new developments in coatings or risk redundancy! I have on occasion used new product and became a committed user after a first use. Water borne clear coat was not such a product.


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## jennifertemple

Delta Painting said:


> I use Fameowood Glaze coat it's water born 1 to 1 epoxy works good...
> https://glazecoat.com/famowood-glaze-coat-clear-epoxy/


I have used such epoxy coatings & loved them but they are NOT water borne. They are true acrylic resins and not for fine furniture IMO. I once did a wood floor with the stuff, I used it to refinish a number of kitchen counter tops. No doubt about it, great stuff, though a bit messy to work with on very large surfaces where you can not take it out to the workshop.


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## jennifertemple

Mr Smith said:


> This finisher recommends adding the CIC Polyurethane hardener to the CIC water base conversion varnish.
> 
> https://youtu.be/A33HFAH_KWI


 It looks good here and of course, not available in Canada that I could find. I would definitely be game to give it a try! I can hardly believe that chemical resistance! DANG! I expect the only way to remove it is power sanding. The video makes an impressive case!


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## Eagle Cap Painter

Just finished 16 windows, 6 doors, base, casings, some cabinets, and a small T&G wall (all white oak) with a waterborne Varathane clear and I hated the product. Foaming, not sandable between coats, and I was chasing runs for up to 20 minutes after applying.


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## Redux

jennifertemple said:


> 48 hours where the product recommends 24 BUT I also find the water borne is not as bright and clear as solvent based. The look is not as nice.


Just about any single component poly acrylic will go white when subjected to water before cured. The product takes 2 weeks + before it develops water resistance, some of the clears taking upwards a month. I think the cure time on that product is 14 days. I’ve seen water spotting and recovery on just about every single component WB clear if placed into service only 2 days after application.


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## jennifertemple

Eagle Cap Painter said:


> Just finished 16 windows, 6 doors, base, casings, some cabinets, and a small T&G wall (all white oak) with a waterborne Varathane clear and I hated the product. Foaming, not sandable between coats, and I was chasing runs for up to 20 minutes after applying.


Horrible stuff to work with! I'm betting your done with such products , as well.


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## jennifertemple

Alchemy Redux said:


> Just about any single component poly acrylic will go white when subjected to water before cured. The product takes 2 weeks + before it develops water resistance, some of the clears taking upwards a month. I think the cure time on that product is 14 days. I’ve seen water spotting and recovery on just about every single component WB clear if placed into service only 2 days after application.


So Varathane lied about putting into service after 24 hours! What ever the explanations, a floor finish that needs 15-30 before going into service will Never work for me. As noted, all in, nothing about the product made me happy. I'm just done with WB CC!


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## jennifertemple

MikeCalifornia said:


> Don't use floor finish on a dining table, check!!
> I've use GF High Performance WB Poly and it was great


May be great stuff but I'm not a gambling sort, "once burned..."


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## Redux

jennifertemple said:


> So Varathane lied about putting into service after 24 hours! What ever the explanations, a floor finish that needs 15-30 before going into service will Never work for me. As noted, all in, nothing about the product made me happy. I'm just done with WB CC!


The tech sheets states 14 days. Being in the floor finishing business for a good 30 years, it’s industry common practice not to use water on WB floor finishes during the first two weeks, Varathane neglecting to state that on their tech sheets, although most floor finishes clearly state it.

Below is a pic of the WB Varathane Ultimate Matte. I tested the product for water and chemical resistance because it had a nice look and clarity about it for a matte, also having a good open working time as a brushable option that didn’t foam. The finish was subjected to standing water after the 2 week cure time, the water having permeated the film within 1/2 hr. I added some crosslinker to it, speeding up the cure time and creating a tighter chain. With the crosslinker the product performed very well, although I never used the product, often testing newer products.

The second photo is of a dining room service console that was originally finished by the fabricator with Target Coatings WB lacquer, the finish failing within the first 2 years. 

Just for kicks I refinished the top with Varathane Satin WB Diamond, the same product now having a different name. The photo was taken 7 years after refinishing it with the Varathane, the finish on a heavy-use food service top exhibiting -zero- failure after 7 years. Go figure! This was shortly before being introduced to Euro WB 2K finishes when durable WB options were somewhat limited.


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## jennifertemple

Alchemy Redux said:


> The tech sheets states 14 days. Being in the floor finishing business for a good 30 years, it’s industry common practice not to use water on WB floor finishes during the first two weeks, Varathane neglecting to state that on their tech sheets, although most floor finishes clearly state it.


 That being the case, they should not say it can be put into service in 24 hours and if it is an occupied home you really don't get 30 days or even 2 weeks. With solvent based it may be 30 days to cure but can resist water as soon as it is dry to touch.


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## Mr Smith

jennifertemple said:


> It looks good here and of course, not available in Canada that I could find. I would definitely be game to give it a try! I can hardly believe that chemical resistance! DANG! I expect the only way to remove it is power sanding. The video makes an impressive case!


I'm in Canada too and it looks like most of the distributors for the CIC coatings are in California. I won't order any either. You'd have to order a lot more than you need in case of an emergency on the job and the shipping fees, etc, would be ridiculous.

I remember testing a Haps free waterbased conversion varnish from Valspar (Zenith) years ago and it was tough as nails. I rarely do a clear coat so I haven't used it on a job. Valspar Zenith is now owned by Axalta in North America, so the brand name has changed also. I'd expect that you can add a hardener and/or a cross linker to it if desired.


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## jennifertemple

@Mr Smith I am a KISS principal sort. If I use solvent based I know exactly what to expect and the products I prefer for specific applications. When it requires a lot of trouble to arrange for products not to be found on local shelves I am highly unlikely to use them. Also, I'm near ready to retire. I don't really want to do a lot more product testing when I can use methods that have worked for over 40 years.


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## Mr Smith

jennifertemple said:


> @Mr Smith I am a KISS principal sort. If I use solvent based I know exactly what to expect and the products I prefer for specific applications. When it requires a lot of trouble to arrange for products not to be found on local shelves I am highly unlikely to use them. Also, I'm near ready to retire. I don't really want to do a lot more product testing when I can use methods that have worked for over 40 years.


I get it about the testing. Valspar Zenith (called Exalta brand now) is available in most Canadian cities. It's not hard to find like the CIC which is a US regional paint company. good luck. The WB conversion varnish dries as quickly as lacquer or solvent urethane and is 10X tougher and it won't yellow. They use it for bar tops. I took a hands on course about this product and shot a sample door for myself in class.


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## Woodco

I used waterborne defthane on my wood counters in my house, and it worked great.


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## finishesbykevyn

So Jennifer, which product would you use next time? I just finished some chairs with Old Masters Oil Urathane which turned out pretty nice.


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## jennifertemple

finishesbykevyn said:


> So Jennifer, which product would you use next time? I just finished some chairs with Old Masters Oil Urathane which turned out pretty nice.


 What you did with the chairs would work for me!
On the dinner table I will strip and go back to wipe on poly. A lot of occasional / side tables I use sprayed on lacquer, coffee tables would be wipe on poly. In cases where I want a really fine finish I would use either the lacquer or poly and do a rubbed out finish. Old Masters is a good brand but I'm not opposed to Varathane or Minwax, either, just make it a solvent with reasonable open time. I did find the quick drying WB are very unforgiving and really hard to apply manually with either brush or spreader. It dries so fast that by the end of a stroke, the beginning of the stroke has congealed already, you can not go back! With solvent / oil based when you get a bubble or the brush strokes were to heavy you can lightly bush them out. With WB you get one shot and it better be perfect!

The Following were wipe on oil based poly:
View attachment 105293


View attachment 105295


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## Redux

For oil based clears I’ve always been partial to the Sutherland Welles finishes. 

http://www.sutherlandwelles.com

The company was founded by a wood finisher and acquaintance/friend of mine who was one of my earlier mentors and inspirations in the wood finishing craft. They sell mostly mail order either manufacturer direct or through Garrett Wade & Lee Valley which is a dealbreaker for those requiring an over the counter finish, although their turnaround time rarely exceeds 2 days from order placement to receipt of product. They’ve got a really terrific lineup of wiping finishes and fully integrated finishing systems so there’s no need to mix and match different products, most of their finishes being formulated with tung oil. I used their Murdoch’s hard finishes, oxidizer, and tung oil dye stains on the Modern Beach House II which I posted at the photos of projects and equipment thread last week.


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## jennifertemple

@*Alchemy Redux* regarding Lee Valley (Whom I adore!) Sutherland Wells says: Only one product is available at Lee Valley, " At present, they have a licensing agreement to package our Polymerized Tung Oil in the High Lustre and Sealer consistency under their own house name. We are in the process of discussing other additions of our products to their catalog. Please email them and let them know what other Sutherland Welles Ltd.® products you would like them to carry! Their customer service is outstanding!
Lee Valley is the best source for our Polymerized Tung Oil in Canada."
Cripes, not cheap at $40 Canadian for 17 ounces.


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## Redux

jennifertemple said:


> @*Alchemy Redux* regarding Lee Valley (Whom I adore!) Sutherland Wells says: Only one product is available at Lee Valley, " At present, they have a licensing agreement to package our Polymerized Tung Oil in the High Lustre and Sealer consistency under their own house name. We are in the process of discussing other additions of our products to their catalog. Please email them and let them know what other Sutherland Welles Ltd.® products you would like them to carry! Their customer service is outstanding!
> Lee Valley is the best source for our Polymerized Tung Oil in Canada.
> Cripes, not cheap at $40 Canadian for 17 ounces.


I haven’t checked the Lee Valley or Garrett Wade catalogues in a while so I’m not certain if either stocks their entire lineup. I’ve always dealt directly with the manufacturer. They usually provide a discount and the product costs less when buying direct. I love Lee Valley too, purchasing most of my chisels & planes from them.

Mary, the president of Sutherland Welles, is a career lifelong wood finisher, and is very helpful and always available to speak with over the phone. Their finishes are geared mostly towards artisan finishers such as yourself as well as artisan woodworkers. I’ve worked with the company’s founder Frank Welles on several projects earlier in my career and pretty much picked up where he left off with some of his local clients in my area after retiring from the business . I think they might also have me listed under their finishing resource section. I’ve gotten a quite bit of work over the years from their website resource section as well as in house referrals. 

I’ve used their products exclusively for the past 20 years when oils or oil based polys are specified, all the projects I’ve used them on receiving rave review. I find their exterior spar varnish to be far superior to that of Waterlox and Epifanes, the Sutherland Welles Spar Varnish being my go-to product for exterior brightwork. All I can say is they’re a great little company with great products and I highly recommend them.


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## jennifertemple

@Alchemy Redux Lee Valley carries only 1 of Sutherland Wells products and it is labeled under their own name. Sutherland Wells is working on licensing them to carry more.


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## cocomonkeynuts

I know a guy who swears by a product called odies oil
Supposed to be really easy to use, wipe on buff off, then buff to a gloss finish.
https://www.odiesoil.com/


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## juanvaldez

I’ve used polycrylics a few times. They are easy to work with but yeah they need to cure for quite a while. Used oils but unless table was already yellow toned, not bare. Also, did someone say epoxy Bar Top coating??











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wolfgang

Conversion varnish. Great for tops, etc..


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## PaPainter724

Ive used Minwax oil modified water based poly on a ton of restaurant tables over the years to great effect. Lays down like oil, dries fast like water. But dries hard and solid.

California/Fixall Ceramithane is even better. Its water base, dries fast, hard and can't be scratched. It also holds up for years.


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## jennifertemple

Mr Smith said:


> This finisher recommends adding the CIC Polyurethane hardener to the CIC water base conversion varnish. QUOTE]Can anyone name a comparable product available in Ontario Canada?
> 
> I'd really like to experiment with a product like this!


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## jennifertemple

Mr Smith said:


> I get it about the testing. Valspar Zenith (called Exalta brand now) is available in most Canadian cities. It's not hard to find like the CIC which is a US regional paint company. good luck. The WB conversion varnish dries as quickly as lacquer or solvent urethane and is 10X tougher and it won't yellow. They use it for bar tops. I took a hands on course about this product and shot a sample door for myself in class.


Can it be nicely applied manually with a brush or spreader? My real irritation was micro bubbles that solidified before they could level out due to the super fast dry time.


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## PPD

jennifertemple said:


> I won't buy it again; this was leavings from the prior job. (I almost never toss material, I use it to play and experiment with on my own time.) Any experiments I do are ALWAYS on my own stuff! I'd never do anything that was not tried & true over time on a paid contract. With my own stuff I can redo it as many times and in as many ways as it takes to make it right again. It was a whimsical experiment that I did not like the result of. It is still really hard to apply with out getting those dang micro bubbles! I like the clarity of the solvent finishes better and IMO they are tougher than water based. Also the water borne products react badly to a fair variety of cleaning products. I've only used the one product, once. It was my first time trying water borne clear coats and in far to many ways I was not happy using it. I'm sticking with solvent based polys for as long as they will let us buy it! Besides, I'm always happier using products I have always used and where I know exactly what to expect. One does need to experiment with new developments in coatings or risk redundancy! I have on occasion used new product and became a committed user after a first use. Water borne clear coat was not such a product.



Now imagine the horror of living in Southern California were every year the VOC limits cause another of your beloved products to become obsolete....

I feel like such a lame wining b*- but am still SO UPSET about the first round that got rid of most my ride or die solvent products & even some WB versions (like MM dead flat).

Its horrible wasting SO MUCH $$ trying in vain to find products that can perform as well as the old versions...

but for me, the worst part is the lack of confidence when I’m asked about doing a unique finish or solving a problem no one else has been able to. All those years of hard earned experience & confidence in my product choices mostly went out the window so I hesitate knowing I’ll need to spend hours researching MSDS & tech reports before dumping more $ into testing something to see if it might work. 

*thats why I love Alchemy product info replies so much, I’m a material composition nerd & he’s always got the facts & test results I’d otherwise spend days looking into


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## jennifertemple

@PDD I hear you! A great many of my most favored products have been banned, like true melamine oil based. No finish I ever used on trims was as beautiful, tough and resistant to yellowing. Leveled like a dream! The suppliers are always telling me this or that WB is as good a finish. Time after time I was disappointed. Worse, with new product you need to get into the mess before you know what you're dealing with. Worse, it seems to me, many products promoted by other painters here can not be bought in Canada.


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## Mr Smith

jennifertemple said:


> @PDD I hear you! A great many of my most favored products have been banned, like true melamine oil based. No finish I ever used on trims was as beautiful, tough and resistant to yellowing. Leveled like a dream! The suppliers are always telling me this or that WB is as good a finish. Time after time I was disappointed. Worse, with new product you need to get into the mess before you know what you're dealing with. Worse, it seems to me, many products promoted by other painters here can not be bought in Canada.


I just spoke to Stefan who owns Envirolak which is based in Ontario. He says their WB clear coating for tabletops are Low VOC’s, no formaldehyde, no isocyanate, no flammable solvents.

I'm going to try their white poly next week. You can even brush & roll them which is a huge bonus. Stefan says their 1K poly is as tough as most 2K poly.

https://www.envirolak.com/top-coats


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## jennifertemple

@Mr Smith Let me know how it works for you. Are you spraying or brushing?


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## Mr Smith

jennifertemple said:


> @Mr Smith Let me know how it works for you. Are you spraying or brushing?


I'll be spraying a couple sample doors with a white poly. I've never used a clear coat before nor stained new wood cabinets before. It's all repaints.

I know this company also makes a non wiping stain you can spray which is more my style. Drippy stain (with the consistency of water) that you have to wipe off doesn't look like fun. If I had a shop I'd use a gravity fed cup gun for those spray stains. it looks so much easier to do.


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## DeanV

Around here, we used to use a lot of spray stains, but everyone has moved away from them unless absolutely needed. 

Usually, when I need a spray stain or toner, I make my own from TransTint dyes.


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## Mr Smith

DeanV said:


> Around here, we used to use a lot of spray stains, but everyone has moved away from them unless absolutely needed.
> 
> Usually, when I need a spray stain or toner, I make my own from TransTint dyes.


I just bought a new wood bedroom set and the finisher used a dye stain. It looks really uniform for Alder.


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## Redux

I use dyes and chemical reagents pretty much exclusively. They provide unrivaled clarity and uniformity without obscuring the figure, enhancing the natural beauty of wood rather than concealing it. The only time I use pigmented stains is to UV protect some dyes that are prone to fading when subjected to UV light, or to color match applied moldings on factory finished window or millwork packs that were colored by the fabricators utilizing pigmented stains.

As far a clear waterborne finish for tabletops, I had stopped by a project yesterday where I had refinished a white oak kitchen dining tabletop with Target Coatings EM 8000 CV this past February just to see how the finish was faring. The table’s been subjected to heavy daily use since being placed into service. I utilized a matte sheen and was concerned that the finish would develop burnishing/marring from items being slid across the top cross-grain. Upon close inspection the top has held up beautifully with not even the slightest bit of marring. 

As far as the testing that one self identified composition-nerd mentioned (got a kick out of that), testing has always been a critical part of my operations, especially with finishing costs of some of the millwork & trim packs for a single home easily drifting into the several hundred thousand dollar range, taking only “one” catastrophic finish failure to literally wipe me out, most GL policies not providing error and omissions coverage for something of that nature. It’s often difficult to proceed with confidence that PPD mentioned without testing based on what seems to be the ever changing reformulations to reduce VOCs, often placing the finisher at risk. When suggesting finishes here at PT I’ll often include that it’s always best to test for yourself based on subjected use and exposures, and to CYA by including the can and cannot(s) as to what the finishes can be subjected to as well as cleaning and maintenance requirements, all the above mentioned being written into the contracts.


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## celicaxx

This table I did, believe it or not, with Minwax Polyshades. The whole thing was sanded to 100% bare wood, and the prestain conditioner was used. The sanding was a little nuts, as kids we kind of destroyed our table a bit putting rocks on it and carving stuff in it and all that. Eventually I think one day my sister spilled acetone on it and it started peeling the varnish with it. It spent years covered with tablecloths after. (We're both in our 20s now.) So while my mom was gone me and her sanded it down, starting with 40 grit just down to 220. I wish I did a final sand with 400 grit or so, as really close up you can see some problems if you're a meticulous painter, but overall it's a big transformation and my family's extremely happy with it, and the Polyshades has held up very well to basically everything, and I clean it with straight ammonia. 

I kind of don't get why Polyshades is actually knocked so much as a product. I feel like if you do the work, it works. It's extremely good for stuff that otherwise wouldn't be economical to completely strip, but you still want looking better, especially using the Espresso color.


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## PPD

Alchemy Redux said:


> I use dyes and chemical reagents pretty much exclusively. They provide unrivaled clarity and uniformity without obscuring the figure, enhancing the natural beauty of wood rather than concealing it. The only time I use pigmented stains is to UV protect some dyes that are prone to fading when subjected to UV light, or to color match applied moldings on factory finished window or millwork packs that were colored by the fabricators utilizing pigmented stains.
> 
> 
> 
> As far a clear waterborne finish for tabletops, I had stopped by a project yesterday where I had refinished a white oak kitchen dining tabletop with Target Coatings EM 8000 CV this past February just to see how the finish was faring. The table’s been subjected to heavy daily use since being placed into service. I utilized a matte sheen and was concerned that the finish would develop burnishing/marring from items being slid across the top cross-grain. Upon close inspection the top has held up beautifully with not even the slightest bit of marring.
> 
> 
> 
> As far as the testing that one self identified composition-nerd mentioned (got a kick out of that), testing has always been a critical part of my operations, especially with finishing costs of some of the millwork & trim packs for a single home easily drifting into the several hundred thousand dollar range, taking only “one” catastrophic finish failure to literally wipe me out, most GL policies not providing error and omissions coverage for something of that nature. It’s often difficult to proceed with confidence that PPD mentioned without testing based on what seems to be the ever changing reformulations to reduce VOCs, often placing the finisher at risk. When suggesting finishes here at PT I’ll often include that it’s always best to test for yourself based on subjected use and exposures, and to CYA by including the can and cannot(s) as to what the finishes can be subjected to as well as cleaning and maintenance requirements, all the above mentioned being written into the contracts.




Wow the EM 8000 in a flat has held up to table use without any burnishing?! Thats impressive! I’ve been hesitant to get into them since u mentioned they discontinued your favorite & then watching some testing videos that left me deflated.


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## Redux

PPD said:


> Wow the EM 8000 in a flat has held up to table use without any burnishing?! Thats impressive! I’ve been hesitant to get into them since u mentioned they discontinued your favorite & then watching some testing videos that left me deflated.


In anticipation of it burnishing I ended up bringing up the sheen level a bit with a little hand work. Anything below a 23% sheen level is a little sketchy for a tabletop no matter what finish is used. It really worked out well.


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## jennifertemple

I like the paint on wipe off stains for articles not yet installed. It really is not so messy if the wood is laid flat.


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## jennifertemple

cocomonkeynuts said:


> How long did you let it cure before using?


All these months later and AMPLE cure time and my complaints are the same. BTW: I'd have thought anything tough enough for a floor would be tough enough to use on a dinner table! The truth is, nearly 2 years gone and I'm unimpressed with it on the stairs as well. I will not use the product again.


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## Packard

I am a cabinet maker and the local Starbucks asked me to refinish the table tops which were less than one year old. The finish got very soft and you could easily scrape off the finish with your fingernail. I had done a small cabinet for them in the past.

I sanded off the old finish and applied Minwax Oil-based poly by brush in 4 fairly heavy coats. I allowed one day between coats and lightly scuffed the finish between coats. I waited 7 days after the last coat before making the delivery. That week was to allow about 200 hours of cure time. 

Starbucks remodels on a 10-year cycle. The finish on the tabletops was in excellent condition at the 10-year mark. It might not be the latest and greatest, but the Minwax stood up to heavy commercial use and thousands and thousands of wipe downs using sanitizing cleaners. Other finishes might do as well or better, but *this is the only one that has proven to me to stand up to that level of use*.

I suspect that the factory finish was UV cured (very fast cure), and that decision was driven by production efficiency and not by finish durability.

I have noticed that oil-based poly will continue to cure well beyond the 200-hour mark. And that 2 year old finish is noticeably harder than two week old finish.


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