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Best finish for 1.5" thick unfinished hevea butcher block used as shop worktable top?
Posted on 2/9/25 at 1:49 pm
Posted on 2/9/25 at 1:49 pm
The directions call for mineral oil, polyurethane, or stain, but I'm not concerned about being food safe.
I'm mainly looking to seal it to minimize risk of splitting due to uneven moisture / swelling.
All things being equal, I'd like to leave the naked wood appearance, but if prime/paint is the best way to go, I'm All in. If so, any specific recommendation s?
I'm mainly looking to seal it to minimize risk of splitting due to uneven moisture / swelling.
All things being equal, I'd like to leave the naked wood appearance, but if prime/paint is the best way to go, I'm All in. If so, any specific recommendation s?
This post was edited on 2/9/25 at 1:53 pm
7
Posted on 2/9/25 at 2:02 pm to luvdoc
What do you mean by shop worktable top? Like out in your shop building? If that then poly.
If inside your house, I have had great success with either conversion varnishes and Rubio Monocoat for nice stuff. The Rubio is expensive though.
If inside your house, I have had great success with either conversion varnishes and Rubio Monocoat for nice stuff. The Rubio is expensive though.
This post was edited on 2/9/25 at 2:03 pm
Posted on 2/9/25 at 2:04 pm to luvdoc
I'm a fan of tung oil (the real stuff).
But, most work benches end up with a used oil / brake cleaner / ATF / gasoline /grease finish anyway. Next one I build, I'm going to try finishing it with fresh 15w40 and see what that comes out like.
But, most work benches end up with a used oil / brake cleaner / ATF / gasoline /grease finish anyway. Next one I build, I'm going to try finishing it with fresh 15w40 and see what that comes out like.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 3:02 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Motor oil sounds like a good effective cheap option.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 3:05 pm to luvdoc
I don't think it'll work very good. Tung oil hardens the wood some. I don't think motor oil will do that. I'm gonna do it anyway just for shits and giggles. Motor oil would keep it from rotting and maybe make it look cool.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 5:40 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Maybe some odorless mineral spirits with fresh 0-20 motor oil? That should give some deep penetration. (Insert jokes here)
Posted on 2/9/25 at 8:07 pm to luvdoc
I used motor oil. Soaked it in good. Top is 2 x 6s. Now 19 years old. I work on all kinds of mechanical stuff on it. Never a split and top is in great shape still.
Got the idea from my papaws bench. That old bench top was every bit of 55 years old when he passed. Hard to beat motor oil.
Got the idea from my papaws bench. That old bench top was every bit of 55 years old when he passed. Hard to beat motor oil.
This post was edited on 2/10/25 at 12:57 pm
Posted on 2/10/25 at 6:01 am to luvdoc
Tried & True - Varnish Oil
It’s safe for food and kids furniture, it’s simple to apply, it looks good, it’s repairable, and the pine resins hardeners gives you some scratch protection.
The only real downside is you have to wait a few days between coats.
It’s safe for food and kids furniture, it’s simple to apply, it looks good, it’s repairable, and the pine resins hardeners gives you some scratch protection.
The only real downside is you have to wait a few days between coats.
Posted on 2/10/25 at 6:29 am to luvdoc
I bought butcher block oil for mine I installed in the shop.
Posted on 2/10/25 at 5:38 pm to TimeOutdoors
quote:
I bought butcher block oil for mine I installed in the shop.
This or cheap mineral oil. Hell, even dollar store baby oil if you don't mind the scent for a while. Thin it with a little mineral spirits and roll it on, made my work bench tops out of resawed and planed 2x4's glued and bolted together with all-thread. Stains, burn marks, gouges...all just character.
Posted on 2/10/25 at 11:19 pm to luvdoc
I would use boiled linseed oil. If you prefer, tint the linseed oil before application Always buy “boiled” linseed oil because unboiled can take a week or more to dry.
This post was edited on 2/10/25 at 11:27 pm
Posted on 2/28/25 at 4:51 pm to Spankum
I went with three heavy coats of tung oil, that wood was thirsty! Pleased with the look and expect it to seal and protect to my satisfaction
Posted on 2/28/25 at 11:37 pm to luvdoc
Great….post a picture, if you can!
Posted on 3/1/25 at 1:03 pm to luvdoc
quote:
three heavy coats of tung oil, that wood was thirsty!
Tung oil finishes benefit greatly from repeated coats. There's old Chinese furniture several thousand years old that was tung oil finished. Its good stuff! It's one of those things that just continually gets better forever
Posted on 3/1/25 at 3:52 pm to Spankum
Ever since losing all my photos to Photobucket, I haven't used any of the online photo host sites. But it went from looking like raw balsa wood to having a caramel color with the grain showing through
I put on two more heavy coats this morning and it sucked them right up. The directions say to wipe off excess after 24 hours, but that has not been an issue
I put on two more heavy coats this morning and it sucked them right up. The directions say to wipe off excess after 24 hours, but that has not been an issue
Posted on 3/1/25 at 7:35 pm to luvdoc
Does it mean I'm old since I saw OP had last post and I was excited there would be pics? But no pics, so just old and disappointed.
Posted on 3/2/25 at 2:57 pm to luvdoc
I like to make my own shellac for finishes
Posted on 3/3/25 at 10:50 am to luvdoc
quote:
I went with three heavy coats of tung oil, that wood was thirsty! Pleased with the look and expect it to seal and protect to my satisfaction
I'm a believer in tung oil for a more natural looking finish. Many years ago I came to own an armoire that a friend of mine had stored on the ground floor of his house. And when I say ground floor, I mean dirt floor and more like a huge crawl space.
It was apart in several pieces and atop some old wood to keep it directly off the dirt.
Damn thing was jet black and the old finish was alligatored so bad it could be peeled off in small chunks where it was loose.
I took it home and dissolved the old finish and was very happy to see it was constructed out of beautiful mahogany. Once stripped of the old finish and thoroughly cleaned, I used several coats of tung oil as a finish.
That was almost 40 years ago now and the piece still looks great.
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