Hello all - I am working on a live edge table for my office. The saw mill said it was maple and had been drying for several years in a shed.
It has taken forever to sand down the top, I should have paid them extra to run it through their planer!
my question is about how to finish it. I don't really want that shiny epoxy look that I see a lot. What more "natural" looking options are out there that are durable yet DIY friendly?
I'm assuming the intended use is important: this will be used as a secondary desk in my office, mainly a computer station and a place to pile up papers.
thanks in advance for any suggestions!
I used satin waterlox on my countertops and like the way it looks. It will give a slight amber tint but looks better than a shiny coating.
Maple butcher block before and after.
In reply to EvanB :
Lumber liquidators butcher block? I used that for the bar at my house and it's awesome. I used spar urethane which gave a similar tint to the Waterlox.
dculberson said:
In reply to EvanB :
Lumber liquidators butcher block? I used that for the bar at my house and it's awesome. I used spar urethane which gave a similar tint to the Waterlox.
I got these from Floor & Decor. They have only been in for 6 months or so but I'm happy with how the coating holds up and repels water and the counters look great for how little they cost.
EvanB said:
I used satin waterlox on my countertops and like the way it looks. It will give a slight amber tint but looks better than a shiny coating.
That looks nice! did you just do multiple coats of the satin original?
thanks for the suggestion!
Check out Blacktail Studios on YouTube.
I did Danish oil on some shelves I recently did, but that may not provide the level of protection you want for an office.
https://www.odiesoil.com
that will protect it, is all natural, and easy to apply.
Some of the maples like Norway are rock hard. When I put my maple floors down I rented a big 100-lb orbital floor sander with 60 grit to start. It didn't touch it, so I ended up putting the finish on the (very smooth) as-planed wood. Norway Maple is what they use for bowling alleys and basketball courts.
Mix up equal parts of Satin oil poly, Tung oil, and mineral spirits to make your own wipe-on poly. It is thin enough that it soaks in leaving a satin finish and leaves the wood looking like natural wood. It's not a coating that covers it with a 1/16" plastic top, it's a soak-in sealer. You can put as many coats as you want and it will still leave the texture of the woodgrain visible
For the live edges (if you want to "lock" them in) get a can or two of spray lacquer. Mask the top to prevent overspray and put a few good heavy coats on the bark.
Here is some walnut. The first is my coffee table with 4 or 5 coats of that wipe-on concoction. The last photo is some Walnut cabinets I did with 2 coats of that concoction. Coffee table gets regular abuse from condensation on beer cans and cups, I often eat dinner on it, and it hasn't shown any signs of damage.
BFH_Garage said:
EvanB said:
I used satin waterlox on my countertops and like the way it looks. It will give a slight amber tint but looks better than a shiny coating.
That looks nice! did you just do multiple coats of the satin original?
thanks for the suggestion!
I did (I think) 2 coats of the tung oil sealer and 2-3 coats of the satin H20lox because I was doing it inside and wanted less fumes.
After much back and forth, I took the suggestion of Odie’s Oil from @Steve_Jones.
It was easy to use and didn't stink up the basement... the 9 oz jar is supposed to be able to do 250+ square feet, so I barely put a dent in the jar.
it isn't perfect, but good enough for me!
No bark on the edge, is that stained or just oiled? This was my first foray into epoxy type sealers, thick enough to roll on, then hit with heat to make it lay down. I would opt for satin but my son had some gloss left over.
It repels water rings and small scratches easily.
In reply to 914Driver :
no bark on the edge, I just didn't sand off all the gray... I sanded the edges enough for it to be fairly smooth and oiled it.
No stains either, just the Odies oil.
I like how the edge look darker than the top.
