Wipe on Poly or Spray

[Arry]

I have now nearly finished my Slab Coffee Table and am wondering what to use to finish.

The timber is Marri and it is about 40mm thick.

I like Poly for the durabilty but am unsure whether I should use WOP or spray it on.

I have a compressor and no spray equipment but I can go buy it if necessary.

Does anyone here use both methods and if so what do you prefer?

After I finish it I will probably use some EEE on it from U-Beaut (great stuff)

Cheers,

[Rookie]

I vote wipe on. Love the stuff

[woodhunt]

I use both and would wipe if I didn't have the equipment if it's only for one table.

The expense of good equipment and time spent on setup/test/mistakes etc as you work out the 'intricacies' of your presumably unfamiliar spray equipment may not be worth it.

This is all assuming you have technique down pat...

Also have a look at hard shellac- very forgiving for something that crosslinks

[Arry]

I love oil, but it is not good for something like a coffee table top is it?

[Cruzi]

Poly is the most durable long lasting finish for a table top.

Oils are popular in this forum for ease of use but are less durable and higher maintenance.

It's unclear as to what sort of finish you want, gloss/satin/matte.

For a satin finish the wipe on poly will give good results, EEE is probably not the best product to use on satin as it will increase the shine,rub lightly with a very fine steel wool then a wax for a baby bum smooth finish.

For a gloss, it can be done with the wipe on poly, build a good base, apply final coat(s) then EEE, and wax.

I like using a car finish cutting compound (no wax/polish) with the buffer to give smoothest results (example), even though we spray, it really tops the finish off before final polish.

[Rattrap]

I tend to prefer wipe-on finishes, mostly because i have no skill in spraying at all but also i really like the tactile sensation of applying finishes by hand. I've been using oil/ poly mix finishes like the Maloof mix as a compromise between the 2 mediums & really enjoy the final product. On table tops i still use the Maloof mix but use a final straight poly for the final coat or 2, purely for the harder wearing of poly.

[Arry]

Cheers guys, and Cruzzi, that is Shiny !!!