what type of finish to use?

[abcini]

Hi I have just finished building a kitchen table made from Brush Box, not sure about what to use as a finish. (polyurethane, lacquer ect)

Regards All

[Cohuna]

I'm not an experianced person in finishes but I think you should first decide on the type of finish you want first ie high gloss, low sceen ect. and how much wear the table is going to get eg everyday use or special occasions only.

Personally I like and oil finish (to nourish the timber) and seal it with a wax, but I think this would only do if the table was for occasional use.

I'm sure you will get better advise from others who have more experiance and knowledge with finishing furniture but this is what would do.

There are alot of products on the market for finishing timber most of which I'm not familiar but I have read threads here that mention a book on finishes for timber now that may be a good place to start.

Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for

Cohuna

[Wozcraft]

I am a great fan of natural oiled finishes. I made a large Marri dining table 2 yrs ago and finished it with Ardvos wood oil made by the Livos company. In Perth it is sold by Planet Ark. It looks very good and takes a lot of punishment, the only drawback is that it is not very moisture resistant. If this is not a problem then the finish gets better and better over the years - providing you give it an occasional re-oiling.
Terry M

[rsser]

Yeah, a hard-rubbed oil finish is more durable than the rest and looks good.

Ern

[Taffy]

Danish oil is a good looking finish and fairly hard wearing, you may be able to get a urithane fortified oil (similar to danish) that is easy to put on and brings out the natural qualities of the timber, I used this on Kitchen tops and it is now 3 years old ans has withstood hot and wet items with no adverse affects.
The one I used was from "Data Glass Industies" DGI, they are in all states. You would need to put 3 or 4 coats for the best results.
If you put wax over an oil then you will need to strip it off before you can rejuvinate at a later date, Shellac will get moisture rings from warm coffey cups which can be removed with a hot iron and a soft cloth (between the iron and the wood).

Taffy