Finish for Wet Area Cabinet

[silentC]

I have a bathroom vanity made from Blackbutt and Blue Gum. I'd like to finish it with something that will handle wet conditions. Having looked into some potential products, there are a couple of options that are recommended by the manufacturers.

For example, Wattyl has a range of polys that are designed for this purpose. They have one that is suitable for cabinets in wet areas and another suitable for benchtops. Organ Oil also has a couple of products that will do.

My quandry is whether to use an oil or a poly finish. On the one hand, oil is easy to apply and can be repaired easily. On the other I have an idea that a poly finish will be less susceptible to mould and will provide better protection for the timber. These may be misconceptions on my part.

Perhaps a third option would be Hard Shellac but I'm uncertain how well this finish will last in a bathroom.

Any ideas/suggestions?

[silentC]

No takers?

I had a look in the local Mitre 10 and they've got a marine gloss finish but it says on the tin not to use it on interior surfaces. Anyone know why?

Also looking at water-based polyurethane gloss...

[Wongo]

SilentC,

I was waiting for someone else to replay.

Well to me any oil based polyU will do the job and it will be my only option.

Cheers

[journeyman Mick]

Silent C, most true marine varnishes are quite soft, reason being that in order to get that lovely, lustrous high gloss look to stay looking good, it's actually sanded right back and reapplied every 3 - 6 months (at least on the high end boats in the tropics). So I don't know how it would go for wear, with stuff being slid over it. The way I see it it's always a compromise between how long a finish will last and how hard it's going to be to sand it back in order to reapply it later down the track. I tend to finish a lot of stuff with pre-cat lacquer (mirotone) and some of it's still looking quite good inside ply kitchen carcasses 20yrs on. It's softer than a lot of the polys, but it's cheap, fast drying and comes off the gun beautifully. Alternatively you could look at acid cure laquer or 2 pack finishes which are very durable but harder to refinish. I love the look that oil gives to timber as it soaks in and brings out the grain rather than sitting on top. In the end it's your call:)

Mick

[silentC]

Thanks Mick and Wongo. I think I've locked myself into a poly or lacquer finish now because I've filled some gum veins with epoxy and I don't think the oil will take too well to that. I'll check out the mirotone.

Cheers

[rodm]

Probably of no value to you now as you have finished construction but I was wondering about a sheet of glass over the top.