Wipe-on poly on alpine ash table
Our Chiswell alpine ash table needs a new finish on top and as the local Bunnings store carries both the Minwax and the Feast Watson wipe-on products, i am thinking this may be a possible solution. Does anyone have any experience with these products and alpine ash/tasmanian oak? I understand the coating is quite thin - is the finish durable enough for a table in daily use?
i have not been able to establish from Chiswell exactly what the original finish is - it has a satin appearance.
Munin
Minwax Wipe-on on alpine ash table
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wongo
I use Minwax wipe-on poly exclusively on all hard wearing surfaces, mostly coffee tables or dining tables. Coincidentally I am refinishing a Teak table top for a client right now.
Saw the Feast Watson at bunnings yesterday. I thought about it but I bought Minwax because I didn’t want any surprises. Plus Minwax has a very long shelf life so there's no need to change a winning formula.
My client wanted a satin finish and the table to be heat and water resistant. I spent most of yesterday removing the old finish using a cabinet scraper and sandpapers. Then I applied a coat of ubeaut sanding sealer and light sanded before I applied the first coat. They weather is good so I will be able to apply 1 cost per day. I also light sand between coat.
I highly recommend Minwax wipe-on poly.
Best of luck.
Thanks, Wongo - very useful feedback. A couple of questions:
- What grit do you use for the final sanding?
- How many coats?
- What do you recommend your customers do for regular maintenance?
I bought a 946 ml can - will this suffice for a dining table? I may get an extra can - the local Bunnings sells it for $13
Wipe-on poly on alpine ash table
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wongo
- 800 or 1000 wet and dry, or 0000 steelwool
- 5 to 7 coats
- Not needed
One tin is enough for many tables. I would say easily 6 to 7 dinning tables. Don’t buy another tin just because it is cheap. Unless you are planing to make many tables in the next 1-2 years or more than likely you will not get to use it. With any polyurethane I also buy the minimum because they do go off easily. I just threw away 1/3 tin of wipe-on poly after I brought it nearly 3 years ago, and I make furniture more than an average hobbyist.
Mine was marked as $29.95 but the the scanner charged me $25.
Thanks again for great advice - I'm new to finishing, as you can tell. I have ordered the U-beaut sanding sealer and have sanded down a piece of tasmanian oak for a trial run before getting to work on stripping the table.
Wipe-on poly on alpine ash table
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ian
is your table solid wood or alpine ash/tassie oak veneer?
my inclination is to suspect the latter.
best to check before starting the sander
The top is solid wood, with the pieces perpendicular to the length of the table, so there's a lot of end grain showing.
Wipe-on poly on alpine ash table
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wongo
Just for your benefit. This is the table I am working on. I spent a good part of Sunday to scrape and sand the old finish off. It has 5 coats on it so far. As you can see you can achieve a good result with polyurethane with a bit of patience and experience.
Attachment 300916
Attachment 300917
Attachment 300918
Most impressive. I applied the fifth coat to my test piece and it looks good. You mentioned removing the original finish with scraper and sandpaper - did you use anything to soften the finish before using the scraper? Ie. heat, stripper?
Rob,
I take your point about oil finishes and I want to experiment with oil, but I don't have the confidence in my capability with the ROS to tackle the dining table as the first project. The other limiting factor is the availability of Organoil HBO (I understand this is the benchmark when it comes to finishing oils) in my area - of the three suppliers on the manufacturer's list one went out of business months ago, the second told me bluntly they don't stock it and the third said they wouldn't order it because the minimum order is 12 cans - I don't want to spend project time on chasing down products that are so hard to get hold of.