timber finish for coffee table

[bjb]

Any advise on best finish for coffee tables i have made?

Wood sanded to 1000 grit.  

Iron bark -

Blackwood -

Cyprus pine-

Interior use only.

Best product and application methods to ensure a durable long lasting finish

Thanks

[Brad]

First step

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_finishing

The traditionalists amoungst us would say Shellac/French Polishing.

The rest would most likely use Polyurethane.

When using Polyurethane personal preferance is on brushing/roller or spraying, you may have brushmarks or if you try spraying too thick it may run.

Shellac is buffed on and takes ages to do.

Polyurethane may not stick to pine as well as we would like, nature of the beast.

[Jason]

Hi @bjb,

Welcome to Workshop. It's fantastic to have you join the community. It sounds like you have great skills and much to contribute. I hope you also get plenty of advice, inspiration and information from other members.

We have many keen woodworking gurus already in the community, including the likes of @Wayne, @AndrewJones and @She_Skills who have each been featured on the Workshop blog. Hopefully they can jump in and recommend how to best finish your tables. It would also be great if you could share some photos of them. Let me know if you need a hand uploading them.

Looking forward to reading more about your projects and plans. Thanks again for joining us.

Jason

[AndrewJones]

If you're happy to use coasters then danish oil is a good choice. Easy to apply and goods good. Fairly durable but wont handle prolonged contact with liquid, hence the need for coasters. Use three coats with a light sand in between.

[Wayne]

I also like Minwax Wipeon Poly, as the description suggests you wipe it on with a cloth, and again several coats with a sand or rub with 0000 Steel Wool and will look a million dollars.

[She_Skills]

Hi there. I like hard wax oil finishes. They are attractive, durable and no harsh fumes. Brands to consider are Osmo, Fiddes and Whittle Waxes. You can brush (good quality brush), roll on or spray. You have to hunt around the internet for tips on application, but we pretty much did trial and error. I'd recommend on Ironbark and Blackwood, but I don't know anything about Cyress Pine. Have fun with it. Meg