Denette Posted November 13, 2016 Report Share Posted November 13, 2016 My brother bought an 8' long pine slab and is getting me to finish it up for him as a countertop for his kitchen. It was rough-cut when I got it. So far I've milled it so that it is square and gotten a few dovetail keys in a substantial crack. It was my first effort at inlay of any kind. Check it out: So anyway, my question (and the reason this post is in the finishing section) is what kind of finish would be best for a pine slab countertop? I've been advised by a local guy that cutting oil-based poly 50/50 with mineral spirits will let it soak into the grain and harden the wood to protect against damage, but if anyone has any better ideas I'd be open to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 13, 2016 Report Share Posted November 13, 2016 Thinned poly seems like a good choice, and is available as "wiping varnish" if you don't want the hassle of mixing it yourself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 13, 2016 Report Share Posted November 13, 2016 I am not one to normally recommend poly but, in this case the flexibility of the product seems right. Pine is soft and will show abuse even with normal daily kitchen tasks (think picnic table at the park) so a brittle finish will likely fail under impact. Poly is pretty resilient. An absorbing oil (like mineral oil) would not fracture under use but, would be ill suited for low maintenance kitchen use. Another option (although this moves into the local watering hole glossy bar-top sort of look) is a thick epoxy finish (think 1970's decoupage). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted November 13, 2016 Report Share Posted November 13, 2016 Damage from what? Beer drinking ruffians or kids. If it's kids good luck I have not found anything just short of a epoxy finish Gee dub mentions. I use the 50/50 finish on my work bench in my shop if sit a drink down there with be a ring from the drink. The best table top finishes have a High Solids and need to be sprayed.Conversion varnish. The main difference from the rest are how easy they go down.How nice they look. Aj 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted November 14, 2016 Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 Like others said, not much you can do to impregnate the wood and make it harder with finish. The finish is only as durable as the wood it sits on. Wiping polys are satisfactory, im sure. Waterlox is one of the more popular countertop finishes, but i dont know if it would be considered tougher than poly. I think waterlox has a leg up in water resistance compared to ARS or another wiping poly. More importantly, I think your brother needs to go in with a level mindset. He WILL dent this thing if it drops a plate. He WILL have issues with water if he lets a puddle sit overnight. He WILL damage the finish and wood if he sets a 400° pan directly on the counter without a trivet. Many of the people around here would agree wood counters are beautiful and full of life; however, they do have downsides compared to their stone brethren--durability and water resistance being the top two drawbacks. Post an installed pic, i bet this looks cool when it is complete. p.s. every pro says CV is awesome, but please read up on the health concerns before using it. I was all for trying it until i read about the nasty emissions. Just educate yourself and make a decision prior to sourcing it and spraying it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted December 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Well, the countertop is finished and gets installed today! Because my brother and his wife wanted pine to look like walnut, the top went through no fewer than 18 coats of various finishes. In order they were: Danish oil Danish oil Danish oil Danish oil Minwax Jacobean stain 50/50 Mineral spirits/oil-based poly blend 50/50 Mineral spirits/oil-based poly blend 50/50 Mineral spirits/oil-based poly blend Minwax gel stain (forget the color name) 50/50 Mineral spirits/oil-based poly blend Oil-based polyurethane Minwax wipe-on polyurethane More gel stain to touch up some spots Wipe-on poly Oil-based poly Wipe on poly Wipe on poly Wipe on poly And that's all with a good bit of sanding in between. But you know, it actually looks alright for pine trying to be walnut. And because I progressively sanded the poly down to 2000 grit between the last few coats, it's baby-butt smooth. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Looks awesome! You're kidding about the 18 coats though, right? Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted December 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Looks awesome! You're kidding about the 18 coats though, right? Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Not kidding at all. It was miserable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Not kidding at all. It was miserable. Wow, the thought of that just made me have to pop a few anti depressants. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 That's probably the smoothest finish I've ever seen on a piece of pine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 2 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: That's probably the smoothest finish I've ever seen on a piece of pine! That tends to happen when you have a 1/4" thick layer of product on top of the wood you can sand back to glass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Looks good for pine. I hope you finished the edges and underside well. A thick finish only on top can cause problems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted December 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 3 hours ago, shaneymack said: Wow, the thought of that just made me have to pop a few anti depressants. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Already did that one today, I'm good! 12 minutes ago, wdwerker said: Looks good for pine. I hope you finished the edges and underside well. A thick finish only on top can cause problems. Yeah, it received similar attention. 3 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: That's probably the smoothest finish I've ever seen on a piece of pine! Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it. I'm never doing another commissioned piece in pine. EVER. Not doing it. I'll foot the bill for some poplar or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JosephThomas Posted December 10, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Now do the math on your time and explain to the client how it would have been "cheaper" to just use walnut to begin with.... Or at least another domestic hardwood. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Denette Posted December 10, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Now do the math on your time and explain to the client how it would have been "cheaper" to just use walnut to begin with.... Or at least another domestic hardwood. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Yep! But it was a project for family and I got to learn new techniques, and got paid! So I count it as a win, especially since I'll get to see the countertop in the future to see how it fares. Here it is installed: 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Final install looks good. Update us in a year or two. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted December 11, 2016 Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 Looks great installed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted December 11, 2016 Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 Looks really good dark finishes are difficult. You did well. Aj 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 11, 2016 Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 7 hours ago, Denette said: Already did that one today, I'm good! Yeah, it received similar attention. Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it. I'm never doing another commissioned piece in pine. EVER. Not doing it. I'll foot the bill for some poplar or something. I worked with some old growth pine this past summer and if you passed a match within 6" of it, it would flame! It was a pleasure to work with. So never say never! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Danger Posted September 13, 2018 Report Share Posted September 13, 2018 That turned out gorgeous! How about that updated picture after a couple years of use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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