Lost Art Press

A Finish for the Top of a Dining Table

Posted on by Lost Art Press
Our breakfast table has an oil/wax blend on it and has survived just fine.

Almost every week on the Open Wire, we get asked some variation of the question: What finish should I use for the top of a dining table?

My answer is not going to be the most obvious one (polyurethane/varnish) or the most durable (conversion varnish or – shudder – bartop). Instead, my preferred finish comes from the fact that these three qualities are most important to me:

1. I want a finish that is easily repaired, even if that means it is less durable.

2. I want a finish that looks better the more it is used.

3. I want a finish without dangerous solvents or heavy-metal driers.

So why do I not like the highly durable finishes, such as conversion varnish, lacquer and polyurethane/varnish? They all have poisonous solvents, which the woodworker (me) has to endure. The finishes are safe (enough) after they have cured. Also, these finishes look great until they reach a tipping point, but then they deteriorate and look terrible. And they are difficult to repair. Usually you have to strip the finish and start over.

What about shellac? It is easy to repair and doesn’t have to use a dangerous solvent. Correct. Shellac is OK for tabletops. It is easy to repair. Usually you just have to pad on some more shellac. But when it deteriorates, it looks like crap – just like lacquer and polyurethane/varnish. If I want a shiny, high-style finish, then I will definitely use shellac. And a good coat of wax.

So what meets all the criteria? Several finishes.

1. Paint. Don’t immediately discount it. Paint is durable, can be non-toxic, looks better when it gets beat up. It is easy to repair (add more paint). Most woodworkers are horrified at the idea of painting a tabletop. I am not.

2. Some sort of oil, wax or combination of oil and wax. These finishes are so safe they can be edible. Beeswax and raw linseed oil are used to coat our foods – or even used as food. They are not durable at all. But they are easy to repair (add more oil and/or wax). And they look better the more they are used.

3. Soap. It is completely safe. Easy to renew/repair. But it offers almost no protection. It is used in many Scandinavian countries on furniture, woodwork and floors. My desk has a soap finish and I can attest to the fact that it looks better with age. After almost 10 years it has a glow that no finish can give you on the first day.

A worktable finished with soap on the tabletop.

I don’t expect you to follow my advice. It takes time to realize that all these fancy film finishes are really short-term solutions. If your spouse really wants a durable finish on a tabletop, here’s what I would do:

Mix any oil-based polyurethane/varnish 50/50 with low-odor mineral spirits. Wipe on a thin coat. Wipe it until it is just barely there. Let it dry. Scuff-sand it a little with #320-grit sandpaper until it is smooth. Then add another very thin coat of the mixture. Repeat five or six times until the finish starts to build. It is time consuming. When it fails it will look like crap. But it will protect the tabletop for a good long while. (Perhaps until you come to your senses and switch to an easily repaired finish.)

This table was built in 2006, and the top was originally finished with sprayed lacquer. It looked great for a day or two…until some nail polish remover was spilled on it. It looked like crap until earlier this year, when – finally – Megan and I sanded off the old finish then applied a couple coats of soft wax. It could probably use another coat now thanks to some scratches – but that’s easy.

— Christopher Schwarz

43 thoughts on “A Finish for the Top of a Dining Table”

  1. Chris, I love this plan. When you need to clean the table, (think 2 year old Mac and cheese hands) what do you wipe it down with? We have a product called Force of Nature now, which is an electrolyzed salt, water and vinegar product that we use on all wood with success. I will test it on a bare wood with soft wax finish before proceeding, but was curious how you typically clean with a “softer” finish.

      1. Thanks. I’ll nominate myself for the dumb question that was making things harder than necessary after reading your response.

        I’m finishing a table soon and this is a timely post about an issue I’ve been struggling with. Thank you.

  2. A favorite of mine is the Alan Peters scrubbed finish – which you quote in an earlier blog post. Just gets better with time and use.

  3. Christopher, I hope you and the family are doing well.

    This question was meant for Open Wire, I just did not get to it. I believe it is somewhat related to this post.

    I have an old 80’s pine, 2-shelf, corner, wall thingy (back when “heavy”, unfinished country furniture was the rage). I intend on cleaning it up and painting it. While Allback is somewhere in my future (along with engraving tools), I decided on milk paint. Old Fashioned, not General.

    I’ve compare recipes between Curtis Buchanan and Elia Bizzarri for their Windsor chair finishes. Pretty much similar, albeit Elia uses shellac after the multiple coats of paint. While Curtis uses a commercial product, although still “safe” after paint (I beleive Curtis switched to something else recently). Anyway, after the seal finishes, wax is applied. Both gentlemen use different products.

    My question; can I do this with Soft Wax 2.0?

    As I review this message, I guess I could have simply asked, “can Soft Wax go over shellac?”

    Hope you have a great Sunday.

    Respectfully,

    Matt

      1. Yes, Shellac forms a film, while oil/wax leaves a residue ( doesn’t build in thickness ). People try to use oil/wax over finishes as a polish; however my objections is that any crack or split in the ( shellac/poly/lacquer ) finish ( many can be microscopic as well ) will let the oil in and permanently stain that local area of the wood. This darkens over time and when the old finish is stripped there are dark “grease stains” that “new oil” would Not match the color of.

  4. I finished a solid oak desktop with some of Katherine’s soft wax… maybe two years ago? I did try wiping it down with water once (across the grain) and it caused some streaks – I left them. The desk has a nice patina where I spend most of my time on a keyboard and I love the stuff. Plus it smells great going on.

    I finished my wife’s butcherblock sewing table with Katherine’s softwax too. My wife loves it (now if I can just convince her to finish our breakfast table in the same stuff. I despise the way poly looks after it starts flaking.

    Just my opinion (that and $5.00 will get you a hamburger), but I think wood looks better when it looks used and not like it’s “on display.”

  5. I agree that either wax/oil combo or the soap would be good choices. I’ve been called in to re-finish too many lacquered pieces to recommend that.

    My choice between wax/oil and soap would depend on the woods involved. For darker woods like walnut, I think wax/oil is a better choice, while lighter colored woods like oak or maple work well with soap.

  6. Folk probably want my two cents less than they want yours but I used half tung oil and half citrus solvent on our counters and table top. My wife mixes and shapes 30 loaves of bread a week on it. It holds up great, is non toxic and smells nice to put one.

  7. Where does Rubio Monocoat fit into your range of durable/less durable, looks good with more use, and safe for dining tables?

    The dining table in the picture is beautiful but it reminded me of your recent Earlywood-Flashy Wood post where you ended with “ask me about combining different species with contrasting colors sometime.”

    1. It’s an old piece. And I couldn’t afford cherry for the base. So I wasn’t trying for any “effect.”

      I shy away from the modern hard finishes because I don’t know what all the ingredients are. Lots of people love them, but I prefer to make my own and understand it completely.

    2. Hi, Bill> Rubio is close enough, though a different “cousin”. Oils, waxes & solvent varnishes can be mixed together ( in some combination ) and applied. The whole bit about this type of Low Tech finish is that “You” apply and wipe off the excess ( not a hired professional service ). Easy to do, like seasoning a cast iron skillet ( also polymerized oil ). Just promise never to do the “Linseed oil, vinegar, turpentine” witches brew.

  9. Back around 1980, I saw a finishing talk at the world’s only Woodcraft store. I have no idea, now, who the speaker was. But he insisted that someone who wanted to finish a kitchen table that would be used by a family with kids should use no finish at all. Card scrape and sand. When it looks crappy, splash on some bleach, scrub, card scrape and sand.

    2. Another option that we used when our twins were two is to buy a piece of tempered glass the size of the table. It isn’t as pretty as the wood underneath, but cleans nicely with either a Clorox wipe or some Windex and a paper towel.

  10. I was recently gifted a box of many issues of “Woodworking Magazine”. One of them had an article entitled “A True Oil Finish” and my takeaway was from the last paragraph stating: ”if you have the patience to take your finish to the 25 to 30 coatings area, you’re rewarded with a completely durable finish that looks great, stands up to dents and dings better than most film finishes and does not require any touch-up work…” since I have two little ones that keep me away from my bench and the kitchen table will be a long time coming, I’m planning to glue up the top first and apply many, many coats of linseed oil over the course of the several months it will take me to finish the base.

    2. I used Tru-Oil on some inexpensive chisels with beech handles. Multiple light coats. Took forever to cure and the smell to dissipate. Ironically, I grabbed one the other day, the finish is nice and the smell is gone.

  11. One thing to consider before using a linseed oil based finish is that folks who are dealing with chemical sensitivities (MCS) will likely react to uncured linseed oil. Linseed oil contains aldehydes and is a common irritant. This is important to keep in mind because a client who requests a non-toxic finish may be doing so because they have some degree of chemical sensitivity. Yes, you can let the piece fully cure before delivering it, but it will not be easy to “refresh” the finish in home. 
    Hemp oil seems to be a good alternative; have you had any success with it?

  12. Chris, any thoughts on Waterlox or Tried and True linseed or varnish oil? I’ve got a kitchen table I need to make, so I appreciate your article.

  13. And how about no finish? Charlotte Perriand made a nice statement on this. I like to follow her advises. For iron and wine(of course) stains use oxalic acid, for oily and fatty stains use a dry claypowder ( terre de Sommiere) and for everyday clean with a soft brush en when needed a moist cloth. And if needed plane ore sand the top. ( Het tabletop was solid plain pine).

  14. For some years I have used Sam Maloof’s formula for chairs: One part tung oil, one part linseed oil, one part polyurethane varnish. A lovely soft-to-the-touch finish with a slight sheen. Not as durable as straight poly, which I sometimes use on table tops. For the latter, I apply three coats, let it thoroughly dry, and rub it out with high-grit paper. I have tried Rubio recently. So far so good. Very expensive and short shelf life. I’m letting my table sit for some months to see what Rubio is really like.
    Kelley Griffith

  16. Mixed up the beeswax/linseed oil finish to your recipe and used it on our birch kitchen countertop 18 months ago. I love it so does my wife. Don’t care if someone scratches it, puts a hot pan on it, spills acid all over it. Easy fix means no stress. Cheers.

    1. They look to have industrialised washing linseed oil. I think I saw a comment from Chris the other day to the effect that he is currently experimenting with washing it the old fashioned way.

  20. After seven years in our kitchen (“East Coast Pacific” in Kitchen Think), our kitchen table top looked tired. I removed the old tung oil & wax and applied Osmo TopOil. A year later, it looks (mostly) new.

  21. I’m curious about the staked worktable in the picture. It looks like the leg tenons go through the dovetailed battens into the tabletop. I’ve drilled those holes with a forstner bit in a drill press
    (as per the ADB), but a tabletop obviously won’t fit in there. Am I guessing right that you drilled the battens on the drill press, glued them in place, and then used the holes in the battens as a guide for drilling through the top?

  22. I’m curious if anyone has used Le Tonkinois No. 1 for a table top? Since it’s a marine varnish I’m assuming it would work well and hold up decently. I keep kicking around using it when I get around to making a kitchen table.

  23. Having just finished striping three coats of fugly paint off a walnut table built in Gettysburg just prior to the Civil War, (found the original shipping documents inside it) the next step is to use the soap finish on it and wax over that to really bring out the beauty in this piece. We have been using a soap and wax finish for generations. It takes time, but the result is well worth the effort.

  24. Amen. Over 30 years ago I refinished a poly coated table. I put more time into that than all subsequent furniture maintenance. I work slow. A little TLC on a wax or shellac finish takes little time and it gives me time to reaquaint myself with a piece, see how it’s wearing and how it was loved.

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