# Waterlox over almost black stain?



## daviddoria (Dec 18, 2007)

I was turned on to oil+varnish finishes and picked up some Waterlox. It looks great on bare wood. In my current project, I have applied several coats of a very very dark (almost black) stain to maple. My question is, would I gain anything by using Waterlox over this stain versus a standard (and much much cheaper) polyurethane (Minwax)? That is, if the only point of the oil is to "beautify" the grain and you can hardly see the grain anymore because of the stain, would polyurethane achieve the same effect of simply protecting the surface and adding some shine?

Thanks,

David


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The waterlox and polyurethane are two different finishes which would protect the wood. The waterlox is a oil finish that would take several applications over weeks to achieve a finish. The polyurethane would achieve a protective coating much quicker. Neither should have very much to do with the stain. If the stain is covering the grain you may have it on too thick or too dark. Any oil stain should be wiped off very soon after applying it.


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## daviddoria (Dec 18, 2007)

I forgot to mention that it is a gel stain (Old Masters (http://www.myoldmasters.com/products-gel-stains.htm)). I was going for "black" on purpose. So am I correct that in this case the oil isn't really going to help anything and I should just go with a straight varnish finish (like a polyurethane)? 

David


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

You seem to be confused about what Waterlox is. For all its fancy literature, it's just a pretty standard oil base varnish. It's not an "oil" nor is it an "oil/varnish" mixture and it's not a tung oil. It's a varnish made with phenolic resin and tung oil just like other varnishes made with alkyd resin and linseed oil. Once phenolic resin and tung oil is mixed and heated, it becomes a new compound called "varnish". It's no longer "tung oil".

To answer your question, you can use either Waterlox or a poly varnish. IMO, Waterlox is a nicer, clearer finish particularly on dark woods. Poly varnish all seem to have a cloudy look to them particularly if more than two coats are applied. As to durability, Waterlox and poly varnish are pretty much the same.


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