# finish over BLO



## charlo489 (Oct 14, 2015)

Hello guys ! Just finished my walnut coffee table with 3 coats of boiled linseed oil. While it was curing, I've started reading a book on wood finishing (should have done that before haha) and realized that BLO is a very poor finish for a coffee table with regards to water/beer spills. Is it too late to apply a brush on varnish or shellac ? 

The blo already tinted the wood and I think it looks perfect now so I'd like something that won't tint the wood furthermore. Could you guys give me some ideas and tips please ?


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I think you can safely put any oil based varnish over BLO. Just make sure the BLO has fully dried. 
In theory, you can use water based over fully dried BLO too, but I wouldn't risk it.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You're alright, there is actually blo in varnish. It's even compatible with shellac also so you could use either one so long as it has dried a few days.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

If the BLO has lost its smell, it should be cured enough to top coat.


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## charlo489 (Oct 14, 2015)

awesome ! I think I'll go with poly, I'm doing tests right now on scraps. I bought a can of minwax fast drying polyurethane and some mineral spirits. I've read that to wipe poly, you need to thin it down 50/50 but when I opened the can, I was surprised that the product is already super thin. 

So do I still need to thin it down to wipe it ?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

charlo489 said:


> awesome ! I think I'll go with poly, I'm doing tests right now on scraps. I bought a can of minwax fast drying polyurethane and some mineral spirits. I've read that to wipe poly, you need to thin it down 50/50 but when I opened the can, I was surprised that the product is already super thin.
> 
> So do I still need to thin it down to wipe it ?


50% is too much. With any kind of varnish you thin it as little as possible. I would try it without thinning it first and see how it goes.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

50/50 poly is for wiping application. Minwax poly needs only 10% thinning for brushing. It’s pretty thin right out of the can, but I do 10% when brushing it. Years ago Minwax poly was a lot thicker,but the formulation changed with regulations. Be sure to scuff between cured apppications to ensure proper bonding of the coats.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

charlo489 said:


> Is it too late to apply a brush on varnish or shellac ? The blo already tinted the wood and I think it looks perfect now so I'd like something that won't tint the wood furthermore. Could you guys give me some ideas and tips please ?


Hi Charlo...

Well...it's a choice...What direction do you want to go?

You have a really nice piece you have completed there...If you what to use the heck out of it with spilt food and drinks and not much worry other than a damp cloth...Then a modern "plastic finish" (aka epoxy, poly, etc) will get you going once the BLO is dry. This will last for a while and then you have to strip it all off, sand it all again, and start over. This is the process and realities of "well used" furniture with modern plastic finishes...They are (if good quality and well applied) a solid and strong film finish...That is until their not...Then they are a chipped and dented mess, but that all depends on the use and the quality of the application. With a good modern finish you could get a solid decade out of even a heavy used table like yours without to much worry of it looking "crappy" and you got it that long without much work either other than the original applications...Which you will have to do again someday...Do I use them...???...Rarely, but some things I design and make do get a botanical based epoxy applied to them...

The next choice is a a huge family of finishes (and methods of application) and those are the...traditional finishes...which is my world for the most part day to day and what I do in woodworking...From traditional paints, to oils, varnishes and lacquers...

My "go to" 90% of the time for most of my work...and work like yours...is a traditional oil blend. It natural (like the wood itself) and the only material you can really use to get a "centuries old" finish and patina from...That can't be gotten with modern "plastic finishes" as its just not in there chemistry to age in balance with the wood it self. These are not "hard film finish" however and require the owner to just be aware of this, but you can do all the same things with the furniture. I even have had clients with furniture piece like yours in "game rooms" that basically get a new finish applied (its that easy!!!) ever week. One clients wife made the "coffee table" off limits every first Monday of the month, as she would "clean" the table with a thinned version of the original finish. The next day it would look brand new...again!!!...until the end of the month with a house full of pets and teenage boys!!!...LOL!!! The interesting part was the deep patina the oak table took on? It "aged" faster than any piece I've see, and many thought it was an "antique" and couldn't figure out why should would let them put drinks (and feet) up on it...!!!

In the end...???...It's your choice which path to go down...


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## Mikhail2400 (Jun 20, 2018)

Very nice table!! Love the dovetails, they really looked nice and set off the connections nicely.


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## charlo489 (Oct 14, 2015)

thanks guys ! Jay C. White, I'm still not sure if I want to go with the poly mainly because I juste hate having to use strippers to re-do a finish after a couple of years as opposed to just sand a tiny bit and re apply something like shellac or oil. I might give shellac a try, I'll see.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Shellac isn't very water resistant. It's about the same as nitrocellulose lacquer. It will withstand being wet if wiped up quickly but if like a sweaty glass was sat on it especially if done repeatedly in the same spot the finish will soon lift.


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## charlo489 (Oct 14, 2015)

Yeah that's the main thing with shellac but of course we're always using coasters on wood tables but accidents do happen. As a side note, I didn't fill the pores of the wood, is that gonna be an issue with poly or shellac ? I don't intend to have a mirror finish, just a semi-gloss I guess


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

charlo489 said:


> Yeah that's the main thing with shellac but of course we're always using coasters on wood tables but accidents do happen. As a side note, I didn't fill the pores of the wood, is that gonna be an issue with poly or shellac ? I don't intend to have a mirror finish, just a semi-gloss I guess


You won't have a problem with the grain filler. It is safe under any finish.

The only problem you might encounter when using a grain filler is when finishing with lacquer. The solvents in lacquer are so strong it makes the filler swell up out of the grain. It's so little you can't see it but if you just let the finish dry an hour or so the filler is still swollen and if you sand it flat and apply another coat it will swell more. Eventually you get the finish looking great and the next morning after the swelling goes down the wood looks like you never used a grain filler. It shrinks back into the grain and creates a depression in the finish. When I finish with lacquer I might spray a coat of finish or sealer on every couple of hours but I always let it dry overnight for between the coats sanding.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

Be careful what you use for thinner. There's lots of stuff called thinner that's not really mineral spirits and I've read some horror stories about it. I've been using 100% pure turpentine. I like the smell, but some people don't.


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## phaelax (Dec 24, 2018)

When I talked to the folks at Woodcraft about the best option for finishing my table, they said a urethane would be best on a table. It's a hard finish and much more resistant to water rings and stains. I'd have to double check the brand I got, but it's suppose to be a non-yellowing urethane. I didn't thin mine, just brushed it on with a good brush.


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## charlo489 (Oct 14, 2015)

Steve Neul said:


> You won't have a problem with the grain filler. It is safe under any finish.
> 
> The only problem you might encounter when using a grain filler is when finishing with lacquer. The solvents in lacquer are so strong it makes the filler swell up out of the grain. It's so little you can't see it but if you just let the finish dry an hour or so the filler is still swollen and if you sand it flat and apply another coat it will swell more. Eventually you get the finish looking great and the next morning after the swelling goes down the wood looks like you never used a grain filler. It shrinks back into the grain and creates a depression in the finish. When I finish with lacquer I might spray a coat of finish or sealer on every couple of hours but I always let it dry overnight for between the coats sanding.



Steve, I think you misread, I didn't use grain filler and don't plan to use any as it's impossible to find in my town. So with the pores left opened, could I run into isssues with a poly or shellac film ?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

charlo489 said:


> Steve, I think you misread, I didn't use grain filler and don't plan to use any as it's impossible to find in my town. So with the pores left opened, could I run into isssues with a poly or shellac film ?


Sorry, other than being able to see the grain texture in the finish it won't hurt anything not using a grain filler. 

Sherwin Williams makes a good grain filler. They might not stock it in the store but should be able to get it soon. Their gain filler is a natural color so you would have to have them add red oxide and black tinting color to it to make it walnut colored.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

Rock Hard Table Top Varnish comes to mind as a top coat.


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## Gus64 (Jan 6, 2018)

charlo489 said:


> Hello guys ! Just finished my walnut coffee table with 3 coats of boiled linseed oil. While it was curing, I've started reading a book on wood finishing (should have done that before haha) and realized that BLO is a very poor finish for a coffee table with regards to water/beer spills. Is it too late to apply a brush on varnish or shellac ?
> 
> The blo already tinted the wood and I think it looks perfect now so I'd like something that won't tint the wood furthermore. Could you guys give me some ideas and tips please ?


I would check this out:

https://shop.mybluprint.com/woodworking/classes/flawless-

This is finishing from the JD Lohr School of Woodworking. Took a class there last summer and finished an oak table with BLO, let it dry for 5 days then applied several coats of Wipe on poly. Turned out beautiful. If you can't access the video for some reason contact me and I'll find the written instructions.


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