You’ve chosen a beautiful statement piece of furniture in your home, and that means you’ll also want to invest the time and energy it takes to keep it looking its best. The right efforts to protect a wood table can make it last a very long time, but careful treatment is key. Careless behavior around one can stain or damage it forever, making both prevention and quick responses to spills extremely valuable.
Protecting and sealing your wood surfaces will help them remain stain-resistant, sturdy centerpieces for generations to come. This guide will help you understand what different substances and behaviors can do to your wooden table, plus how to prevent lasting damage.
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Furniture makers who want to create beautiful wood tables must balance the look and feel of the wood with its ability to stand up to daily life. Here are a few facts about selecting the right wood for a project:
You’ll want to talk to a woodworking expert if you haven’t made a table with those woods before, as many live edge slabs are expensive — which means you would want to make sure you are fully prepared for the project. You’ll also want to align your protection plan with the type of wood and how best to clean, seal, and protect it.
Wood is a temperamental substance when left untreated. If it is exposed to too much humidity, for instance, it can warp because of the moisture. Also:
Luckily, a variety of readily available materials help to seal moisture out, create a protective coat against stains and dings, and make wood easy to clean when it gets dusty.
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There are two types of protection you’ll want to consider when working to keep your wood surface strong and protected, including day-to-day maintenance and long term care. For day-to-day:
For longer-term care, sealing a wood table allows you to wipe away dust, fluids, and other potentially damaging substances much more easily. There are a variety of popular methods for sealing your wooden table, however, and the frequency of application varies.
There are three major brands that we use at Makers Woodshop. The first, and most heavily used is called “Rubio Monocoat”, followed by “Osmo, and Odies oil”. We have used all of these products for years now, and they are much simpler to apply than polyurethane.
All of these are food-safe products that are a mixture of several natural oils, with an optional Accelerator for quickening the hardening process for the Rubio Monocoat.
Application is simple, you spread the oil out on the table, let it soak for 5-10 minutes, then buff it off. The wood is dry to the touch after being buffed off, and will achieve full hardness and protection from water within 7 days.
Unlike polyurethane, oils soak into the wood, and are generally matte-satin in sheen, so re-finishing is much easier since you don’t have to remove everything down to bare wood to refinish. A light sanding and then a re-coat of the oil is all it takes to bring it back to its original beauty.
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The only downside to oil is that it generally has little in the way of UV protection, so if your placing your furniture outside, or in direct sunlight, your wood color will fade over time.
Shellac is both a traditional substance for protecting wood tables and good for creating a moisture-resistant barrier between the table and its environment. A variety of types are available at any home improvement store, and it’s important to apply multiple coats using the instructions on the container. Shellac is generally clear after application, but many people opt for it on light-colored woods because it brings out the warmth in their grains. This is not used very often, unless we need a quick waterproof barrier to keep epoxy from staining the wood grain. Shellac dries very quickly, but doesn’t hold up for long time use as well.
For an extremely durable finish, oil-based polyurethane creates a strong, impenetrable barrier and protects woods that would otherwise be vulnerable to dings or wear and tear. Make sure to apply it with patience, making sure to keep your individual layers thin. The thick clear film created by these finishes can yellow or get cloudy with time. These finishes are great for a table that is likely to experience a lot of potential stains or liquids, such as a family dining room table, or bar top. For outdoor use, get a polyurethane with uv protection.
Furniture wax adds an additional layer of protection to your table. Once it has hardened it protects the layer under it from scratches. This is most useful to apply over a natural oil finish since these work well together, but you can call us if you have questions about putting wax over other finishes.
The truth is that no amateur woodworker is expected to know all of the ins and outs of sealants, and no table owner should have that expertise either. Feel free to give us a call with any of your questions, and we will do our best to guide you in the right direction.
Understanding the combination of sealant, varnish, and type of wood is going to be important in protecting your wood tabletop surface. It’s key to read the directions on the products you are using and to know whether that solution is the correct choice for your furniture piece. Consulting an expert could save you tons of time and money — plus heartache — by keeping you from ruining your item in your quest to protect it. If you are looking for help with how to properly protect a wood table project, look no further than the experts at Makers Woodshop. We’ve been creating timeless pieces from live edge slabs for years, and we’re always ready to provide our expertise and experience. Contact us today!
Source: https://gardencourte.com
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