Dining table finish?

[freshwaterw]

I need some advice. I have built a farmhouse style dining table. It is constructed from old white oak which has numerous small "worm holes". It actually looks quite nice. I am wondering what to use to finish the top (or the entire table). I have taken the sanding to 150 grit. I am not set up for spraying so a wipe on finish is preferred. This table will be used in a log cabin so I think a satin or maybe semigloss would look good. As usual, thanks very much!!

 

[dancam]

First, I would fill the wormholes* with either clear CA or colored wood putty, such as TimberMate (white oak). When holes are filled, you can choose wipe-on finishes, such as wipe-on poly, a surface coating, or one of the hard/wax oils, such as Rubio Mono Coat or Odie's oil.

* Filling the wormholes will prevent them from telegraphing through the surface finish and potentially creating small dimples. The oil finishes are penetrating, and the holes are less prone to show up as dimples.

Good luck, and post pictures.

 

[wndopdlr]

I once made a DR table out of spalted, wormy maple that had been riddled with PP beetles and it turned out beautifully. I was concerned about food particles getting trapped in the the bug hoes which were too numerous to count. I used an epoxy finish, and the folks at Stone Coat advised me on product and application to seal the holes so they didn't trap air and cause bubbles. It was a lot of work, but the end result justified the awesome wood.

 

[Graywolf]

You could use a grain filler on the surface to fill the holes and the open grain. Once dry you can sand off the surface and then apply the wiping finish of your choice. This is depending on how open the grain is on this table. Either way you go it opens many opportunities to be creative with your project. Good luck and please share your progress.

 

[kelLOGg]

I sawed some wormy chestnut for a friend who used the lumber to make a dining room table. He filled the worm holes and tracks with a black filler (epoxy maybe) and it looked fantastic. Wish I had a picture but I don't. You might consider letting the holes show off.

 

[KurtB]

I've used Satin Wipe-On Poly for several projects made with old tobacco barn wood. It's pine. It worked well and looks good. I don't know about oak, but the pine takes on quite a dark patina as the poly is applied. Way more ambering than typical pine.

 

[Gboot]

I made my daughter a farmhouse table made of reclaimed wormy chestnut From a barn in PA. The top was 3 , 13” wide boards with many worm holes , nail holes some spilts. I filled the nail holes with black tinted epoxy using a syringe. I was amazed at how deep some of these ran in to the wood some requiring filling 2-3 times. The table was finished with Cyrstalac a water based finish which at the time was a GF brand and marketed as a floor finish. After 9 years of daily use and abuse by my granddaughters there were potions of the table where the finish was worn thru. A few months ago I refinished with Arm-R- Seal , hope this holds up better.

 

[freshwaterw]

Oh wow! Thanks for all the replies ..... never expected this I would not mind the worm holes being highlighted, so some sort of contrasting filler may be in order. Could I possibly use a darker shade of grain or pore filler, and would it be prone to shrink and cause the "dimple" problem mentioned? Or, would the dark epoxy be answer? Gene is correct, some of these holes penetrate through the boards, and I have the top thickness at 1 3/8! By the way, finishing is my weakest link, so any advice from those more experienced is greatly appreciated.

 

[kelLOGg]

When holes go all the way through I tape one side and fill the other. Epoxy will ooze around the hole under the tape and will have to be sanded. Lot of work but the appearance makes it worth the effort. Multiple fillings are usually necessary but the tape can come off after the first one. See what others say.

 

[kelLOGg]

I have never had a dimple problem with epoxy.

 

[chris_goris]

GF Hi performance top coat (water based Poly) or Arm R Seal

 

[Rwe2156]

Anything you brush has it's inherent issues but ArmRSeal is pretty bomb proof as far as application. I've only used it a couple times, and both times I brushed it using a high quality badger hair brush. I also felt it needed sanding between coats, contrary to what the directions say.

Any kind of oil is probably the easiest finish. Having only one experience with hard wax (Osmo) I learned AFTER the fact the trick is to cut the bristles back on the brush to about 1" (IOW very stiff brush) and be sure to immediately wipe off all the excess.

Water based poly is also pretty forgiving, but again, on a large area you have to be very skilled with the brush. Actually I got surprising results on one top using WB flooring urethane and wool applicator. I wonder if it has a leveling agent?

 

[Craig C]

Good suggestions already offered. Here is a Norway maple napkin holder on white oak table. Both used black epoxy to fill worm holes and knots.

 

[John Jimenez]

I would consider filling any small holes with 5 min epoxy as it is thicker and won’t run down into the holes like a 1:1 epoxy. My finish of choice for all my furniture is Rubio monocoat.