I want some miracle finish that will bring out the colour and grain from the woods while making it child, water and wine proof. I have yacht varnish, Osmo Oil, Danish Oil, clear epoxy resin or can buy something else.

What do I use to protect this raw wood?

Also, I am having serious second thoughts about legs. I am now thinking a large central block pillar in the centre will be easier and stronger that four legs, even if I try to brace the legs. I am thinking of basically building a wooden box with a concrete block for weight and stability and then just screwing the table top onto that from below. Thoughts?

Table that will get stuff spilt on it. If the kitchen worktop threads anything to go by I believe the answer is carpet…..

Danish oil for a table top. It’s natural, will penetrate the timber snd bring out the features in the grain. It’s also easy to re-apply and maintain.

I’d go with Osmo personally. Ime water beads up on it better than Danish.

As with any finish though, it doesn’t mean you don’t treat anything made with wood with care. Put hot cups on it etc and it will mark.

It looks pretty cool by the way. Nice job 👏
It looks like it’s levitating in that second picture. Is it levitating?

Is it levitating?

Yes it is. I explained that I hadn’t decided about legs yet in the original post.

Does the central pillar idea sound feasible?

Osmo Top oil. Used it on some oak worktops. Really brought out the finish of the grain. Try it on and offcut to ensure you like it.

Does the central pillar idea sound feasible?

Yeah man, just allow for movement across the grain with slotted brackets or whatever.

You were right about the Osmo oil bringing out the grain pattern and colours.

Just the first coat, obviously but I am happy. I originally used 180, 240 & 1000 as they were the grits I had and it is silky smooth. I was planning to sand over with 1000 once the oil has soaked in, I assume this won’t be a problem as I will be applying a couple more coats anyway.

Final call for wood identification
Outer = Oak
Yellow = ??
Patterned Centre bits = ??

Must remember to switch off the levitation field before I lock the garage or God knows where I will find it in the morning.

If you have a central pillar you can hide a huge power bank in it and have some led lights on the underside on a timer

Car battery instead of a concrete block for stability. I have a big old one from the Range Rover that would probably power some fairy lights for a year per charge, would also help with the levitation when we need to move it.

trick with osmo is not to put anything on it for several days – if you don’t wait long enough it can still stain

I usually do my two or 3 coats then once dry put a cloth over the table or whatever and leave it on for a week. After that it’s pretty much bombproof as the treatment has fully cured

That middle timber has fungus in the grain. Nice Finnish

/did you intend to put a massive vagina in the middle or was that a surprise when you oiled it up?

Stick mirrors round your box idea and that will maintain the floatyness

Mirrors around the box was what I did for the photo but it didn’t really work without a little editing

You can happily do a light sand after using osmo, works well in my experience

What am I doing wrong with Osmo oil?

I’ve previously used (& loved) Danish oil and found it to be very hard wearing and low maintenance.

Swayed by tales of awesomeness on teh interwebz, I did the (beech) worktops in our camper with Osmo Top Oil, and it water marks like crazy if you don’t wipe up spills immediately – I’m sure I did 4+ coats.

I was going to try another few coats, but it’s the white-tinted one (“Natural”?) that is starting to look milky as it builds up.

To check stability, apply 35kgs (weight of a 7 year old) to a corner and ensure it still remains in place. My gut instinct is it won’t, lots of leverage there..

Nice Finnish

So Danish oil then ?.

What am I doing wrong with Osmo oil?

Are you applying the oil, then 20 mins later wiping it off ?,

Are you applying the oil, then 20 mins later wiping it off ?

Pretty much, yes.

tilly – I will let you know how it goes for me. So far 1 coat brushed on and then rubbed in/off with a microfibre cloth about 5 minutes later. About to sand with 1000 grit and apply a second coat. This is going onto raw untreated wood.

5lab – depends how big the centre pillar is. I suspect it will be more stable that a table with 3 legs and a broken one in the corner

I actually don’t have too much experience with the longevity of Osmo. I finish a lot of stuff I make with it, but obviously then they go off to other people and I never see it again.

Not had anyone come back to me though so it must be working ok.

I tend to sand to about 180g-240g, which probably seems fairly coarse to some, but it works well for me.
I think a lot of folks say that you actually don’t want to sand to, too fine a paper before applying as it inhibits penetration slightly. How true this is I don’t know, but 180g/240g seems fairly good to me at least.

I wang it on with a clean rag, and then shortly afterwards I rub it off hard with blue paper towel. I’m really vigorous with this as I find leaving any excess on the surface leads to stickiness.
It seems almost like giving it a hard rub back creates an almost burnished finish, and seems to give me a nice sheen.
I think you also have a relatively short window for wiping depending on temperature. Leave it too long and it’s claggy as.
I then give it 24hrs, ‘de-nib’ with a kitchen scourer/scotchbrite-type pad and apply the second coat.
Everyone has their own way of applying it though so do what works for you.

I normally apply two coats because that’s what it says on the tin. It seems different to Danish in that sense as the advice is mostly to build up many coats with Danish.
I figure that going by what the manufacturer says is a good start and it seems to work.
I might give something like a table top a bit more though.

I always tend to Use Osmo UV Resistant oil, not ‘Top Oil’ so I don’t know if there is a difference.

Talking about finishes, a friend/colleague of mine just finished this epic ebony dining table (which I veneered a tiny part of for him 😂) and it was professionally polished for him by a specialist company.
The polishing bill alone would have gotten you a fairly decent ebike…

It’s like glass. Not my cup of tea at all but hey… Client likes it.

My table was 180, 240, 1000 because they are the three sanding discs I have for my orbital sander. I brush the Osmo on working it along the grain, across the grain and then at 45 degrees both ways to make sure it is fully covered. I wait about 5 minutes and rub off with a microfibre cloth so it is clean to the touch. I am not sure this is a technique as I have only just done the second coat on the first table I have ever made but it seems to be working. It is currently resting in the sunshine and I was thinking of one more coat later today then leaving it until I have sorted out the base.

Next time I go to the garage I will check which Osmo Oil it is, I think it was originally bought for the kitchen floor.

While I appreciate the skill in that shiny table it looks too much like the plastic wood tables you get in the warehouse furniture stores. This was the main reason I didn’t want to use ‘liquid glass’ acrylic resin on mine which would have given a similar finish.

Advice needed. I’ve got a (1980s repro I suspect) dining table that is wood veneered and polished to gloss like the one above. The varnish has peeled in places. It has no monetary value but is perfect for our space (as it can fit 12 and you can play table tennis on it). Would a fine sand and osmo work on varnished veneer?

Probably more like a sand and another varnish.
Oil penetrates. Varnish stops stuff penetrating.

Isn’t varnish shit unless it’s done really well?

Isn’t varnish shit unless it’s done really well?

Yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that if you don’t remove all traces of varnish, and varnish does penetrate slightly, oil on top won’t penetrate evenly and might also then look shit.

I’ve used water based varnish as a finish before and I applied it with a foam roller and flatted it back between coats.It was a satin finish.
More chance of it looking rubbish if you’re going for a high gloss finish I’d reckon.

Car battery instead of a concrete block for stability.

/did you intend to put a massive vagina in the middle or was that a surprise when you oiled it up?

Maybe he installed a Vulva battery.

I wang it on with a clean rag, and then shortly afterwards I rub it off hard with blue paper towel. I’m really vigorous with this as I find leaving any excess on the surface leads to stickiness.

They write themselves sometimes, don’t they.

You’re so immature cougar! 😂

Isn’t varnish shit unless it’s done really well?

Yeah, its best floated on, and you can buy a special brush to do it with.

You’re laying down a really thick coat from the outset, keeping a wet edge as you apply. It’s not a case of spreading it over the entire surface in one go, going back and forth to get the coverage, but rather as a strip, the width of the brush.

I’ve little experience of proper varnishing technique, mainly as I prefer french polishing or oil for ease on a surface that isnt going to get much wear, but it is quite a skill and requires practice.

Externally i prefer varnish, but slapped on, sanded and multiple coats, or a good oil based paint.

Oil doesn’t really penetrate as far as some imagine, and if you take a piece of timber, properly sanded, then oiled and cut through, you see the oil penetrates to less than 1/2 a millimeter. This is why it needs regular maintenance and something like Danish, where you can build up 40 coats(like French polish) always gives a better harder wearing surface.

My table was 180, 240, 1000 because they are the three sanding discs I have for my orbital sander.

I remember reading something a number of years ago about sanding to extremely fine grits, 2000 or 3000 as it provides a clarity of figure and grain when used with something like French polish as French magnifies the surface. Something I’ve yet to give a go.

I have some 3000 grit too but I thought that was overkill for wood. I might give it a go to smooth off the second coat of Osmo oil tomorrow.

Let us know how you get on, but i think its probably only going to be effective on a tight grained hardwood.

I will take some very close ups with my camera before and after on each wood and we can compare

Child proof you say?

After treating with Osmo Oil and sanding with 1000 grit the wood was very smooth to the touch and I was happy with the finish.
After treating with Osmo Oil and sanding with 3000 grit the wood was very smooth to the touch and I was happy with the finish.

No discernible difference.