Behlen Rockhard Tabletop Varnish Over Urethane

Hi all, recently I varnished my bar top with Behlen Rockhard Tabletop Varnish. The advice I received from the place I bought the products from was to use this on the top and General Finish Arm-R-Seal Urethane Semi-Gloss Topcoat on the front and sides. Although it looked OK on a couple of pieces of scrap, I didn't care for the contrast of sheens on the bar itself. I put three coats of the varnish on the top, and I stopped after putting two coats of urethane on the front and sides, seeing that it wasn't going to give me the loop I wanted.

My question is, is there any gotchas with topping the urethane with a couple of coats of the varnish to get a more even look?

Reply to
ms5150
Loading thread data ...

Should work; just sand lightly between coats. You could also try rubbing one or both surfaces with 0000-grade steel wool, ultra-fine wet-dry sandpaper, or auto rubbing compound to even out the sheens - practice on scrap first, of course. Good luck, Andy

Reply to
Andy

ms5150 wrote: : Hi all, recently I varnished my bar top with Behlen Rockhard Tabletop : Varnish. The advice I received from the place I bought the products : from was to use this on the top and General Finish Arm-R-Seal Urethane : Semi-Gloss Topcoat on the front and sides. Although it looked OK on a : couple of pieces of scrap, I didn't care for the contrast of sheens on : the bar itself. I put three coats of the varnish on the top, and I : stopped after putting two coats of urethane on the front and sides, : seeing that it wasn't going to give me the loop I wanted.

: My question is, is there any gotchas with topping the urethane with a : couple of coats of the varnish to get a more even look?

Polyurethane doesn't bond well to other finishes, so you might have adherence problems. I would suggest a coat or two of shellac, either as a replacement for the varnish, or as an undercoat (shellac bonds to most any finish).

-- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

Reply to
ms5150

I hear that shellac won't hold up to alcohol being spilled on it, which I'm sure will happen sooner or later, so finishing with shellac doesn't sound like an option.

Is the other alternative you're suggesting say to shellac over the urethane, and then put varnish over the shellac?

Reply to
ms5150

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.