Oak Table - Protect Top?

[Jeff McAhren]

I have a new dark oak dinner table. Isn't there something that I can put on the top to protect the finish from water and glass rings, etc.?

Thanks,

Jeff McAhren

[ameijers]

You mean aside from a stick, to the backside of clueless family members/guests who don't appreciate Real Wood?

Is it a urethane finish (like most 'factory' tables would now have), or a natural finish? Urethane is pretty water resistant, but you don't want to leave puddles sitting. A natural finish, all you can do is keep it well waxed, and buy some fancy placemats and trivets, and use them for all meals, and hope for the best. Scars add character, anyway. Shows humans actually live in the house. :^)

aem sends...

[Jeff McAhren]

Thanks ameijers, I'm not really sure how to tell, but I believe that it is a natural finish. It only has a dull shine, and doesn't appear to have any wax on it. What kind of wax do I buy, and how often do I put it on?

[dadiOH]

Glass

-- dadiOH _____________________________

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[Wayne]

"Jeff McAhren" wrote in news:WOqnc.57420$Ik.4283493@attbi_s53:

If your table will be in daily use, I would invest in a set of good quality table pads, then covered with a tablecloth. The pads will protect against both heat and moisture and, with proper care, will last many years. It will put your mind at ease.

We recently bought a new round oak dining table and chairs. I wouldn't let anyone actually use it until the table pads had been ordered and delivered.

[Jeff McAhren]

Oh brother.

[Jeff McAhren]

Yes, this is a daily use table in the "breakfast area". We considered fitting a pad and using a table cloth, but ruled that out because we want to see the table. We do use placemats, but there is a lot of traffic in this house. We know that without a pad and cloth the table will get a little more torn up, and we accept that, but I want to reduce the wear if possible.

I had just heard that there is a treatment that would protect the wood, almost to the point of making it completely impervious to wet water glasses, and I'm not talking about polyurethane.

[Wayne]

I don't know about a treatment like that, but a good paste wax properly buffed and maintained will give a lot of protection. I would still use placements and coasters. Apart from some sort of plastic finish, I can't think of anything that would protect the wood surface from the abrasions of dishes and utensils or prolonged contact with liquids.

There are finishes (I don't know if they're polyurethane or not) that restaurants and bars have applied to wood tabletops. The only downside I've observed is that they make the wood unnaturally shiny.

"Jeff McAhren" wrote in news:KUunc.58406$Ik.4528300@attbi_s53:

[ameijers]

(snip)

Shades of hiding a new couch under plastic slipcovers. What is the point of buying a nice wood table if you are going to keep it under a dropcloth all the time? May as well make it out of plywood in that case. Wax it, be careful, and get on with life. Sure, it'll get dinged once in a while- so what? Like they say about ships in a harbor- they are safe there, but that isn't what ships are for.

No, this isn't a flame- we obviously just have different takes on life and physical surroundings. If what you did makes you happy, more power to you.

aem sends....

[Wayne]

"ameijers" wrote in news:trvnc.65922$ [e-mail]:

If it weren't in daily use it would almost never be covered. Maybe I'm just too cheap or too lazy, but I can't see deliberately subjecting a wood top table to daily abuse. As you said, just different takes. For meals with company, I remove the pads and cloth and use Irish lace placemats which display the wood beautifully.

[barry martin]

Jeff:

JM> I have a new dark oak dinner table. Isn't there something that I can put o

JM> the top to protect the finish from water and glass rings, etc.?

We had a glass top cut for our wood kitchen table to protect it and the glass place recommended putting spacers underneath -- gave them to us. They are about a «" in diameter and very thin.

- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®

• I've told you a billion times not to exaggerate.

[Nospambob1]

Conversion varnish is the current finish of choice for litchen cabinets. Yellow pages look for finishers/refinishers.

[Childfree Scott]

Exactly why wouldn't 3 coats of Polyeurethane work?