I made some wooden countertops out of 3/4" pine boards, with 3/4"
plywood under that. I like how they look, but they aren't very
durable (my son just cut an orange with no cutting board, dang-it),
even after several coats of polyurathane. What are my options? I'm
thinking either glass, or maybe if I could find some super-clear thin
plastic, that would work. I want to see the wood still, that is why I
say super-clear, not sure if I could find such a thing. I know I
could have some glass cut, but seems like it might be pretty
expensive. I also saw some stuff they pour on top of bar tops, but my
top is flat, no rim, so I don't think that stuff would be ideal.
On Sep 21, 10:28=A0pm, [email protected] wrote:
> =A0I also saw some stuff they pour on top of bar tops, but my
> top is flat, no rim, so I don't think that stuff would be ideal.
Pine won't last as a counter top. It will discolor easily, doesn't
play well with water or detergent, is too soft to make a good work
surface, and at only 3/4 of an inch thick, unless it is laminated to a
thicker piece of underlayment, you will find it to be very unstable.
Personally, if you intend to keep the pine tops, I would start here as
my first choice for protection.
http://tinyurl.com/47tazd
Robert
On Sep 22, 10:04=A0pm, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Sorry to all for the busted links. =A0I hate that when it happens.
>
> If I were looking for a pine board look, one that I wanted for the
> appearance of pine, I would make sure as I said before and as others
> have posted as well that the wood was as stable as I could get it.
>
> Then I would go over the top with a product like this, based on the
> "regular" pricing, not the commercial grade stuff:
>
> =A0http://www.steebar.com/Supplies/Epoxy.html
Thanks Robert! I just started looking at this page, but the picture
in the top-right area is a kitchen counter-top that looks somewhat
like mine, so cool:
http://www.steebar.com/Supplies/images/bar4a.jpg
At least now, if I want to go this option, I know that I'm not the
only one doing this, and it looks great in the pictures. At the very
least, as long as I can get my hands on something to test without too
much trouble and cost, then I'll at least do a test on some scrap. I
see they have a pint sample kit, I may just go ahead and order that as
a test. If I do, I'll be sure and post my results.
On Sep 22, 1:07=A0pm, "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote:
> As someone said, no rim is no big deal; however, I don't think it would b=
e
> good for your application as it is easily scratched. =A0It isn't very goo=
d on
> solid wood anyway because of the wood movement.
Good to know, thanks.
> You can get nice clear 18" acrylic plastic but it scratches too. =A0Easil=
y.
Anyone have any experience with mylar? Scratches also?
> Glass wouldn't scratch (normally) but it would be a lousy topping...it wo=
uld
> get dirty on the underside - so would ANY clear sheet layed on top - and =
is
> easily broken.
I'm not sure how it would get dirty on the underside, but as for
"easily broken", I assume that is probably the case unless I go with
the more expensive kind that is used for table tops (i.e.- glass
coffee table), but that seems like a waste because I don't need
something so strong that it is made to be the top itself (I have
plywood for strength already).
>=A0If I were you, I'd take off the 3/4" pine boards and put laminate on th=
e plywood.
I'm giving this one some thought, as well as other surfaces that are
designed for the job. My wife and I love the way the pine boards
look, but of course if they don't stay looking that way for long, then
what is the point. I'm only about 25% done, so it wouldn't be too
much too scrap. If I was done already, I'd just leave the pine boards
on until they look bad, then rip them off and do something else.
...I'll also like how this quarter-sawn oak top on the desk I'm
sitting at right now looks, and it is 20+ years old, but that just
isn't in the budget for my whole kitchen.
[email protected] wrote:
> On Sep 21, 10:28 pm, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> I also saw some stuff they pour on top of bar tops, but my
>> top is flat, no rim, so I don't think that stuff would be ideal.
>
> Pine won't last as a counter top. It will discolor easily, doesn't
> play well with water or detergent, is too soft to make a good work
> surface, and at only 3/4 of an inch thick, unless it is laminated to a
> thicker piece of underlayment, you will find it to be very unstable.
>
> Personally, if you intend to keep the pine tops, I would start here as
> my first choice for protection.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/47tazd
>
> Robert
page not found.
On Sep 25, 12:44=A0pm, [email protected] wrote:
> At least now, if I want to go this option, I know that I'm not the
> only one doing this, and it looks great in the pictures. =A0
I was doing work at a local country club and they wanted their bar
tops in a couple of areas to have a hard, cleanable top on them and
the let the maintenance guys (not your normal goof, though) apply
something similar to this on their bar tops. He followed the
instructions to the letter and was amazed at how little problem he
had. He did a little buffing and polishing aftwards, and did have to
address a drip or two where it came over the edges.
But it cuts and polishes like plastic after about 30 days, so he had
an easy time of it. And not only did it look great, it was wearing
like iron after about a year.
>At the very
> least, as long as I can get my hands on something to test without too
> much trouble and cost, then I'll at least do a test on some scrap. =A0I
> see they have a pint sample kit, I may just go ahead and order that as
> a test. =A0
Build a TV tray or something like that, and use the sample on it.
Don't just put it on a scrap and put it in the garage to cure. I
personally try to get a sample anytime I try out something new that
means a commitment of a lot of time and effort. I think that idea is
great.
All of that kind of stuff seems to dry hard and glossy, so I think the
next thing I would look at if I found the surface to be what I was
looking for, would be to try a bit of 0000 steel wool to see if I
could make it a "satin" finish. I don't see why that wouldn't
work....
> If I do, I'll be sure and post my results.
I hope you do! I for one will be looking forward to it.
Robert
On Sep 25, 11:04=A0am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> I was doing work at a local country club and they wanted their bar
> tops in a couple of areas to have a hard, cleanable top on them and
> the let the maintenance guys (not your normal goof, though) apply
> something similar to this on their bar tops. =A0He followed the
> instructions to the letter and was amazed at how little problem he
> had. =A0He did a little buffing and polishing aftwards, and did have to
> address a drip or two where it came over the edges.
>
> But it cuts and polishes like plastic after about 30 days, so he had
> an easy time of it. =A0And not only did it look great, it was wearing
> like iron after about a year.
Sounds great. The bad news is, according to that web-site, the non-
commercial stuff shouldn't be used for table tops (it isn't scratch
resistant), and for the commercial stuff I would need to make a
$130.45 purchase (after s/h) to get one gallon to try it.
Now that I know what to look for, I am finding a lot more information
with Google, so hopefully. I'm checking with a local resteraunt
supply place to see if they sale it, since it would be really nice to
find something local (Tucson, AZ). It doesn't seem like such a far-
out idea, so it does seem a little odd that none of these guys sale
through retail stores (if not Lowes/Home Depot, at least the
woodworking stores like WoodWorker's Source, since these products are
also ideal for furniture, clocks, coffee tables, and other things that
your average wood worker would build). It has arts/craft value also,
so I would think those type of stores would have it... maybe it is a
bad sign that none of them do... or maybe I just live in the wrong
place (I can never find anything in Tucson).
On Sep 22, 4:50=A0pm, [email protected] wrote:
Sorry to all for the busted links. I hate that when it happens.
If I were looking for a pine board look, one that I wanted for the
appearance of pine, I would make sure as I said before and as others
have posted as well that the wood was as stable as I could get it.
Then I would go over the top with a product like this, based on the
"regular" pricing, not the commercial grade stuff:
http://www.steebar.com/Supplies/Epoxy.html
The Steebar is particular product I have heard of being used
successfully, but I have not installed it myself.
I have seen other epoxy type finishes installed at bars and high
traffic areas in restaurants. They are not anything more than about
3/32" to 1/8" of a coat of resin (although some are made to leave a
1/4" thick coating) covering the wood below. This is what you see
when you go to a restaurant and see baseball cards, concert tickets,
coins, etc, memorialized in plastic.
These plastic/resin coating are pretty much impervious to all
cleaners, stains, and even pretty abrasion resistant. Normal
scratching and abrasion can be polished out with something like the
Novus line of plastic polishes.
I have seen Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top finish installed, and the
folks that have used it, love it. It is supposed to be a bear to put
on unless you thin it and follow all instructions carefully, but the
end results don't look quite as plastic as the epoxies.
Google: "epoxy table top" and you will get a lot of info and
opinions. Also, if you DAGS the Behlen's finish there are a lot of
posts concerning its application procedures.
Robert
[email protected] wrote:
> On Sep 21, 10:28 pm, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> I also saw some stuff they pour on top of bar tops, but my
>> top is flat, no rim, so I don't think that stuff would be ideal.
>
> Pine won't last as a counter top. It will discolor easily, doesn't
> play well with water or detergent, is too soft to make a good work
> surface, and at only 3/4 of an inch thick, unless it is laminated to
> a
> thicker piece of underlayment, you will find it to be very unstable.
>
> Personally, if you intend to keep the pine tops, I would start here
> as
> my first choice for protection.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/47tazd
That's a busted link.
Regardless, the pourover stuff works fine with no rim--the first place
I saw it was in one of the local restaurants and it's held up fine for
20 years or so--it's just thinner on the edges than on the top. One
gotcha--anything under it, make sure that it's flat to the surface and
well secured--a few tables had thin copper bands with gaps under
them--eventually the finish cracked over those bands--the ones where
the band was down flat are still fine. When pouring it, put plenty of
drop cloths underneath, because whatever it lands on as it drips off
the edge it's not coming off of, and if it soaks through the drop
cloth and dries then the drop cloth is more or less permanently bonded
to whatever was underneath it.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
[email protected] wrote:
> On Sep 25, 11:04 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> Sounds great. The bad news is, according to that web-site, the non-
> commercial stuff shouldn't be used for table tops (it isn't scratch
> resistant), and for the commercial stuff I would need to make a
> $130.45 purchase (after s/h) to get one gallon to try it.
Any of it will scratch. That's because all of it (epoxy) is pretty much the
same. And that's because there are very few companies making it...the
internet (and other) sellers all buy it from the same manufacturers. Not to
say there can't be minor differences in formulation but for general use
those differences won't matter a whit.
I buy mine from these people. They are reliable. What you want is what
they call "Kleer Koat".
http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html
I still don't think epoxy (or polyester) resin is appropriate for a surface
finish on solid wood. Ply, yes; solid, no.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
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[email protected] wrote:
> On Sep 22, 1:07 pm, "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> As someone said, no rim is no big deal; however, I don't think it
>> would be
>> good for your application as it is easily scratched. It isn't very
>> good on
>> solid wood anyway because of the wood movement.
>
> Good to know, thanks.
>
>> You can get nice clear 18" acrylic plastic but it scratches too.
>> Easily.
>
> Anyone have any experience with mylar? Scratches also?
I used to use mylar years ago...put it on top of unset polyester resin,
squeegee out any bubbles and you have a nice smooth, glossy surface on the
resin after it sets and you take off the mylar. Yes, it scratches too.
______________
>> Glass wouldn't scratch (normally) but it would be a lousy
>> topping...it would
>> get dirty on the underside - so would ANY clear sheet layed on top -
>> and is easily broken.
> I'm not sure how it would get dirty on the underside,
The same way windows get dirty - crud in the air. And a kitchen would have
even more what with suspended grease particles.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
[email protected] wrote:
> I made some wooden countertops out of 3/4" pine boards, with 3/4"
> plywood under that. I like how they look, but they aren't very
> durable (my son just cut an orange with no cutting board, dang-it),
> even after several coats of polyurathane. What are my options? I'm
> thinking either glass, or maybe if I could find some super-clear thin
> plastic, that would work. I want to see the wood still, that is why I
> say super-clear, not sure if I could find such a thing. I know I
> could have some glass cut, but seems like it might be pretty
> I also saw some stuff they pour on top of bar tops, but my
> top is flat, no rim, so I don't think that stuff would be ideal.
As someone said, no rim is no big deal; however, I don't think it would be
good for your application as it is easily scratched. It isn't very good on
solid wood anyway because of the wood movement.
You can get nice clear 18" acrylic plastic but it scratches too. Easily.
Glass wouldn't scratch (normally) but it would be a lousy topping...it would
get dirty on the underside - so would ANY clear sheet layed on top - and is
easily broken. If I were you, I'd take off the 3/4" pine boards and put
laminate on the plywood.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico