I am a sort of amateur woodworker, and I recently made a table. I want to put the type of coating on it that is found on some restaurant tables. The stuff I am thinking of can be poured over coins, shells, etc. about an inch thick and still creates a flat surface.
Somebody told me it was polyurethane, so I bought that and put multiple coats on quite thick and it’s definitely not the right thing. For my table, I’m not looking for the coating to be very thick, just about 1/8" to protect it from water and to make a smooth finish. Is this stuff some type of resin, or maybe arcrylic? Where can I get it from?
I know exactly what you mean but I can’t think of the name. However, if you go to http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums, there was a thread about this somewhere. I can’t remember which forum but possibly the home decorating one or the furniture one. I think you can search all at once though.
I’ve seen lots of those clear tabletops - usually in pubs or off-beat cafes. Here’s a link to what I think is the stuff [or similar]: http://www.shopmaninc.com/kk121.html
Just happened to check back and caught EvilChandi’s post. Good call on the spar. It comes in different sheens now, too.
About six years ago, I tried a different treatment. It was an epoxy type of product that was retarded* to the point of allowing itself to flow to an even thickness over the bar. The contractor had ordered it from someplace in England and it cost about $200.00 for enough to cover a 12’ long bartop. Made an amazing finish, but it was very nerve racking to work with. The paint pot we mixed it in actually got hot as we mixed it. And we had to have absolute control over dust specks, the instructions showed how to imbed small items in the mix and highlighted how visible dust specks would be.
I went right back to using the catalytic bartop laquer**.
A painter’s term, not a derogatory adjective.
**Laquer? Why, shucks, I LOVE her!
On preview, I see mackeff found a new version. Sweet!
If it’s really thick (like more than 1/4"), then it’s almost certainly epoxy. Epoxy-coated bar tops and tavern tables made from tree trunk slabs were all the rage in the late 70s. I still have a tabletop-coating kit somewhere in my junk collection. It’s two pint-bottles which harden when mixed.
I have used casting resins and tools resins to achieve this effect. I bought them in gallon quantities [much better per-oz pricing] from a commecial supplier because I was full of ideas. I have about a quart of each left, so I spent slightly less, total, than I would have, buying by the quart, and I have some left over that might still be good for future projects, though it probably won’t ‘keep’ indefinitely.
They also listed food prep grade resins on their site. Alas, the site I used is no longer working.
Thanks guys, that’s what I was looking for. I’m surprised they don’t have it in Home Depot or Lowe’s, I thought the stuff would be pretty popular. I’ll look around in some more hardware and paint stores, and if I can’t find it I’ll order it from mackeff’s suggested site.
