Walnut Slab Help Recommendations

[avason]

Hey guys...I decided to create a counter top looking into my living room area. Right now I have this opening. I went to buy a live edge piece of material yesterday and decided to buy a walnut. It doesn't look like walnut but the guy said it is. I didn't go there for a particular species just wanted basically something that I could make into a counter top. So far I have sanded it and put some boiled linseed oil on it. What do you guys recommend to finish it. I still have to sand it a bit more but was wondering what kind of stain and or finish for it. Thanks for the help guys! I’m also concerned about that crack...should I epoxy it or something??

 

[ATH]

For the crack, I'd probably put a pocket hole/screw on the back side of it to keep it from opening more. Probably not going to successfully close it... Cracks are a reality with live edge pieces.

Lots of finishes...not really a "right or wrong" answer. You can do more coats of BLO. The formula I've seen for a really good BLO finish is every day for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, then once a year. It is high maintenance, but makes for a nice looking piece...providing very little protection. Shellac is a little soft, but provides more protection than linseed oil and is very easy to refinish. Polyurethane is a little harder to apply...I think it 50/50 with naphtha and wipe it on. Provides a very strong finish, but creates more of a film and is hard to refinish. Bar top epoxy is hardest to apply and refinish, leaves a very pronounced layer, but is great protection.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Sure looks like walnut to me. Was it kiln dried? What %? As for the crack, you might consider something like this... these are about 5/8" thick. This is cherry with maple bowties.

 

[avason]

I think that I am going to sand and add a couple of more coats of BOL. Since my kids will be eating and drinking on the countertop, I’m going to look into a poly for a finish. Thanks for the advice.

 

[avason]

Sure looks like walnut to me. Was it kiln dried? What %? As for the crack, you might consider something like this... these are about 5/8" thick. This is cherry with maple bowties.
View attachment 726811 View attachment 726812

I like that...I noticed the crack is not all the way through but it might help to be proactive. Nice cherry pieces.

 

[ATH]

You can do the BLO under poly, bit I'm not sure it will add much. That is often done to give wood an amber color. You've done that with the one coat (maybe do again after sanding) and this is a dark wood so I don't think multiple coats of BLO will change the color much more. Poly will darken it a little too...

 

[avason]

You can do the BLO under poly, bit I'm not sure it will add much. That is often done to give wood an amber color. You've done that with the one coat (maybe do again after sanding) and this is a dark wood so I don't think multiple coats of BLO will change the color much more. Poly will darken it a little too...

Thanks for responding...Do you have any suggestions for a protective coating. I've been looking into the bar table epoxy but don't want to spend the time doing it. That stuff costs around $70.00. Considering that I only paid $25.00 for the slab, I think the sand paper and BLO is going to cost more than the walnut slab. MY FIL recommended Tung oil for protection...I'm researching it now. Again, Thanks!
On a side note...I didn't know BLO was for a finish. I thought is was just to condition the wood. I am a rookie here so I am learning all this. It's kind of nice doing this type of stuff instead of cutting tree, splitting and or fixing this stuff. Pretty therapeutic!

 

[avason]

The guy that sold me the slab, who owns a woodworking shop recommended spar urethane. I will try that. In the end this isn't rocket science. If I don't like it, I can always sand and reapply.

 

[ATH]

I'd personally use polyurethane because it is harder...but spar urethane is a great choice as well. You can buy "wipe on" polyurethane, but that is more expensive. Like I said, I mix it 50/50 with naphtha (you can you other solvents like mineral spirits, but naphtha dries quicker). Best recommendation I've seen for applying it is "do it like the kid a Denny's wiping the table". The more you go over it, the worst it will look. Put on one coat with a lint free cloth. Let it dry, do another coat. After about 3 coats I lightly "sand" it with the finest steel wool (or 400 grit sandpaper) just to get dust particles out. Wipe the dust off with a dry cloth or a cloth with just a tiny bit of thinner on it - just to give the dust something to stick to. 2-3 more coats, sand & clean again, then a final coat. For that last coat, the original jar of my mix is almost empty so I pour in a little more polyurethane but not more naphtha so that final coat is probably more like 75/25. Sounds like a lot to do, but it goes very quick (recoat in 30-60 minutes) and doesn't take much skill - as long as you do thin coats and don't keep wiping over it. With regular polyurethane, you brush it on and it is easy to get bubbles and brush marks...it is hard to get bubbles with thinned wipe on.

Spar urethane is supposed to be easier to apply. You can use the same method I describe...I wouldn't thin it quite as much and that probably means a coat or two less. Spar urethane is softer than polyurethane, but better water and heat resistance (not that polyurethane is easily damaged by water and heat...just that spar urethane holds up better to those).

 

[ATH]

....
On a side note...I didn't know BLO was for a finish. I thought is was just to condition the wood. I am a rookie here so I am learning all this. It's kind of nice doing this type of stuff instead of cutting tree, splitting and or fixing this stuff. Pretty therapeutic!

Some would argue it is not a finish... it soaks into the wood, doesn't sit on the wood like other finishes (same with tung oil). I know some woodworkers who won't touch it because of the risk of the rags causing spontaneous combustion (make sure you lay them out flat in an open are to dry completely before throwing them away!).

The only think I've used BLO on was a cedar patio table that I did shoshugibon on (burned the wood). The BLO gave that a nice finishing touch, but you can't tell there is anything on it. I'll reapply every few years just to keep oil in the wood.

In theory I do hobby woodworking too. Did a lot more before kids!

 

[avason]

I just read that about blo...scary. Last night I tossed the rag into a metal bucket in my garage. Not good. It’s sitting in a metal bucket in the rain right now. I ended up using the spar urethane because I had some left over. I’ll put a couple of coats on it in the next few days. I’ll sand it again tomorrow then add another coat. Maybe by Wednesday I can install. I think I’ll use a silicone or liquid nails. This woodworking thing is new to me. A lot of reading and YouTube videos. Here is the first coat.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I would have just sprayed a few coats of low gloss clear lacquer on it.
My kitchen cabinets are done that way, has held up well (about 10 years old now)

 

[avason]

I would have just sprayed a few coats of low gloss clear lacquer on it.
My kitchen cabinets are done that way, has held up well (about 10 years old now)

You’re to late!...WTF. Just kidding. I saw a couple of videos on that. If it doesn’t come out the way I want, I may look into that.