Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Pine Desktop

I bought a nice piece of 24 x 72 inch pine plywood at home depot to make a desktop between two bookshelves in our library (which are stained cherry).

The guy at home depot guided me and I think I've done a good job. ONly thing is - we want it to have a nice, thick, smooth finish on the top, kind of like a lamenate or something.

After wood conditioner and staining about 3 coats, i've applied about 7 or 8 coats of polyeurothane with a rag. its coming out REALLY nice but still not as thick as I hoped.

Is there something else I can use? Or just more and more coats??

Using a rag is a great looking technique, but it doesn't allow for a very thick film to build up. If you want a good thick film, you'll have to apply the poly with a brush. Luckily it's not all that difficult, but you do have to be more careful about brush marks and bubbles.

Get a good quality 2" bristle brush and use it to apply the poly. Don't overbrush it, and the poly should level itself out as it dries. A few coats done in this fashion will result in a very thick, durable finish.

ah. got it. i actually wanted to go that way in the beginning - even though the poly can says to use a rag. and, just as you said, it went on thick but it had alot of bubbles. i used a sponge brush, though, so maybe if i get the right brush....

so, poly is the way to go, not some kind of lacquer or shellack - or is that all the same??

I don't like sponge brushes for poly. For one thing, they don't hold enough, so you're dipping them back into the can every five seconds, which causes unnecessary disturbances to your work surfaces. Secondly, they do seem to cause bubbles. Like I said, a good quality 2" bristle brush is probably the best tool to use.

Make sure you aren't using 'wiping poly' or something like that. It amounts to basically a thinned down version of regular polyurethane varnish, and it isn't really the greatest for brushing.

I'd stick with polyurethane myself because it's cheap, readily available and pretty easy to work with. Lacquer dries awfully quickly and is quite harsh to work with. Shellac isn't so bad, but it doesn't really have the same level of resistance as cured polyurethane.

if you want a very thick but clear film look into a product called envrotex. it is a dual componant pour on resin. it can be built to 1/4" thick. it is easy to work with. some people refer to it as liquid glass

hmack - thanks. actually, you pointed out something: I AM using a wipe on poly. hmmm, maybe thats it. im almost out of it so i have to go back to HD anyway. the desk im finishing is only 24 x 53". i'll check out a poly to use with a nice brush.

after the last coat last night, waking up today its still very nice but wont hold up to "desk work", if you know what i mean.

bclaquer (nice name) - i just read about that stuff on another thread where someone was wanting to finish a bar top with baseball cards under glass look. i think thats what was mentioned.


hmmm, ok, i'll make a trip to HD today and check out some other options.

thanks all!

HD may not have the crystal sheen prodcuct from envirotex. try a good paint store. and if you use it, make sure you use a torch not a heat gun or hair drier. you need to CO2 from the torch not the heat. and double mix it. mix it once in one container and pour it into another container and mix again. this ensures that the uncatalyized stuff in container 1 gets catalyized. if you want other tips let me know