Woodnet Forums

I'm building a large white oak trestle table. Varathane oil based strain has been applied.

The top will be finished with several coats of oil poly thinned down to a wipe on viscosity.

But what about the base? It'll take a lot of time to apply 3-4 coats on it, what with the knee braces and all the inside corners. Would BLO be a good option for the base or should I just suck it up and apply poly to it, too?

I sure wouldn't use BLO by itself. You will be way ahead by using the same varnish you use on the top. Just my opinion. Maybe apply it with a brush and less thinner so you don't need as many cats as you would with a wipe on application.

Yeah, after sleeping on it, I agree.

Runs terrify me, though, especially with all the small spaces, so I don't mind multiple thin coats so much.

Consider spraying the intricate areas of the base. If you don't have spray equipment, buy some spray cans of poly. It is rather expensive that way, but if you end up with better results, so what?

I've already started with thinned-down oil poly, wiping with a lint free cloth. It's working well.