finishing walnut slab

[MikeM2006]

My son gave me a walnut live edge slab and I plan to make him a bar type table for is outdoor covered porch.  The legs will be industrial black pipe running down to walnut trestle type runners on the floor.  My uestion is about the finish.  I want that hand rubbed varnish satin finish, not an epoxy high gloss mirror coat.  I am thinking of using a clear epoxy for a build  up and after sanding to use a polyurethane finish coat or two sanded very fine and then pumice and rottenstone for a final finish.  Are there better ideas out there?  Thanks Mike

[jteneyck]

If it's a covered porch I'm not sure I would feel a need for the epoxy.  I would think about General Finishes Exterior 450 varnish because you want to rub it out.  Otherwise, I would say use Epifanes Marine varnish but that stuff is far too soft to rub out.  No matter which topcoat you decide on I would not use pumice and rottenstone.  They work, to be sure, but they are pretty slow.  I'd use 3M Trizact discs on my ROS and then 3M's polishing compound or similar.  I used different products, but the same approach, on this walnut slab.  The finish is Arm-R-Seal but I wouldn't recommend that for outdoor use unless the porch is fully enclosed.




  John

[MikeM2006]

Thanks.  I was thinking of epoxy as I need to fill several knot hole and other cracks in the slab.  I figured that epoxy could then act as a base coat sealer on the grain with varnish on top.  I have heard good things about General but never used it.  I will try it and look at Trizact.  I have read about using automotive polishing compound but never tried it.  I will look at your polishing compound as well.  I have always enjoy
ed using the pumice and rottenstone.  Fun to use and so old school.  Thanks for the help.  Your slab is a wonder to behold.  Mike

[jteneyck]

I used colored epoxy to fill several holes and cracks in the slab, after leveling but before my final sanding sequence. 

John