Finish when using epoxy in cracks

[Justin in PDX]

Hi all. I've got my surface all prepped. Wood is sanded down to 220 and the epoxy is down to 1500. I was going to use OSMO Polyx Oil but since it's a penetrating finish it clearly won't penetrate the epoxy. I don't want to leave it dull so does that mean I need a "film" finish? Not sure if that's the right term.

I took a couple pics, one with the epoxy wet wiped to get a sense of the finish I want it to have and once it dries it's just too dull.

Also hoping for a non toxic or at least very low VOC finish.

thanks!

[Willyou]

That looks very nice.
I don't consider myself a finishing expert, but I have had success putting poly over epoxy fills of varying sizes. I usually start with a coat or two of Seal Coat and then apply poly. I've never had an issue doing it this way. Of course, with shellac, you can use either oil or water based poly.
With a film finish, of course it will not penetrate the epoxy. However, after the first coat dries (and certainly the second) the new surface will all be the same and the finish material will cease to penetrate and continue to build thickness everywhere. If the OSMO is a penetrating oil product like danish oil, I'm not sure how it will look or even if it will adhere to the epoxy. Testing is always good to do.

[jteneyck]

Make up a test piece with some epoxy in it and try out the Osmo Oil.  Maybe it will work just fine.  Like Willyou, I've used Sealcoat followed by waterborne or oil based varnish w/o problems over epoxy inlays.  

John

[fptahoe]

I just finished a piece that included epoxy-filled cracks and used OSMO Polyx-Oil. It went on beautifully, including over the epoxy. I really liked the look.