Finish for high moisture areas

[TheCabinetmaker]

I am working on a Linen Press that will go into a client’s main bath. Both of us are concerned about the moisture resistance of the finish (steam from showers, wet hands among others). I have noticed that the wipe on oil finishes I have used in the past are not as durable as they once were. I do have spray equipment (HVLP) so that’s not a problem. This finish will be going over T.M. with water base dye and Boiled Linseed oil to make it pop. A satin finish is what we are looking for. What have you been using? Pre catalyzed conversion varnish, water or oil based ? What brands have you had the best success with?

[WoodworkerTom]

Out here you have to show proof that you have a proper spray booth to purchase conversion varnish. That would be your best choice if you have the set up.

Precat lacquer withy a vinyl sealer would be your best bet.

GF sells crosslinkers for their waterbased polys that may also work. Safer to apply as well

[Cooler]

I was asked by the local Starbucks to refinish the table tops after the factory finish gave up the ghost in less than one year.

I sanded down to the bare wood, applied a coat of Sealcoat and 4 heavy coats of Minwax oil based poly.

9 years later they retired the tables and all the table tops I did still looked excellent. That would be with 10 or 20 wipe downs per day, 7 days a week for 9 years. It is not a high humidity situation but it is a lot of liquid.

Alternatively a clear marine finish is designed for humid environments. Get a clear topside finish. I don't think that the marine finishes are as hard as the interior finishes. I believe that they are designed to allow for wood movement and are more flexible.

But whatever finish you apply you will need good coating integrity (all surfaces must have a coating).

My table tops had only shellac on the underside. That would not be ideal for a humid environment.

[jteneyck]

I think people make too big a deal out of moisture issues in bathrooms; doesn't everyone have and use a vent fan these days? Anyway, back to the question you asked, wipe on oil finishes were never very durable. However, wipe on oil based varnishes are durable, Arm-R-Seal, Waterlox, etc. So if you want to use a wipe on finish, look at one of them or something similar.

If you want to spray, the recommendation of pre-cat lacquer over vinyl sealer or conversion varnish are both good ones. Personally, I've had excellent success with GF's water borne EnduroVar in a couple of bath projects (and also Arm-R-Seal). Those are several years old now with no issues. I used GF's Enduro Clear Poly over a shellac toner for my own bath vanity which is now a year old with no issues. I had wanted to try GF's WB conversion varnish until I read several posts about short pot life problems. I am going to try Target Coatings EM-2000 in the near future. It's a WB alkyd vanish so it looks like traditional varnish.

If you decide to use a water borne product I would either forget the BLO or to make sure to apply a sealer over it before applying the WB product. Sealcoat shellac or the manufacturer's recommended sealer will work well in most cases. Vinyl sealer may work, too, but I've never done it so I'm not positive.

As a side note, I think GF has discontinued their Cross Linker product.

John

[Cooler]

jteneyck said:

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I think people make too big a deal out of moisture issues in bathrooms; doesn't everyone have and use a vent fan these days?...
John

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No. If there is a window no fan is required where I live. Most of the older homes do not have one. If there is no window a fan is required. That is mostly for powder rooms where moisture is not a real issue.

In fact I've seen several powder rooms done with Pergo, and it is an acceptable situation in a half bath with no shower or tub. Damp mop only though.

[JR1]

I've had good luck with Crystalac PolyOx. It is not recommended for immersion applications but works fine otherwise. I agree with John on skip the BLO or put a shellac barrier over it. If you want to pop the grain a bit just use a tone coat of shellac. I bought a gallon of the GF conversion varnish to try but so far haven't done much with it. It looks like a good candidate though.

[TheCabinetmaker]

The wipe on that I had used in the past was Arm R Seal (3 coats) over 1 coat of seal a cell. After a few years in my bathroom the finish need to be redone (it felt rough). I did use Street Shoe 275 on my floors over a oil based sealer. It was so easy to use and is hold up well, and was thinking about using that. I'm looking into the products that have been recommended.

[jteneyck]

You bought a gallon of GF's CV at about $120/gal and haven't used it? Before it goes bad why don't you send it to me? I'll report back how it worked.

John

[jteneyck]

Three coats of Arm-R-Seal wouldn't give you much of a film if you wiped it on. The rough feeling you are getting now is probably because you didn't have enough coats to create a contiguous film and moisture got though it. I used 5 - 7 wiped on coats when I've used it in bath applications. One is a counter top which is now about 4 years old and doing fine except for the spot where the owner left a wet can of Scrubbing bubbles on it over the weekend. That chewed through the finish and left a nasty black ring in the wood. But I was able to sand away the damage, remove the stain with oxalic acid, and feather in a patch of Arm-R-Seal that you can't see.

John

[JR1]

Even in the January thaw it's way too cold to try what I want to try. So long as its not mixed it apparently will last forever?