Ok woodworkers, what finish for walnut

[ben parrish]

I have been working on a walnut countertop for my wife’s studio. Started with rough cut boards we cut down about a decade ago; planed them down, cut to width and edge planed and glued them up. Now I have finished sanding, I’m ready to apply a finish but am unsure of what I want to use. I am thinking about....wiping varnish, tounge oil/varnish or tongue oil followed by wax. My goal is to keep as much of the natural purple and blue in the wood and not cover it up with stain. I want a matte finish but need durability for water and spills as a sink will be installed.
I may need to use a poly over the tongue oil but DO NOT want the plastic look of most poly finishes.
So...what do you woodworkers recommend?

[look 171]

Oil (compatible) for color, let dry then spray General Finish's Flat (water base)poly and wax on top of that with 000 steel wool

[wswartzwel]

I like using a base coat of shellac to seal, then a few coats of Minwax Polycrylic for a durable satin finish. Polycrylic will spray with an HVLP gun straight out of the can. Looks natural not plastic.

[look 171]

Been wanting try this but haven't time.

Two thin coat of epoxy for water proofing. Random orbit sander with 1000 grit to take the sheen out, follow with 000 steel wool and wax to achieve that old fashion or natural wood look with low sheen hand rub wax finish? You should try it and report back on a scrap piece.

[LWJ]

Here is something I used recently, and I am pleased. My wife wanted a reclaimed wood table. The uglier wood, the better. I got some nasty, ancient white oak and trued it and glued it. Then I filled and sanded multiple coats with west system epoxy. When the divots were filled to my satisfaction, I sanded down to finer grits. I think I stopped at 400. Might have gone finer. This gives a matte finish. But, not done yet. I gave it a good coat of paste wax to finish things off. Result is the strength and depth of epoxy without the nasty plastic look or touch. Other than Heat or a hammer the finish is very tough. So far. I'm pleased with it.

Alternatively, you can used Waterlox for waterproof finishes. I have this on 1000 feet of hardwood. It does put some yellow on the finish which my wife doesn't care for. It is a varnish / tung oil combination.

Pics of both the table and of the floor.

[1990C4S]

1/3 urethane varnish
1/3 boiled linseed oil
1/3 varsol

Apply with a rag, let it soak in.

Three coats. One week later, smooth with fine steel wool, then wax.

[masraum]

boiled linseed darkens over time, doesn't it?

Tung Oil (the real stuff which is hard to find) hardens like linseed oil, and is not supposed to darken. I believe it's supposed to waterproof wood and create a natural appearing (more matte than gloss) finish.
THis is a source for the real stuff. I'm not recommending this as I don't have enough experience. I'm just offering up the info.
https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/

[Ziggythecat]

Watco Tung Oil was my go to, and readily available

[Ziggythecat]

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Ziggythecat

Watco Tung Oil was my go to, and readily available

My guess is that it's not pure tung oil, but tung oil with other stuff. Most of the things labeled tung oil are blends.

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/woodworking/21015659/how-to-pick-tung-oil-finishes

What is tung oil?

Originating from China and South America, tung oil—an extract from tung-tree nuts—is a natural drying oil that coats your fine wood furnishings with a transparent, wet finish. It enhances the color of your wood, offers excellent protection and is eco-friendly.

Pure tung oil vs linseed oil

Among natural finishes, tung oil surpasses shellac and linseed oil in hardness, durability, and water resistance. It’s also food-safe, once cured.
How many coats of tung oil should be used?

While there are many advantages to using it, pure tung oil takes two to three days to harden, and needs at least five coats. Oil/varnish blends and wiping varnishes are faster-drying, more practical options, but such terms rarely appear on labels. For help picking a finish, see below.

Choosing the right type of tung oil finish

Penetrating tung oil finishes come in three varieties: pure tung oil, oil/varnish blends, and wiping varnish. They all share the benefits that tung oil imparts to a finish—durability, water resistance, resilient hardness, and color stability—depending on how much of the oil they actually contain and what form it takes.

Pure tung oil

Pure tung oil is easy to identify because it contains no solvents. That may be a good thing in terms of limiting your exposure to VOCs, but applying it is an exacting, drawn-out process.

You have to wait at least two to three days for each coat to harden. And it takes five to seven coats to get a protective film. Rushing the process, or applying too thick a coat, causes wrinkling, which has to be sanded off.

Regular reapplication is a must—“once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year ever after,” as the saying goes. The results can be gorgeous, as long as you have the necessary patience.
Oil/varnish blends vs. wiping varnishes

Oil/varnish blends and wiping varnishes were created to speed up these poky drying times and make application less fussy. Both types do this by adding man-made resins and solvents to keep those resins in solution. If you see “contains petroleum distillates” on the label, then it’s one of these finishes.

The difference between these two is subtle. Blends consist of an oil (or oils) mixed in with a varnish. (A varnish is made by cooking resins in a hot oil until resin and oil form a chemical bond.) Wiping varnishes are just what the name implies—straight varnishes that have been thinned enough to be wiped on with a cloth. All the oils in a varnish are bound up in the resin.

Unfortunately, the terms “oil/varnish blend” and “wiping varnish” are seldom used by manufacturers to describe their tung oil products. The easiest way to tell them apart is to read the application instructions. If they say to wait a certain number of minutes after you put the finish on, and then to wipe up or buff off the excess, it’s a blend. (If you don’t wipe up the extra oil, it will wrinkle and have to be sanded off.)

If the instructions don’t call for a follow-up wipe, then it’s a wiping varnish, which dries smooth and hard all on its own.

In short, go with an oil/varnish blend if you want the soft luster of an oil and a faster drying time. Choose a wiping varnish for its ease of application and high durability.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by masraum

boiled linseed darkens over time, doesn't it?

Not in that mixture, and not on walnut in my experience. I've made a lot of walnut furniture.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Not in that mixture, and not on walnut in my experience. I've made a lot of walnut furniture.

Cool, I'll make a note!

[1990C4S]

The nice thing about that finish is you can simply wipe a new coat on with a rag (if you don't wax it).

[look 171]

No oil is water proof or highly water resistance. OP wants some protection from water. Oil and was only last for so long unlike a true top coat. The trick here is to take the sheen out of the top coat making it look natural with some protection.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

No oil is water proof or highly water resistance. OP wants some protection from water. Oil and was only last for so long unlike a true top coat. The trick here is to take the sheen out of the top coat making it look natural with some protection.

Won't oil that polymerizes/hardens protect from water?

[look 171]

Not from experience. Jut think if they did and have a product that do what you mentioned, would all the decks across the US be looking great?

[arcsine]

I built this counter with jatoba (11 feet long and 4/4 thick) and finished it with wipe-on poly. Seems to be standing up to water very well and looks even better now 2 years later as the wood has gotten warmer/richer in color.

[carambola]

whatever you used on the floor looks perfect

[scott540]

I used this on our island I made about 8 years ago.
Has held up very well. IdI tried a wax
Over it but it left water rings

[look 171]

Originally Posted by scott540

I used this on our island I made about 8 years ago.
Has held up very well. IdI tried a wax
Over it but it left water rings

I found their water based poly to be superior. Harder, so it polishers better and very, very water resistance for areas like kitchen and bath cabinets. Its doesn't look like Poly of the old days. If applied in thin layers, it feels like old fashion lacquer. It rub out fine but it does turn everything whiteish like all water based finishes do. General can tint it a bit or what we do is oil the lumber with natural oil and shot that poly on top of it. We actual use another industrial product called Chemcoat. General is a close second in terms ease of application and durability