re: Dining table finishes

What she, obviously, likes is, the depth of finish. One coat of the epoxy I used to buy is the equivalent of about fifty coats of poly.

The stuff I used to buy was a 50-50 or 1:1 mix. It grew more durable over time, but it’s not as hard as the bar top epoxies, so the type you buy is critical.

I’ve seen many bar tops that, considering the abuse they get, held up great, so the bar top epoxies should be fine. Years in, you can scuff and add a coat, if need be. You don’t have to strip it.

Even if you went with poly, under any name, touching up every few years before you got to the point you had to strip it would be key to happiness. Just like with wood floors. No need to strip, if you get there before your are forced to.

I used to buy my epoxy in five gallon buckets (5 of A and 5 of B). Once in a blue moon, I’d have to drill out a bubble or something. A hand held pin drill allowed me to do that without going past the pour. Clean that, scuff the surface and go again.

With wood, I ALWAYS sealed the surface with poly first. If it soaked in, all the better (more stable). The reason I did that is, I’d torch the surface and the air just seemed to keep coming. I figured out it was the wood releasing air. Sealing it solved that problem.

The kid who comes to my shop to play and for tips made the mistake of going epoxy on a picnic table. He had to borrow my siding sander to remove a bunch of it (24 grit carbide metal plates you can torch).