A finish durable enough for a wooden countertop (Arm-R-Seal)

hi I'm James Hamilton from stumpy dome his woodworking journal and we've been producing a series of videos about making your own wooden countertops ours were made from solid walnut and so far we've shown you how to create a template and how to cut the big miters on the corner in this video we're going to tackle one of the biggest questions that people have been asking how do you choose and apply a durable finish since countertops take a lot of abuse you need something that will protect it from water heat and grease notice I didn't say a finish should protect it from bumps and bruises this isn't granite what is a different material with a different look and you should have different expectations dents and blemishes are bound to happen just as they would on your dining table or on your hardwood floor as part of the character that's unique to wood and to me it looks far better than slathering some plasticky epoxy shell to protect it completely so my finish of choice is general finishes armour seal which is not a sponsor this is a urethane based topcoat but unlike the poly urinate that you get from the hardwood store this is a fine furniture finish that's made from the highest quality resins it'll penetrate into the wood hardening and sealing the outer fibers while producing a beautiful finished surface it will not make your counters completely waterproof it will make them water-resistant that means it won't keep out the water if you submerge your counter in the pool overnight but it will resist the moisture from normal kitchen use just wipe up your spills as any reasonable person would instead of letting a puddle of kool-aid dry overnight the best part of our armored seal is is easy to apply put it on liberally and spread it with a lint-free cloth I like to use a piece of t-shirt material folded into a pad the first coat is going to sink into the wood especially in places where the grain curls towards the surface give it all it will absorb and wipe the excess away I like to move in one direction with the grain but this is less important on the first coat it will begin to dry fairly quickly so avoid going back over areas you've already applied finish to just you work your way methodically from one edge to the other it's up to you whether you want to wear a respirator I certainly wouldn't want to inhale the stuff all day long but I find it's not as bad as other finishes in fact I've even finished countertops inside the house and it hasn't been overwhelming at the very least though you do want to ventilate the area the best you can now the manufacturer says to wait 12 to 24 hours between coats I've successfully applied a new coat after just three or four hours but that's going to depend on the weather and obviously on the thickness of the coat you definitely don't want to recoat if the surface feels at all tacky or cool to the touch a way to test it is to press a cotton ball against the surface if nothing sticks you're probably good to go but before applying more finish lightly hands--and with 400 grit sandpaper or something in that at range you just want to smooth things out you don't want to remove a lot of the finish you just put on and if your papers gumming up you just need to wait and let it dry some more when you're done sanding remove the dust with compressed air or a vacuum and then wipe it with water or mineral spirits now the second coat is not going to absorb like the first one so put it on a bit thinner then repeat that drying sanding wiping process and move on to a third coat this time be really careful to avoid streaking wipe in one direction don't go back over an area once you've left it and especially if you're using a satin finish stir it frequently to keep the flattening agent suspended otherwise your countertop will be flat in one area and shiny in another I can't stress enough that you shouldn't over wipe if you see a streak in an area you've already covered leave it alone it'll most likely disappear when it's completely dry just be methodical make sure you get everything evenly wet as you work and you'll be fine after the third coat dries I like to lightly sand with about 600 grit this time then I wipe on the thinnest coat I can while still wetting everything evenly often the finish that's already in your cloth from your previous coats will be enough to just cover everything this super thin coat will dry quickly before all those little dust particles that are in the air have time to settle it's a great way to get a nice finish in a dusty environment however if you do this and you find out after it drys that it's streaky it's because you went on a little bit too thin so go back and do it again three regular coats and one super thin final coat is all you need it will do you no good to add more ten coats will be no more durable than three with this finish I do like to do a final buffing with a brown paper bag which is roughly equivalent to 1500 grit sandpaper then let it cure for 30 days if at all possible don't use the countertops in this time especially not in the first week you certainly don't want to set anything heavy on them like small appliances and definitely nothing plastic or it will stick to the finish now every countertop material requires a different maintenance routine wood must be kept clean if you spill something wipe it up don't cut directly on your countertop use a cutting board expect a few small Nicks and dents to accumulate over time but if it looks like a nick penetrated through the finish dab on a little Armour seal onto that spot to seal it back up if after a few years they look like they should be recoded sand it with 220 grit and apply a couple thin new coats your wooden countertops will outlast you I'll put links in the notes below to the armored seal finish that I use and to the other videos in this series so you can check them out enjoy this is a Koenigsegg Sweden's finest sports car this is the Joe Berg's Sweden's finest workbench there are things for people who appreciate quality and high-performance something they can pass down to their grandkids grandkids you can't afford this but this will cost you less than a good cabinets off check out what Joe Briggs has to offer at the link below this video wait don't go yet if you're new here please subscribe and remember to ring the bell I would really appreciate that give us a thumbs up or better yet leave us a comment I always read them and be sure to check out the latest issue of stumpy nubs woodworking journal it's always packed with tips tricks and tutorials designed to make you a better woodworker

Channel: Stumpy Nubs

Views: 268,548

Rating: 4.9596176 out of 5

Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe, general finishes, arm-r-seal, counter top

Id: v4NCxzNdNAw

Length: 6min 35sec (395 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 05 2019