Varnish for kitchen table

Need a very hard wearing polyurethane varnish for a dining table. Any recommendations or is it all much of a muchness?

 

Osmo is considered good stuff by all accounts. Various finishes available etc.

 

We uses yacht varnish on our worktop recently. Don’t know if it is polyurethane. Previously used Danish wood oil for 20 yrs.
We did 4 coats of yacht varnish. It has a nice finish and is resistant to abuse so far (about 6 months of usage)

 

I like Omso but is it hardwearing? I Omso-ed the little table we have in the living room and it seems like more of an oil finish than a varnish.

 

Osmo would be certainly one of the first choices for surfaces with a contact with food. But it ain't hardwearing.

 

Osmo is an Oil finish, lovely but not especially hard wearing.

If you want bullet proof try Rustins Plastic coating, a two part finish, ring proof and stain proof. Naturally a gloss finish but can be knocked back to a satin or matte as well. Wear a mask if applying indoors.

 

Use a modern water based varnizh. Once dry, you're done. It's bulletproof, lasts indefinitely, can be scrubbed clean, looks miles better than crappy old PM and is loads easier to use.

 

I polyurethaned the (wide) bare wood window sill in our bathroom getting on for twenty years ago, given a coat or two since.
Get a lot of wear and tear from all the bottles and such that get put on them and have faired quite well.

Can't remember the brand .. probs Ronseal or such, will have a look in the garage next time I'm in*.

My work desk (birch ply) is also done with the same. Also relatively unfazed given all the crap I accumulate and my habit of making things (using sharp implements that I let pile up while I'm busy)

Water based varnishes just can't compete IME ... too soft and wear quickly.

* was under the stairs - Rustins Yacht Varnish is the last tin I bought.

 

I have found modern water based varnishes to be superb. infact when I built my kitchen from birch ply I used water based and it still looks perfect, with the added benefit of drying super quick.

I discovered shellac last year, nice as it is to use, if you look at it wrong it clouds.

 

Ahh ok, I didn't know if they made what Sean was after as they seem to have a ton of products.

 

Yes, it's not water resistant so a kitchen table would be a big no no.

 

The water based varnishes made now are vastly better than those of the past. IME they outperform PU in every respect. They just work and are SO much easier to use. I suspect that it's driven by safety concerns and the drive to reduce organic solvents. This drives the manufacturers to water based and forces the chemists to come up with effective solutions. Such is progress. Diesel cars used to be rubbish, with no performance. Not now. Electric vehicles likewise.

 

Very possible

I used water-based on my desktop initially; It wore away quite quickly in areas that got a lot of use and softened easily with any spillage. So I overcoated with PU and it has been fine since.
But yes, that was at least a decade ago so things may have certainly moved on.

 

Yacht varnish works well, but only because I had a pot in the garage. Overpriced for your application though, unless you want to leave your table outside 24/7 and stand it in salt water.