Sealant for wood?

[JasonMHorn]

I recently built a table out of wood. I'm planning on put my sump, frag tank, Clown Fish Breeding tank and container for RO Water on it. So with all of that I'm sure that at some point in time water will come in contact with the wood. So my question is, what should I use to seal the wood? At first I was thinking fiberglass resin but the more that I thought about it, it seemed to be overkill. Should I use like a Thompson Water Seal? Or a Urethane? And help or experience shared would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JasonMHorn]

Oh and I'm not looking to make it pretty. It's not a show piece it's a table in my basement.

 

[jonwright]

polyurethane would be great. avoid shellac as a top coat. there is also thick acryllic depending on how much you want to spend. Laquer would be good and shiny, too, depending on what you are using. it's not as easy to apply as the poly. Personally I'd use the floor formulation of Poly.

The minwax Helmsman seems to be a very durable top coat and made for outdoor conditions.

Thompson's washes off and you'll have to reapply.

Another thought: cover in formica countertop. much less work methinks. glue to top, trim to fit. Done.

 

[billdogg]

I really like the General brand of waterbased finishes. They go on very nice, and if you use the exterior finish, it will hold up for years of abuse. Any good polyurethane would do you fine, or if you will be painting it instead, Kilz primer/sealer and a decent top coat (or 3) of a quality latex enamel will do you well.

hth

just saw the above post - DIY laminate is very easy and as waterproof as it gets, but do all 6 sides (bottom first, then sides, then top so there are no uncovered edges for water to sit on)

 

[JasonMHorn]

Never thought of Formica. That's not a bad idea for the top. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[SGT_York]

SPAR, it is poly that is meant for periodic water contact. looks just like poly but holds up much better in time, it is a bit more pricey but not significantly.

 

[billdogg]

Here's a pic of the top I did for my 120 build. I had never done laminate before. I watched a youtube video and went at it. I used waterbased contact cement - no fumes.

 

[Da Maui life]

Never thought of Formica. That's not a bad idea for the top. Thanks for the suggestion!

Or, per-made laminate countertop from the big box store?

 

[JasonMHorn]

Or, per-made laminate countertop from the big box store?

What? You lost me.

 

[JasonMHorn]

Nice cabinet billdogg!

 

[Da Maui life]

What? You lost me.

If you don’t have a top for it or tools to laminate ‘Formica’ (brand name) one can buy pre-made laminate countertop pretty cheap.

 

[Laardvark]

If you don’t have a top for it or tools to laminate ‘Formica’ (brand name) one can buy per-made laminate countertop pretty cheap.

Pre-made. When I tried to type that my ipad autocorrect end to per-made too LOL.

I second that, if you don't already have a top made. If you do then go with the spar poly.

 

[Da Maui life]

Pre-made. When I tried to type that my ipad autocorrect end to per-made too LOL.

I don't know the OP's dim. on the table but this is one example for a standard cab. I'm just throwing out some cheap easy ideas.


http://www.homedepot.com/b/N-5yc1v/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-pre-made+laminate+countertops?Nao=96&Ntx=mode matchpartialmax&NCNI-5

 

[MinnFish]

Heard about this product recently. Plan on using it for my new build.
Rustoleum Neverwet.

 

[sandyland]

Fiberglass resin is my go to for waterproofing.

 

[JasonMHorn]

Yea the only problem with fiberglass resin is that when it gets wet it'll be to slippery.