Natural Looking Bartop Finish

This article was inspired by a question from Doug. He writes:

I am building a bar top from 8/4 Walnut for my son’s new home, and he wants to have a very natural finish on it – no film finish allowed. My first thought was to use BLO, but some research has led me to think that Pure Tung Oil might provide better protection. Is Pure Tung Oil a better option than BLO for an open grained wood like Walnut?

Tung Oil and BLO

When it comes to protection, boiled linseed oil (BLO) and pure tung oil are pretty similar. One important thing they have in common is that neither one offers a great deal of protection. If you have to choose between the two, I would say to go for the tung oil. It might be a little more expensive but it’s generally known to produce a higher quality finish in the long run. But if you want to save a few bucks, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with BLO in this context.

Now obviously your son is the boss here, but indulge me while I make a small suggestion. A pure oil finish will certainly be better than nothing at all, but for a bartop, your son might regret this decision after the first few spills. I can totally understand why he doesn’t want a film finish though. Personally, I hate the look of those super thick bar top finishes (epoxy). If someone wants that much protection, they should just put down a piece of glass or simply use something other than wood (can you smell the contempt? hehe). But keep in mind this isn’t an all or none proposition and you can achieve a compromise between the highly protective plastic look and the barely protected natural look.

The Oil/Varnish Compromise

An oil/varnish blend gives you much of the natural look of oil while adding some of the protection of varnish. Products such as Watco Danish Oil fall into this general category as it contains both oil and resin. With two or three thin coats, you can add some water and wear resistance without building a thick, shiny film. A satin or matte sheen will also help keep the surface looking more natural and less like plastic.

You can also make your own blend. A classic starting recipe is:

• 1/3 mineral spirits
• 1/3 boiled linseed oil or tung oil
• 1/3 poly varnish

Apply it in thin coats, wipe away the excess, and give each coat plenty of time to dry. I’d plan on roughly 24 hours between coats, and longer if the surface still feels tacky or clammy. The oil slows the cure, so piling on coats too quickly only makes things worse. With 3-4 coats, you’ll have a close to the wood natural looking finish that also offers some protection from spills, heat and abrasion.

Related Resources:

Oil Finish Basics (Video)
Make Your Own Oil/Varnish Blend