Kitchen table Chestnut food grade finish

[B3nder]

Hello,I've recently a kit hen table back to bare finish.
But want to protect the wood from spills etc.

So was thinking get of using Chestnut food grade oil.
With the aim being to apply it a couple of times.so that then if water is spilt
(or food etc) it can be wiped off without leaving get a mark.wiu

Or would it not give that sort of finish?

 

[custard]

What timber is the table made of? Do you like traditional glossy finishes or more contemporary matt finishes? What does "spills etc" really mean for you? Do you have a three year old throwing fruit juice around, do you hold wild parties where the red wine flows with abandon, do you have a 14 year old building Airfix kits at the table and spilling glue (do 14 year olds still do that?). Is the table in a south facing window? Is it next to a radiator? Do you empty your coins and keys onto it every night before going to bed? How much maintenance are you prepared to do to your finish? Do you use Mr Sheen or Pledge? Will you have a table runner down the centre or a vase of flowers parked in the middle?

There are a million things that can dictate why one finish is a better choice than another.

One route through the minefield is to find a finish that's available in tiny quantities (you can get Osmo for example in small sachets for not too much money), then apply some underneath or on some scrap and run your own tests.

 

[B3nder]

I think the idea is to try and maintain the look, so a matt finish. Near a radiator, partially in line of a south facing window.
No 3 year olds, but an 11 year old doing airfix. Spills are more the odd bit of tea coffee fruit juice etc.

Not sure if that helps!

 

[CHJ]

.....want to protect the wood from spills etc.
So was thinking get of using Chestnut food grade oil.

,,,,Or would it not give that sort of finish?

I suggest that it's not the product you need, Food safe finish is just a light version of Liquide Paraffin (mineral oil) and will not polymerise and form a surface seal.

It's intended for use on Salad bowls, Chopping boards, Work surfaces etc. to penetrate the wood and 'limit' water penetration when wiped down or swilled under the tap. It won't prevent staining or surface dirt accumulation.
At the very least you need a Finishing oil or Hard Wax oil which polymerises and forms a surface seal.

Having given more details of the Table and it's intended level of service you will probably get considerably more recommendations regarding specific products.

 

[custard]

If the table is Oak or darker then I'd use Osmo Matt, but in the knowledge the surface will need refreshing (not re-finishing, refreshing) every two or three years.

If it's pale, like Ash or Maple, and you want to keep it as pale as possible, then I'd use a water based poly varnish (like Ronseal Diamond Hard), but in the knowledge that the matt versions in particular really aren't all that hard, so eventually normal household polishing will produce glossier patches because of burnishing, any wine or fruit juice spill will need mopping up pronto if it's not to permanently stain, and repeated throwing down of car keys during wife swapping parties would certainly scratch the surface.

Neither finish will give any meaningful UV protection, so table runners will result in a shadow stripe within 12 months.

You should still test underneath the table before application.

Good luck!

 

[B3nder]

Cheers,

Sounds like Ronseal Diamond Hard will do the job.

 

[Terry Smart]

And just to confirm what Chas says, Food Safe Finish is designed for use where items are coming into direct contact with food but we don't recommend it for tables etc (although curiously people do use it for that and report success), our hope is that most people at least are using plates!

 

[Sheffield Tony]

If it's pale, like Ash or Maple, and you want to keep it as pale as possible, then I'd use a water based poly varnish (like Ronseal Diamond Hard), but in the knowledge that the matt versions in particular really aren't all that hard

Have these water based finishes improved any of late ? I began to avoid them after trying a few types (I think including the Ronseal Diamond) and finding that after fair bit of handling everything took on a soft, tacky feel. I had to strip the lot off a chair after the arm rests became horribly sticky ! Rather like water bourne gloss paints - I'm going to have to strip off the handrail on the stairs because that too has become sticky.

 

[custard]

If it's pale, like Ash or Maple, and you want to keep it as pale as possible, then I'd use a water based poly varnish (like Ronseal Diamond Hard), but in the knowledge that the matt versions in particular really aren't all that hard

Have these water based finishes improved any of late ? I began to avoid them after trying a few types (I think including the Ronseal Diamond) and finding that after fair bit of handling everything took on a soft, tacky feel. I had to strip the lot off a chair after the arm rests became horribly sticky ! Rather like water bourne gloss paints - I'm going to have to strip off the handrail on the stairs because that too has become sticky.

They're not my absolute favourite finish, mainly because the matt versions that I've mostly used aren't particularly hard, and I've also found them materially less stain resistant than Osmo. However, i've never found them "sticky" (and I've monitored some items I've finished this way over several years), their number one advantage is that they don't yellow pale timbers, personally I'll put up with some shortcomings in other areas in order to realise that benefit, however I wouldn't use them if the surface felt tacky in any way. It's just not a problem I've encountered.

 

[ED65]

Have these water based finishes improved any of late ? I began to avoid them after trying a few types (I think including the Ronseal Diamond) and finding that after fair bit of handling everything took on a soft, tacky feel. I had to strip the lot off a chair after the arm rests became horribly sticky ! Rather like water bourne gloss paints - I'm going to have to strip off the handrail on the stairs because that too has become sticky.

That sounds like 1st-gen or 2nd-gen water-bourne finishes and we're well beyond those at this stage! Because the problem occurred with two different products in the same household there's every likelihood it's a contamination issue, so not directly a fault with either finish.

Some modern furniture polishes are rather notorious for causing issues of this kind, to softer finishes especially, but something as simple as the residue of moisturisers or the like can be the culprit believe it or not!