A client's oak table went from dull to glowing after I switched to a different topcoat

I refinished a 1970s oak table last month that had a really flat, lifeless look under the old varnish. After stripping it, I used my usual oil-based poly and it still looked kind of dead. On a whim, I sanded that off and tried a water-based conversion varnish instead. The difference was huge, the wood grain popped with a much clearer, warmer shine. Has anyone else had a finish completely change the character of the wood like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_perry9024d ago

Try a shellac seal coat first next time.

julia_hayes24d ago

People get way too deep into finish science. It's just a topcoat. That table probably looked fine before. @victor_perry90 has a point about shellac, but sanding off a whole finish for a slightly different shine seems like a lot of work for a small win. My uncle's old table has three different finishes on it from patches and it looks perfectly fine. The wood is the same either way.