# refinish Solid Wood bathroom sink



## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Customer used a piece of live edge solid wood salvaged from a TV cart made in India (according to labels underneeth). The finish was not sufficient to hold up to the water and such from a bathroom sink counter. I've removed the counter and installed a temporary one while we are refinishing this one. 

What kind of finish would you recommend for a live edge, solid wood bathroom counter top?


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

sand,stain and then put a hard finish on it like epoxy.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Yea I was thinking something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYK2NAG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SvhDyb42APZEP


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

From what I've heard, I think this would be better.
https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Epoxy-...295&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=bar+top+epoxy&psc=1


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Clearly, Epoxy then...


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Use epoxy like they use on restaurant tables and bar tops.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

In addition to posting my question here I also sent an email to a friend at DeVos Custom Woodworking They make custom wood countertops for customers all over the world. She said "Waterlox Satin is a great Tung Oil Based resin finish that’s pretty easy to apply and requires minimal upkeep. Or Tung Oil/Citrus Solvent works great as well, but does need some re-applications and conditioning."

I have some Waterlox Original Medium finish so maybe that's the way to go. Too bad it takes weeks to stop smelling bad.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Nope, nope, nope! We're talking about being waterproof as an absolute, not the occasional watersplash or wipedown.
That ain't any kind of finish other than Epoxy resin and perhaps Polyester resin, as in fiberglass resin, and even _that's_ not perfectly waterproof (as we've talked about in the past).
Do it once and never regret it. 
Once you've restored the wood to its original colour minus the waterstaining, and reinstalled the ctrtop, do you really want to risk having to redo it?!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Epoxy is more water resistant than polyester resin is according to what I've read recently. You used to be able to buy a resin that would self level that was for purposes like this.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

I emailed Waterlox today...


> Your product has been recommended but I'm concerned about using it in this specific location. My customer installed the pictured live edge solid wood counter top in the bathroom of a hair salon a few years ago. I can see from stickers on the bottom of the counter that it was salvaged from a TV media cart made in India.
> Shortly after installation the constant water exposure from being around a sink caused the finish to fail. It has remained in use with failed finish for a year or more.
> I have installed a temporary laminate counter top while we are refinishing the original one. We have sanded it down to raw wood on the top side while leaving the live edge alone for now. I sought advise from a custom wooden counter top carpentry shop, they recommended your product. I also posted the same request to an online forum, where the conscensience was to use bar top epoxy.
> I am inclined to use your product however I would appreciate confirmation from you that it can withstand years of exposure to the water that will be dripped onto it, cleaning and other elements expected at the bathroom of a salon.


...and got the following response within a couple hours.


> "Our original line of products are great for countertops in wet environments. If you follow the countertop finishing guide you can achieve great results. I personally have an old buffet as our master bathroom countertop and it has held up very well.
> 
> Some things will damage any finish and ours is no exception. If they are going to be getting lots of very basic chemicals on the surface (like bleach or ammonia) that could soften and damage the finish, but if it is more the regular water and wear and tear then our finishes will hold up great."


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

So I confirmed with the customer, no bleach or ammonia. This opened the door to 20 questions about what I was using to seal it. Here was my response...


> According to the sticker on the underside of the counter top, this piece was reclaimed from a TV media cart that was made in India. The finish on the cart was not intended for any kind of abuse, anything I put on this will be considerably more durable than what was there before.
> 
> I'm looking at these two products.
> 
> ...


She responded that she would like the Waterlox Marine Finish. So I added some stain to the Waterlox Original for the first coat on the underside, its looking good so far!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Now that it's cleaned up it's looking very nice, Everend.
Make sure that the endgrain inside the sink cutout is really well sealed! That's a prime area for water ingression to get under the finish, if it sneaks under the sink bowl.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

I believe that the Waterlox Marine finish is formulated to resist UV from exposure to the Sun. It is almost certainly a softer finish than Waterlox Original. Not sure it has any advantages indoors. Waterlox Original has been my go-to finish for years because I like the way it looks, and it's durable.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Now that it's cleaned up it's looking very nice, Everend.
> Make sure that the endgrain inside the sink cutout is really well sealed! That's a prime area for water ingression to get under the finish, if it sneaks under the sink bowl.


THANK YOU for being positive and encouraging even though we didn't choose epoxy! 

Great reminder about the cutout. What you see is the underside. We stayed back from the cutout to avoid drips to wick around to the top.

The top side got a final 220 sanding today and will stain tonight.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

The other point of entry is around the faucet base plate; over time they all seem to fail.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> The other point of entry is around the faucet base plate; over time they all seem to fail.


True 

This one is a basin sink so the faucet is in the porcelain. Here is a photo of the temporary counter. The wall has since been fixed and painted so it looks OK while we finish the counter.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

All done


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