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Finishing a Table to Withstand the Elements a Big Challenge

News2u
News2u Posts: 335
edited July 2015 in EggHead Forum
This was our table during a dry-fit in November. I don't think I'm speaking out of school when I say there may well be a universal love of beautifully sanded, tightly jointed, unfinished wood. In our case, bare teak:
But as we all know, without the right coat of feathers, no cook table can fly for long on its own:
A good YouTube video got me rolling, pun intended. 2 base coats of epoxy on everything, top, bottom, inside and out:
With laminated surfaces, a tight seal, they tell me, is a must to guard against joint separation. Decided to go a step further and fashion what I call anti-shift plates underneath...epoxy glued and screwed down but good, then coated with epoxy again:
Found out the hard way epoxy and later the varnish that goes on to protect against UV rays are no fan of Northeast Florida's nasty humidity. When you have to sand off full coats you laid the day before, you learn fast. That meant sanding between coats had to wait at least 2 days. With 5 coats of marine varnish over and beyond the epoxy, that took awhile:
 
Unfortunately, it's not until late in the process you realize how terrific a canopy is in drastically cutting down on all the airborne particles that, without fail, all wind up smack dab all over your latest, fresh coat. Probably knocked out 98% of them. Big help:
  It's a 2-man job, minimum, if you ask me. My son was in charge of the lubricant:
In the end, well worth the blood, sweat and tears. The finish's inaugural cook is underway as we speak:
Bon appetite.
Forgot to mention. A nice paper-weight for your recipes is strongly recommended.
Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.

Comments

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    What kind of epoxy did you use? 

    Can you imagine what that would have cost to have professionally built and finished?
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,676
    Awesome table.
  • News2u
    News2u Posts: 335
    This is the epoxy I used:
    Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.
  • YEMTrey
    YEMTrey Posts: 6,829
    edited July 2015
    Beautiful table.  Nice grilling area.  I'm jealous of all you Florida Eggers.  Hopefully I'll be there in a few years!
    Steve 
    XL, Mini Max, and a 22" Blackstone in Cincinnati, Ohio

  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Dude :clap: Positively beautiful work!  
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
    Very nicely done.  I'm impressed.
    Phoenix 
  • News2u
    News2u Posts: 335
    BTW, the paperweight comes compliments of Cowboy Lumps For Chumps.
    Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.
  • Toxarch
    Toxarch Posts: 1,900
    Looks amazing. I like the canopy idea.
    Aledo, Texas
    Large BGE
    KJ Jr.

    Exodus 12:9 KJV
    Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

  • danmac
    danmac Posts: 30
    Nice looking table, great job.
  • sstripes96
    sstripes96 Posts: 152
    Getting ready to start my cook station. I know what Im using to top coat the wood. Thanks.
    Bud
    Large BGE
    Lawrenceville, GA
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    That's one of the most gorgeous tables I've ever seen!  Beautiful wood, beautiful finish!
  • sstripes96
    sstripes96 Posts: 152
    This is probably a silly question, but, is the epoxy sprayable? I may want to do the framework of my island before I clad it just to be extra sure about weather protection. I tend to over engineer things, which usually causes additional headaches with the details, but in the end, it is always worth it. Here's a pic of some stacked stone posts that I built for the deck redo. It took me a year to figure out how to sleeve the 4X4 posts with stone and get it done. The new L shaped island will go in the corner to the left of the Egg.
    Bud
    Large BGE
    Lawrenceville, GA
  • bluebird66
    bluebird66 Posts: 2,716
    Beautiful!
    Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket and various Weber's
    Floyd Va

  • News2u
    News2u Posts: 335
    One of the first questions I started asking once I got in the middle of the operation. Can't describe how frustrating and messy rolling and brushing on epoxy and later the varnish can be. You eventually learn tricks to avoid runs...mostly using painters tape and mineral spirits...primarily when applying finish to all the different surfaces of the table base. But spraying the finish would be ideal (in a dust free environment). Bears more investigating. I'm sure someone out there provides the service (certainly furniture re-finishers do); the question would be at what cost? No matter how careful you are with a roller and a brush, getting it perfect without buffing, which is a crazy process in and of itself, is--from my experience--impossible. It's at that point when I remind myself, you know, this thing is ultimately just a frickin' picnic table living outside under a patio umbrella that's going get dinged up over and over again and slammed with monsoons during cooks and who knows what else. From that very practical standpoint, the cool thing about wood is it can always be repaired, lightly sanded and recoated. Did I mention anything about lubricants:
    Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    Sunshine and epoxy are diametrically opposed due to UV.
    Epoxy is an extremely durable coating for anything that will never see long term, UV exposure.
    Another trick, when you paint large flat surfaces, to counter particulate contamination; make them vertical. Reduces dirt significantly, and with air flow enhancement across the surface to assist in the removal of escaping solvents, reduces dry time, also reducing dirt.
    I hope it holds out. Did you get all the Epoxy off?
    Absolutely gorgeous table my friend.
    beautiful and well done.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • News2u
    News2u Posts: 335
    I used 2 buildup coats of epoxy for waterproofing everything first, then came over that with 5 coats of a high end marine varnish for uv protection. That's why the teak darkened as much as it did. From my research, you are right, depending on the brand you use, epoxies come with little to no uv inhibitors. Unless specifically stated on the product, most have absolutely none.  West Marine claims its epoxy has some uv protection. Toying with the idea of later doing a thick epoxy pour--bar top style--over the varnish, theoretically greatly increasing durability and taking advantage of the uv protection. Unless of course I find it's ill advised. In which case, depending on how the wood holds up, granite may be in my future.
    Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.