Non Traditional Finish for a Morris Chair

Oil base poly is the most durable and is what I would use.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I love the look of that chair. Bondo has it, waterborne finishes have come a long way, but It still seems to me the oil based ones hold an edge in durability. I’d use a good oil based varnish of your choice. The only thing better would be one of the catalyzed finishes which generally aren’t available for use to us mere mortals.

-- Our village hasn't lost it's idiot, he was elected to congress.

Regular solvent poly. It can be thinned 1:1 and applied like an oil finish (wiped off) or build a film.

I start with a 50/50 mix of Watco and oil based poly as a wipe on for the first of four coats. Succeeding coats get 25% more poly. Final (5th) coat is sprayed straight poly. 2 of my Morris chairs have been in use for 6 years with no cup/ glass ring damsge.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Oil base poly is the most durable and is what I would use.

- bondogaposis

From what I understand (and I could be completely wrong) all three of the options listed, Waterlox, Arm R Seal an Minwax Wipe On Poly are all oil based poly, right?

-- Tony, SW Chicago Suburbs

I love the look of that chair. Bondo has it, waterborne finishes have come a long way, but It still seems to me the oil based ones hold an edge in durability. I d use a good oil based varnish of your choice. The only thing better would be one of the catalyzed finishes which generally aren t available for use to us mere mortals.

- Fred Hargis

Yeah, it’s a beautiful chair. It has taken me most of this year to get to a point where I’m seriously looking at finishing options. All of those curves make for very difficult mortise and tenons.

-- Tony, SW Chicago Suburbs

Regular solvent poly. It can be thinned 1:1 and applied like an oil finish (wiped off) or build a film.

- OSU55

Regular solvent poly? Is Waterlox or Arm R Seal a regular solvent poly?

Sorry for my cluelessness, this is my first foray into nice furniture builds.

-- Tony, SW Chicago Suburbs

I start with a 50/50 mix of Watco and oil based poly as a wipe on for the first of four coats. Succeeding coats get 25% more poly. Final (5th) coat is sprayed straight poly. 2 of my Morris chairs have been in use for 6 years with no cup/ glass ring damsge.

- Gene Howe

Why the Watco mix rather than just a regular oil based poly?

-- Tony, SW Chicago Suburbs

Oil base poly is the most durable and is what I would use.

- bondogaposis

From what I understand (and I could be completely wrong) all three of the options listed, Waterlox, Arm R Seal an Minwax Wipe On Poly are all oil based poly, right?

- Tony1212

Waterlox is not a urethane finish, at least the Waterlox original isn’t. It’s a phenolic resin varnish, the other 2 are urethane. The Waterlox will have a much darker color than the others as well.

-- Our village hasn't lost it's idiot, he was elected to congress.

Oil base poly is the most durable and is what I would use.

- bondogaposis

From what I understand (and I could be completely wrong) all three of the options listed, Waterlox, Arm R Seal an Minwax Wipe On Poly are all oil based poly, right?

- Tony1212

Waterlox is not a urethane finish, at least the Waterlox original isn t. It s a phenolic resin varnish, the other 2 are urethane. The Waterlox will have a much darker color than the others as well.

- Fred Hargis

I should have been more specific. I am looking at the Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish.

Any guesses as to what finish is used in the picture in the OP?

-- Tony, SW Chicago Suburbs

If that photo is of a commercially available chair, it’s almost certainly some 2-part (catalyzed) finish the industry uses. Regardless of the source, I find it impossible to guess at what the finish might be in a photo.

-- Our village hasn't lost it's idiot, he was elected to congress.

Regular solvent poly. It can be thinned 1:1 and applied like an oil finish (wiped off) or build a film.

- OSU55

Regular solvent poly? Is Waterlox or Arm R Seal a regular solvent poly?

Sorry for my cluelessness, this is my first foray into nice furniture builds.

- Tony1212

Waterlox has several formulations, including one with urethane. ARS, Minwax, and several other brands are oil based poly, I call them solvent (petrol based solvents are used) vs water based. Finish Mfr’s are intentionally many times vague about just what a finish is. Search for Bob Flexner finish types to get a better understang, and I have some links in my blog here