Finishing

Finishing

The Finish Should Belong to the Table

Finishing is not something I like to decide at the very end.

Ideally, it is part of the design from the beginning.

When I walk a client through the build process, I want them to understand what the finished piece is supposed to become—not just the species, shape, epoxy color, and base, but also the sheen, depth, texture, and overall character of the surface.

Sometimes a hand sketch is enough. Sometimes a color study helps. Sometimes I use a 3D or AI image so theclient can clearly see the direction before we build it.That matters because the finish changes how the table feels.An oil finish can make the wood feel warm, rich, and traditional. A hardwax finish can create a refined, durablesurface that reads continuously across wood and epoxy. A full epoxy finish can create something much moredramatic, with depth, reflection, and what I think of as a lensed effect.

Those are different design choices, and they belong in the conversation early.

Oil Brings the Wood Forward

With an oil finish, the table has already been flattened, edged, and sanded to a very refined surface before the finish begins.

The oil is rubbed into the wood by hand.

The first coat often looks uneven because the wood absorbs the finish at different rates. A second coat beginsto even the surface out. By the third coat, the wood starts to develop the depth and richness I am looking for.

That is when it begins to feel like a finished piece of furniture.

Oil works especially well when I want the wood itself to remain the feature.

The challenge comes when the table also contains epoxy. Oil belongs in the wood. It does not absorb into theepoxy.

That means the boundary between the two materials has to be managed carefully so the final surface remains clean and intentional.

Hardwax Creates Continuity

Hardwax gives us a different kind of finish.

With a product such as Osmo, the finish can continue across both wood and epoxy, which is one of its biggest advantages.

The hardwax is applied, worked into the surface, buffed, and allowed to cure. The surface is then lightly refinedand additional coats are added until the finish reaches the appearance and protection we want.

Hardwax can be matte, satin, glossy, or somewhere in between. It can also carry subtle tints that shift the toneof the wood without overwhelming it.

For me, the biggest benefit is continuity.

You do not feel one finish on the wood and another on the epoxy.

The tabletop reads as one complete surface.

Epoxy Can Become the Finish

Epoxy creates a different visual language.

For a thinner flood coat, the wood has to be sealed first.

If raw wood is covered directly with epoxy, air can escape from the grain and create bubbles in the finish.

So the wood is sealed and allowed to cure before the flood coat is applied.

The epoxy is then poured over the surface and allowed to self-level. It moves across the top, over the edges, anddown the sides. Tape underneath the tabletop helps control runoff, and heat is used during the cure to release bubbles.

Before the epoxy fully hardens, the excess underneath can be trimmed so the tape removes cleanly and leaves a crisp finished edge.

The result is a smooth, glass-like surface.

The Lensed Effect

On certain tables, I take that idea much farther.

A substantial layer of clear epoxy—sometimes a quarter inch or even around half an inch—can be cast over the wood.

At that point, the top is effectively encased beneath a clear layer.

The epoxy captures light, adds depth, and emphasizes the wood, color, and edge profile beneath it.

Large-radius edges or bullnose profiles can reinforce that effect on more contemporary pieces.

The result can be striking.

It is also demanding.

The thicker and clearer the epoxy becomes, the more visible bubbles, edge problems, and surface imperfections become.

A lensed finish rewards precision because there is nowhere for mistakes to hide.

The Finish Has to Fit the Room

I do not believe every finish belongs in every setting.

A historic or traditional room with rich woodwork, deeper colors, and a more executive character may be better served by oil or hardwax than by a thick, highly reflective epoxy surface.

A more contemporary home may give us more freedom to use stronger color, larger edge radii, clear depth, and more light-catching finishes.

The table should feel like it belongs where it is going.

That does not mean I impose my preference on the client. It is their table.

But if I am helping design the piece, I want the finish to support the architecture, the room, and the character of the furniture.

Maintenance Matters Too

The finish also affects what happens years later.

Every table gets used. Every table can be scratched.

Oil can be reapplied.

Hardwax can be buffed, refreshed, or locally repaired with relative ease.

In my experience, hardwax is one of the easiest finishes to maintain because the process is straightforward andcan often be handled without major disruption.

Epoxy is durable, but significant repairs can be more involved and more difficult to perform in place.

That does not make epoxy the wrong choice.

It simply means maintenance and repairability are part of the decision, just like appearance.

Final Thoughts

The finish is not decoration added at the end.

It is part of the design.

It determines how much the wood speaks, how much the epoxy speaks, how light moves across the surface, and how the table feels in the room.

It also affects how the piece will be maintained years later.

The right finish does not compete with the table.

It finishes it.