Finish for tables and furniture
These are the products whose makers name furniture on their own sheets. General Finishes lists cabinets, trim, doors and furniture for Arm-R-Seal, High Performance, Enduro Pre-Cat and its Gel Stain; PPG names furniture for its brushing lacquer; Rust-Oleum lists Watco Wipe-On Poly for interior furniture; Osmo and Rubio name furniture and floors.
They differ most in time: compare the recoat and cure columns below, or see every product on the finish dry time chart. Rubio adds that its Oil Plus 2C is water-resistant and suited to kitchens and bathrooms.
Makers who name furniture
| Product | Touch-dry | Recoat | Use | Full cure | Coverage | Thinning and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Finishes Arm-R-Seal One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product | 12+ h | 24+ h | — | 30 days | up to 500 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Mineral spirits.Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH.A thin oil-based topcoat GF says to apply in thin coats with a rag. |
| General Finishes High Performance One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product | 30 min | 2 h | — | 21 days | up to 600 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Water, GF Extender or GF Accelerator.Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH.Water-based acrylic/urethane blend; 25 % volume solids; 3–4 coats. |
| Watco Wipe-On Poly One source: Rust-Oleum (Watco), the maker of that product | 2–4 h | 4–6 h | — | 1 day | 50–100 sq ft per quart | Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH; apply at 60–90 °F, RH under 85 %.Handle after 8–12 hours; three coats recommended. Coverage printed per 946 mL (a US quart). |
| Varathane Oil-Based Spar Urethane One source: Rust-Oleum (Varathane), the maker of that product | 2 h | 8 h | 24 hlight use (full use after 3 days) | — | 380–760 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Do not thin.Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH; apply at 55–90 °F.Handle after 4–6 hours; sand lightly if a coat has dried more than 12 hours. Rust-Oleum names railings, fences, patio furniture, house and trim, and not decks, high-traffic areas, siding or rough-sawn wood. |
| General Finishes Exterior 450 One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product | 30 min | 2 h | — | 21 days | up to 600 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Water, GF Extender or GF Accelerator.Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH.Water-based acrylic/urethane blend with UV absorbers. |
| ProLuxe (Deft) Brushing Lacquer One source: PPG (ProLuxe, formerly Deft), the maker of that product | 30 min | 2 h | 24 hservice | — | up to 500 sq ft per gallon | Conditions: 77 °F, 50 % RH; apply at 50–90 °F.Nitrocellulose; 19 % volume solids; not for floors or exterior; clean up with lacquer thinner. |
| General Finishes Enduro Pre-Cat Lacquer One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product | 10 min | 1 h | — | 21 days | up to 600 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Water, GF Extender or GF Accelerator.Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH.Despite the name, a water-based self-crosslinking acrylic; touch-dry in 10 minutes; 23 % volume solids. |
| Osmo Polyx-Oil Original One source: Osmo, the maker of that product | — | 8–10 h | — | — | 24 m² per litre | Thinning: Do not thin.Plant oils and waxes; two thin coats on bare wood, one to renew. |
| Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C One source: Rubio Monocoat, the maker of that product | — | —remove all excess within 15 minutes per zone | 24–36 huse (80 % cured in 2 days) | — | 30–50 m² per litre | Thinning: Do not dilute.Two-part: mix about 3 parts A to 1 part B; one coat; clean with water and soap after 5 days. |
| General Finishes Gel Stain One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product | 8+ h | 24+ h | — | 30 days | up to 800 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Mineral spirits.Conditions: 70 °F, 50 % RH.Oil-based gel stain; GF says to finish with 3 coats of any GF topcoat. |
| Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac One source: Rust-Oleum (Zinsser), the maker of that product | 10–15 min | 0.33–1 h | — | — | 400–600 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Denatured alcohol (premixed at a 3 lb cut; Zinsser recommends thinning).Conditions: 70 °F; not above 85 % RH.First coat on bare wood: sand and recoat in about 20–30 minutes; later coats touch-dry in 10–15 minutes and recoat in about an hour. Not recommended under polyurethane. |
Makers who rule it out
None of the makers we have read rules this use out.
These lists come from what each maker writes about its own product, not from our own testing or ranking. A product left off has not been read yet, or its maker does not mention this use.
Related
Work it out for your project
Times are the makers' own at the temperature and humidity they name, and several of them say cooler, damper conditions slow their finishes. For how much to buy, the finish coverage calculator uses these same coverage figures. Every finish side by side: the finish dry time chart. What the federal rules say about finishes and food: food-contact finishes.
Elsewhere in finishing: shellac and the shellac cut calculator; for repairs before the finish, wood filler vs wood putty; and for the glue-up, wood glue types.