Expert: Greg Scholl - 11/25/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
We have a 1 year old Lyndon Furniture Cherry Dining table. It is in an autumn medium brown finish. Lyndon uses a nitrocellulose lacquer but the tabletop is not as hard and durable as we thought it would be. It dents esily and it's not very enjoyable as we're worried about damaging it. Do you have any suggestions on what we could put on it to create a more resistant surface? I don't want to get a glass top. I have heard of using butchers wax and Deft brush on lacquer. What do you think of these ideas. Do you have any suggestions? Also, I tried the damp cloth warm iron trick on one of the little dents. It lifted the dent somewhat but the surface sheen around mark is marred. Bummer!  
By the way, we don't use this table everyday. If we were to get rid of this table, what type of wood would you reccomend that would be tougher? My mom has had 2 tables for years. No dents, but I think it had a veneer top.  I miss my old cheap birch wood farmhouse table. It never got dents in it!
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Dean

ANSWER: Hi Dean, the limiting factor is the wood not the finish.Cherry can be fairly soft, and it also depends on the substrate if it's veneered, and it likely is. A finish needs to be fairly flexible so it doesn't chip easily or fracture over a dent. I am not a fan of Deft, I feel it's softer than other nitrocellulose lacquers, easy to use, but again, it's really the wood that's denting, and trying to brush lacquer on a dining table is not a good idea. That much real estate really needs to be sprayed. I have a solid Cherry farmhouse table, and it's finished with General Finishes Satin urethane, and it doesn't dent easily, if at all....but the finish choice has nothing really to do with it, and wood is a natural product and can vary widely. The iron trick is really for use on an unfinished wood surface, you're lucky you didn't cause a white mark, or worse. Many woods are harder, Oak, Hard Maple, Beech, and many plywoods and even some MDF and HDF. It's very possible that they used an inferior substrate, like a Luan or other "imported" species, which won't support the Cherry as well as something harder....this in an effort to save production costs. Hope that helps a little- regards- Greg

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Greg for your input. I appreciate it very much. Just
a few more follow up questions and clarification. The table is solid cherry.No veneers. It's made by Lyndon furniture in Vermont. They are supposed to be very high quality furniture makers. Do you think your Urethane finish is "harder" than nitrocelulose lacquer? Based on your comments, I am considering taking the top to refinisher and seeing if he can do a urethane finish. What do you think of using a butcher's wax on the table? How much protection would that give? I have read thatt butcher's wax gives a "hard" layer of protection. Having not used it before, I am not sure what to expect.
Thanks,
Dean

Answer
Hey Dean, I think the urethane is a bit harder,but again, nothing is going to resist denting, if the wood is softer, unless it's really thick and really hard, and then it would tend to crack or fracture, and look plasticky, (like a restaurant table that has an epoxy finish). The hardness of Cherry can vary though, and that's the important variable. The hardest finishes are the Catalyzed or conversion finishes, like the ones used on kitchen cabinets. They don't repair well, though, as most varnishes, so once scratched or marred, they require much more invasive methods to repair. Waxes will not protect against dents, and other damage. Hard is a relative term when talking about waxes....not to be confused with hard when talking about a film finish like lacquers or varnishes.....