Unwarp wooden desk top?

[Jayce]

I just figured polyurethane would be stronger. Would clear could be better for those purposes? Can you even polyurethane over top of paint is long as both are oil based?

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

I honestly can't answer that, I usually use clear coat over spray paint, I would think the poly would be too strong and accidently act like a stripper. You could try in a test space though, shouldn't hurt any.

 

[Jayce]

How is it that too strong could act like a stripper? I would think stronger the better...

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Strong as in... The properties of it while wet. Kinda like how rubbing alcohol can strip paint, and smear plastics.

 

[Jayce]

Hm, I see. Well I'm just going to start off with stripping one of the tables for now and put some of the oil based enamel on and see what happens. After two coats and some decent dry time I could throw a computer tower on it and slide it across and do a direct comparison of how it marks/doesn't mark versus the latex paint/polycrylic combo that the other tables have.

I just wish I knew what this user meant on the other forums.

"You should have used poly-urethane varnish". Because there's not two dozen different types of varnish and polyurethanes...

EDIT - Some light reading suggested you cannot buy oil based paint in California and Maine. Uh? Really? That's sweet to know if oil based paint is the ticket for me I'd be stuck if I lived in one of those states.

 

[GhOsT1321]

I would guess that polyurethane would be the most durable, with paint being the least. Polyurethane can be put on in multiple coats too.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Wonder why you can't buy it in those states.... There are a lotta house remodel projects and such I see on DIY network that are in cali, and a lot of them use oil based everything....

 

[Jayce]

Wonder why you can't buy it in those states.... There are a lotta house remodel projects and such I see on DIY network that are in cali, and a lot of them use oil based everything....

I don't know. I have to wonder what they use in replacement. A lot of reading recently suggested that water based is catching up and/or nearly comparable to water based these days.

I would guess that polyurethane would be the most durable, with paint being the least. Polyurethane can be put on in multiple coats too.

The more I read, the more it suggests what kind of paint. Some users are telling me to not do polyurethane and just paint it, but making sure I paint it with an enamel. Evidently enamels are solid for what I'm after.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Enamels do get rather hard, engine paint is enamel, they also resist quiet a few stronger things being spilled onto them.

 

[Jayce]

Hm... I'm thinking on putting a back seat to paint related solutions. No matter how you slice it paint could likely break down rather easily on my desk tops since I'll be using them as work spaces for projects as well. I keep reverting back to the Formica route, or some other type of harder laminate surface. The only problem is, when you do the math, I could still spend 120 easy just to coat the tops of the 3 tables with Formica. The nice thing? It's a guaranteed win. It'll just sting because I'll have to get a router as well (which I need anyway, but it's an added up front expensive).

What's disappointing is I kept hearing so much about Formica that I thought Formica was the expensive brand and there had to be a cheaper one. Turns out, Formica IS the cheaper brand, and other competitors are almost always more expensive.

I keep looking at some sort of laminate flooring to use instead but that's always a bust. The stuff only comes in 12x12 squares, but I want an entire sheet/roll of it. Not only that, I want it jet black. Meh. Maybe I should just pony up the cash and get Formica and be done with it...