# What to use to prevent scratches on wood table top



## ddawg16

If you have kids....'resistance if futile'.......

Table cloth.....table pad....

Otherwise, live with it...and learn to strip and refinish wood....like you car, it will get scratches.


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## user1007

It is hard to say what the factory put on it but it was likely a fairly thin layer of laquer or varnish. Anyway you can ask where you bought it or look it up online?

For greater protection you might think about applying a coat or two of clear polyurethane. The waterbased polycrylic may be less prone to darken or yellow but you may see water rings, that will go away when they dry out, if you set a sweating glass on the surface. Moving to more extreme coatings, you could put something like an epoxy bar or restaurant table/counter top product on it. Resins can chip and fissure crack if you drop things on them. 

Having a piece of glass cut and polished to fit is a rather radical approach but I will mention it as an option. You can certainly scratch the glass too!

In both cases you can still scratch the finish but at least the wood should be spared. You can get poly in various sheens. You can alway polish out the scratches in the finish or recoat. 

Obviously key to protecting the surface is doing your best to keep things that will scratch it away from it. Vacuum dust before wiping it if you live in a sandy air area. Buy something like felt pads/buttons to put on the bottoms of things like candlesticks, centerpieces, etc. Use placemats you like to minimize wear and scratching from dishware (make sure you do not trap particles that can scratch between the placemats and table surface) and serving pieces. Kids toys, like those missing wheels, are notorious for scratching table tops. Clawed dogs and cats that visit tabletops are not so good (for lots of reasons). Of course table pads under table cloths have been used on fine dining tables for ages. 

Try not to be so paranoid about minor scratches and wear you are afraid to use the table set.


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## 95025

fdf said:


> I hope this is an OK place to post my question... we just got a new kitchen table and chairs, also a bench included...it's one of those 'farm house' tables... everything is white but the chair seats & table top...that is solid wood that looks like butcher block. I can see a little of a sheen on the chairs & bench tops, but I can't see any type of sheen at all on the table top, although I assume it had some sort of a 'finish' applied at the factory....it feels very smooth to the touch.
> 
> Anyway, I want to protect the table top from scratches and I'm not sure what to use...
> 
> any help would be appreciated
> 
> PS...if what ever I need to use to prevent scratches darkens the wood a little bit, that's OK...and the wood is Oak .


You need to determine exactly what you have for a finish on your table top. If it's a butcher block top, you'll need to "oil" it regularly with a product such as this.

http://www.howardproducts.com/prod-butcher-block-cutting.php


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## gregzoll

If it is real wood, polish it, then do as your grandparents would do, lay a table cloth over the top. As for the seats, cushions. In reality, there is nothing you can do to keep it from getting scratched.


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## fdf

Thank you all for your replies. No kids in the house, and the dogs sure won't get up there, or the cat...I hate table clothes, why get a nice wood table and cover it up? :no:

I guess we'll just need to be a little careful with it...it does have some kind of finish from the factory, as I mentioned, I agree, probably sprayed with a light coat of something...I guess I can get in touch with the manufacturer for some advice, other wise, just be careful...
just thought I'd give it a shot by asking... may look into the extreme coatings that bars use...

Thanks!!


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## ddawg16

fdf...that last bit of info helps. I can understand the issue with table clothes.....

Place mats.....that will take care of the majority of issues.


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## Canarywood1

"Thank you all for your replies. No kids in the house, and the dogs sure won't get up there, or the cat...I hate table clothes, why get a nice wood table and cover it up? :no:"



And if you think the cat won't get up there,think again.


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## gregzoll

fdf said:


> may look into the extreme coatings that bars use...
> 
> Thanks!!


It is called Polyurethane. Just wax it, but as for covering with a tablecloth, nothing wrong with that to protect it. If you want it to look showroom new, suggestion is not to use it, keep boxed up. Nothing you can do to keep it brand new, when it is used all of the time.


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## fdf

ddawg16 said:


> fdf...that last bit of info helps. I can understand the issue with table clothes.....
> 
> Place mats.....that will take care of the majority of issues.


That's an idea....thanks!!


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## fdf

Canarywood1 said:


> "Thank you all for your replies. No kids in the house, and the dogs sure won't get up there, or the cat...I hate table clothes, why get a nice wood table and cover it up? :no:"
> 
> 
> 
> And if you think the cat won't get up there,think again.


Beleive me, the cat won't get on the table...I've had her for nearly 17 years....know her very well and have no doubt she won't get up there:thumbup:


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## fdf

gregzoll said:


> It is called Polyurethane. Just wax it, but as for covering with a tablecloth, nothing wrong with that to protect it. If you want it to look showroom new, suggestion is not to use it, keep boxed up. Nothing you can do to keep it brand new, when it is used all of the time.


 
Keep it boxed up...funny:no:

I certainly realize it won't stay new forever...just wanting to help it stay nice...


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## gregzoll

Wax & dust it weekly, use a tablecloth and place mats when you do use it for meals, and do not trust the cat. They will get up on stuff like tables.


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## fdf

gregzoll said:


> Wax & dust it weekly, use a tablecloth and place mats when you do use it for meals, and do not trust the cat. They will get up on stuff like tables.


Needless to say, I'd keep the top clean...I think I'll look into a good poly in a matte finish, the finish from the factory is a joke, I got to do something...and I plan on getting some placemats.

I do trust the cat :thumbup:...I've had cats (and dogs) all my life and none of the cats ever got on top of a kitchen table...ever!! You can train cats to learn basic things :yes:


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## ddawg16

fdf said:


> Needless to say, I'd keep the top clean...I think I'll look into a good poly in a matte finish, the finish from the factory is a joke, I got to do something...and I plan on getting some placemats.
> 
> I do trust the cat :thumbup:...I've had cats (and dogs) all my life and none of the cats ever got on top of a kitchen table...ever!!* You can train cats to learn basic things* :yes:


You haven't met our cat.....she is training us.....drinks out of the bathroom sink....jumps up and sits on your shoulders.....no shelf is safe in the house....if I'm up on the ladder...she climbs the ladder with me....


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## user1007

Some of you remember I had one that loved to sail even with the usual distrust of water. He would get on the boat and scurry up the mast fast and far as he could go. I built him a little place up there for safety sake. Of course I did not take him out when it was too windy or wicked.


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## ToolSeeker

To wax it I would use the wax polish not the spray can stuff you can get it about any where you put it on with a rag let it set a minute then buff it to a shine.


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## oh'mike

I added several coats of Minwax Wipe on Poly to my table ----it has held up well for many years---

Check for compatibility---Poly will lift a lacquer finish---


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## fdf

ddawg16 said:


> You haven't met our cat.....she is training us.....drinks out of the bathroom sink....jumps up and sits on your shoulders.....no shelf is safe in the house....if I'm up on the ladder...she climbs the ladder with me....


 
:laughing: Smart cat!!!! Is she your first? Every kitty I ever had knew the difference between places they could and places they could not go...take time & patience, but considering cats usualy live long lives, it's worth it.

It's outstanding that she wants to be with you so much...enjoy it :thumbup:

PS...our cat thinks she's a dog:yes:


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## mgp roofing

My parents had a sheet of glass cut to the exact shape of their dining table, and the edges polished by a glass co. Looks good, easy to clean and protects the stained pine top from scratches etc. very well. Once every couple of years it needs to be lifted off to clean the underside of the glass, I think something comes out of the wood/finish & deposits on the glass, eventually causing a slight haze. Other than that, it only needs the maintenance/care typical of any glass top table. It was just standard 4mm window glass.


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## fdf

Thanks for your reply. A glass top really won't work for us...I had one years ago on our kitchen table...for some reason known only top men :yes:, my husband will toss something rather heavy on the table and poof...broken glass.

I'm going to use a good poly and beleive that will do it...it is just my husband and me now, kids married, so it should be easy to remind hubby to be careful :thumbsup:


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