Best finish for Aquarium Tank Stand?

[boblon]

I'm building an aquarium stand for a friend and am trying to decide what finish to put on it to provide the best protection against water (salt water in this case).

Do any of you have any experience with WaterLox? And do you think it provides better protection than regular Poly?

The WaterLox web site sez:

"....Waterlox literally locks out water, with a formula that relies on the protective nature of resins and the penetrating sealing advantages of tung oil. Waterlox products permeate wood surfaces to become part of the wood and resist moisture, dirt, household chemicals, alcoholic beverages, heat and cold. The look is natural. The finish is superior..."

Am wondering if it's all hype or is a superior product.

Thanks,
BobL.

[just4funsies]

Never used WaterLox, but if it's like other resin-based coatings, it should be impervious to water (provided it's put on thick enough to seal all the gaps and provide a continuous surface).

[Rob R]

i used benny moore satin impervo on mine. works great for the occational spill. i figure if the whole thing springs a leak, my last concern is going to be for the stand!!!

rob

[wardprobst]

Hi BobL,

I looked at their website and this appears to be a mixture of tung oil and varnish which I have used to finish quite a few items. It is superior to oil alone because of the varnish(resin) film. I generally mixed Watco oil and Varathane, proportions depending on how much film I wanted. The advantage over varnish is the film is more flexible. A similar product is sold by some vendors as a "wiping varnish". Email me if you have any questions and thanks again for the BT parts.
Dale

[Russianwolf]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "hold up against water". I'm hoping that the tank will be containing the water and the stand won't get more than an occasional splash that can be wiped up fairly quickly. In that case, I'd just go with a decent poly.