Making a kegerator, how to finish the wood?

I am rebuilding the collar for my freezer kegerator. I used douglas fir for the wood and it's already stained. I am trying to figure out what to use to finish it. Last time I used 13 coats of Minwax fast drying polyurethane or the polycrylic (I can't remember). After a year, the shine had worn off, and it just looked blah. Either way, I want something with higher gloss and maybe a little more base.

I asked the guy at Home Depot and he said to use fiberglass epoxy. After talking with him for a few minutes, I am surprised that he figured out how to put pants on. I then decided not to take his advice with out getting a second opinion.

Any suggestions?

http://www.systemthree.com/p_mirror_coat.asp

This is like a glossy bar finish. You would prolly need to lay each piece down to coat it. It's durable and glossy.

After talking with him for a few minutes, I am surprised that he figured out how to put pants on.

Click to expand...

LMAO

You might try the DIY Forum to get better results. I found your post using the Google Reader, otherwise I might have skipped.

Anyway, it's a pain in the butt to clean up after each coat, but I am using Spar-Varnish (weather resistant varnish). Multiple thin coats give a lot of depth to the wood. I'm finding it quite easy to apply just following the directions on the can from Lowes with amazing results.

See this thread. This is before the varnish, but I'll post more pics tomorrow.

there are a few bar top products out there. in my local menards i found a product called enviro-tex lite. It dries crystal clear. I'm using it to coat a shelf that i am using to level the bottom of my fridge to hold more kegs. i am sure a product like this would work well and let the beauty of the show through. also this seems like a very durable product

13 coats...OMG

I feel that the water based products are not as durable...any reqular old fashioned "oil based" polyurethane should perform well IMO.

For a vertical surface like a collar, oil based poly is what I would use. The epoxy bar finishes are bullet proof but are designed for horizontal surfaces and go on very thickly.

Use multiple coats of poly thinned a bit with mineral spirits. Wait 24 hours between coats and don't be in a hurry. Three coats minimum.

I forgot to check where you're located but humidity can be a problem with poly. If you're in a tropical environment, take steps to lower the humidity during the application.

(After posting this I can see that you are in LA so, yeah, do what you can about the humidity)