Wooden Tea Boat Finishes

I think most is from bamboo. Have you thought about a wood from a tropical climate like mahogany?

Yes, the type of wood helps. Hardwoods such as mahogany do better with high heat and water, and bamboo does decently, but most are still coated with some sort of sealant. I am trying to find out if they are using a pre-catalyzed lacquer, a urethane, etc.

sorry this was a double post.

Yes, mahogany is nice. However, it is not the wood type I am seeking, but a sealant for the wood so I can use multiple types of wood.

A friend of ours is a carpenter and helped us turn a piece of fallen walnut into a tea table. Walnut is the hardwood used most often in China for tea boards (giant tea tables made from the upturned roots of fallen walnut trees). For sealant, we used many coats of marine-grade varnish were used. We still get some ghosting from pouring boiling water over it constantly. Some of that is tea, easily cleaned up, but some of it is slowly affecting the wood beneath. Because of that, I think as many coats as you can get on? The safer you’ll be.

If you’d like, I’ll reach out and see if I can’t get you in direct contact with our friend to see if he can give better advice on his process than I!

Hi sudnak and others. What did you end up using? I’m looking for info for two upcoming comissions. And trying to determine best wood and finish.

I’ve been to the workshops in China where they make the fancy tea tables. The chemical sealants used in China are highly toxic and illegal in the US. It does dry to a non toxic state and is fantastic as a waterproofing step. You have to remember it’s not just water proofing it has to protect against boiling water. That’s the trick. Most finishes available at your local Home Depot won’t help with that.

What you need to do is treat samples of wood with everything you can think of and see what works and what doesn’t when applying boiling water.

CLT. I’d like to know what that sealant was.

Messing around with samples was my neXT step. Any recommendations? Mahogany is on my list. Are things like ipe and red balau overthinking it a bit?

Much appreciated.