Clear coating that can stand up to toddler abuse?

[meerkat]

I'm making a train table for my kid for Christmas. For those of you who don't know what a train table is (I had no idea till a few months ago) it's basically a coffee table with a raised lip and meant to put toys on, like trains or cars or whatever. At some point kids will smack their toys onto the table as hard as possible, repeatedly. Kids will also probably try to chew on it. Kids are not smart sometimes.

I already have a coffee table I want to use, I'm building a wooden slip cover over it basically. I'm getting a piece of plywood slightly bigger than the table top and sandwiching it with a frame that will act as the lip. The top lip will help contain toys, the bottom lip will help keep the slip cover on the table. A piece of scrap felt will go between the table and the cover to prevent scratching.

I want to decorate the top with some pictures of places - home, school, the grocery store, etc. - and then cover that with a clear coat but I have no idea what material would work best for this. My first thought was plexiglas but that will crack and scratch too easily. A friend recently did a DIY bar top with two or three coats of something (the name escapes me at the moment) that looked promising. I also considered just doing a clear varnish but that seems like it would be too thin and not up for being smacked repeatedly with hard plastic toys, but I haven't really toyed with it too much aside from one failed attempt at putting a clear coat on a coffee table (it bubbled up despite multiple attempts so I eventually just sanded the surface down again and just did the stain and called it done).

Any ideas? Suggestions?

[lizzzi]

Bumping to follow. I need this information, too.

[FIRE me]

You could try a clear coat meant for hardwood floors.

Since toddlers may / will be chewing on it, if you can, get it done a month before Christmas to give it plenty of time to cure.

Bona Traffic is the hardest floor finish but it is quite expensive (around $130 per gallon). The big box stores don't stock Bona but they do carry much cheaper stuff that is probably good enough.

Keep in mind that no matter how hard the finish is, if they slam toys hard enough to dent the wood, the finish can't stand up to that.

[Metric Mouse]

Epoxy Resin. It's perfect for this type of application.  (Or for making beer-pong tables, for full disclosure, but I would postulate subject to the similar levels of abuse)

http://www.bestbartopepoxy.com/epoxy  - An example website I google fued.

[BudgetSlasher]

Both my FIL and myself have been used/been impressed with General Finishes wipe on poly(between use we have used it for kitchen cabinets, mud room benches, pantry shelves, and an assortment of other projects) it has stood up quite well so far.

But as others have pointed out, a finish does not make the wood stronger. No matter strong the finish is if the wood below is damaged/deformed by impact it is likely to fail (by cracking, peeling, or separating from the wood).

Are you will to accept a finish that may require ongoing maintenance? Say an oil finish that is waxed? You may have to rewax it from time to time, but the upside should be easier touchup/repair.

There are some finish (shellac and lacquer I believe) that are easier to re-coat later.

I do not have kids of my own, but remembering my own childhood and some kids in the extended family, there are some children who enjoy destroying things/don't understand that is it destroying/ or just keep destroying once the first failure occurs. Even finish meant to survive rough conditions (like floors) fail when they are abused (dirty shoes grinding dirt in / rocks stuck on shoes creating pressure points / dog nails on softer woods / those little nails on the bottom of high heeled shoes / dropping pointed things).

If I were making a table for one of my nieces and believe that it would be maintained and they would do something as destructive as chewing, I would choose to build it either out of a hardwood (maple and hickory come to mind) or a good void free veneer core plywood (baltic birch, appleply, or europly come to mind) to minimize damage to the underlying wood. Then I would assume the finish would be damaged and choose a easy to repair finish.

[zolotiyeruki]

You're trying to protect something from the sort of damage a toddler can produce?  I don't think anything short of a granite table top will manage that!

Well, maybe a laminate countertop.  But you're going to have a tough time protecting a wood surface from toddler abuse.  Just wait 'til they pull out the forks and start stabbing it!

You'll want to start with a really hard plywood.

[meerkat]

Yeah I figure nothing is going to come out the other side completely unscathed but some materials will last longer than others. I hadn't even thought about the soft wood vs. hard wood aspect, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

[Metric Mouse]

Well, maybe a laminate countertop.  But you're going to have a tough time protecting a wood surface from toddler abuse.  Just wait 'til they pull out the forks and start stabbing it!

This is a great idea as well - laminate countertop. That shit is fuckin' tough.  Might not look as pretty as well-finished wood, but will hold up about as well as anything.

[Frugal Lizard]

A friend of ours installs hardwood floors so when we were needing a small amount of clear coat he just gave us the small remainder of one of the jugs he had.  I guess he doesn't mix one jug with another when he is on a job so has lots of almost finished jugs.  It is the super expensive stuff that remains very clear and natural. (Bona) Maybe you could get some from a flooring company?  My guys tables were very well loved and used.  They held out for most of the hard playing until they got into making mixtures and crafts that didn't dry very quickly.  The lego table is still going strong with no damage while the craft table is a little bumpy from the liquids and stickers and tape and glitter glue.