Question: Should You Varnish Your Table Tennis Bat Handle To Protect From Sweat Damage?

My hand sweats when I play a hard game, and I've heard that that can damage the wooden handle if it doesn't have a coating on it. Is that true and if it is, then what should I do?

Answer: It's true that some players like to put a coating such as polyurethane or varnish on their handles to keep out the sweat. Other player use sanding sealer, which absorbs more into the wood, but still provides some protection.

If your hand gets sweaty, the handle will tend to get slippery though, so sometimes players will put grip tape on their handles to provide a better grip. Actually, some players use grip tape regardless of whether they coat their handles or not.

As far as I know, putting a coating on the handle is not all that common. I think that most players don't bother putting any coating on at all, which allows the handle to absorb the sweat a little better, making it less likely that the handle will get slippery. I've never bothered putting a coating on any of my handles in all the time I've played, and I've never noticed any damage from sweat soaking into the handle. So it's really a personal preference - try coating the handle and see whether you like it that way. If not, you can always remove the coating with some fine sandpaper.