diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java
index 4985b1bd1d..e0098c8f3c 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java
@@ -1335,8 +1335,10 @@ implements
     // XXX: JOIN API
     // ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    // [#14906] Declare public API return type, allowing for JoinTable to override
+    //          this only internally, to prevent leaking JoinTable into client code
     @Override
-    public final JoinTable<?> join(TableLike<?> table, JoinType type) {
+    public /* non-final */ TableOptionalOnStep<Record> join(TableLike<?> table, JoinType type) {
         switch (type) {
             case CROSS_APPLY:
                 return new CrossApply(this, table);
diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/JoinTable.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/JoinTable.java
index 4d7d2948c7..d6be917b04 100755
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/JoinTable.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/JoinTable.java
@@ -950,6 +950,14 @@ implements
         return or(notExists(select));
     }
 
+    // [#14906] Re-declare internal-type-returning method here, to prevent J
+    //          from leaking into client code.
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    @Override
+    public final J join(TableLike<?> table, JoinType type) {
+        return (J) super.join(table, type);
+    }
+
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
     // XXX: Query Object Model
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java
index 5e4bad3b1c..075395e3d2 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ import org.jooq.Context;
 import org.jooq.DataType;
 import org.jooq.Field;
 import org.jooq.ForeignKey;
+import org.jooq.JoinType;
 import org.jooq.Name;
 // ...
 import org.jooq.QueryPart;
@@ -80,6 +81,8 @@ import org.jooq.SQLDialect;
 import org.jooq.Schema;
 import org.jooq.Select;
 import org.jooq.Table;
+import org.jooq.TableLike;
+import org.jooq.TableOptionalOnStep;
 import org.jooq.TableOptions;
 // ...
 import org.jooq.impl.QOM.UNotYetImplemented;
@@ -457,6 +460,11 @@ implements
         return true;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public final TableOptionalOnStep<Record> join(TableLike<?> table, JoinType type) {
+        return super.join(table, type);
+    }
+
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
     // XXX: FieldsTrait "undeprecations" for generated code
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------