wooden countertop finishes

[Don Burkard]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so if i break a rule please set me straight. I am currently working on a cherry countertop. It will be only on an island. it will be roughly 4'6" long x 3' wide 1 1/2" thick. breadboard construction. No end grain or anything fancy. I am curious what other people like as a finish. I want some thing that protects the wood, with a satin sheen if possible and i want it as maintenance free as possible, ie no oil. Thanks guys

This is for a women that i just refaced her cabinets but i have never done a countertop before. I am also curious about what kind of joinery people use. Thanks again

[Jeff Monson]

I used Waterlox on some maple countertops I did last year, they have been holding up great. I used 4 or 5 coats of the original sealer finish, followed by 2 coats of the Satin finish. All were sprayed with an HVLP. Looks great and is very smooth.

[Don Burkard]

Thanks Jeff,

I have heard good things about the waterlox and was planning on using it unless someone has something better.

[Scott Holmes]

Waterlox is an excellent phenolic resin varnish and because it is made from resin and tung oil it is very good at waterproofing the surface. (no finish is water and water varpor PROOF)

If this counter is used as a working (cutting) wood surface waterlox will not work neither will any other film forming finish. Make sure you let the customer know that SHARP KNIVES cutting anything on this wood surface VOIDS the finish you applied. You don't want that kind of rework.

They MUST use a cutting board and not this surface.

[Mel Fulks]

I have always talked people out of real wood countertops. The one time I failed I made it clear they could not use them as cutting boards and that the finish needed to be something that could be repaired in place.I personally made a number of phone calls to finish companies including Waterlox .Talked to owner or manager who said the fumes would hang around a long time and and something like bread placed on it might actually pick up 'flavor'.NO finish is a good finish for a bad idea. I settled on orange shellac with the wax in it after explaining the reasons to them and getting their blessings on its color. I saw them several years later and they were were still happy. Except they had a couple of burned places from guests putting hot pans on it. They didn't think they were " real" wood. Allowing dinner guests to cook is another bad idea.

[John TenEyck]

It comes down to the expectation of the owner. If they want a counter top they can cut on then no film finish will work, as mentioned. If that turns out to be the case, then the best finish to use is wax dissolved in mineral oil. You heat some mineral oil in a water bath and dissolve some paraffin in it. Apply that to the counter top in a warm place, or use a heat gun to keep it warm, and let it soak in. Repeat two or three times. Give the remainder to the home owner with instructions on how to renew the finish when necessary. To renew, scrape or sand the counter top smooth, then reapply the oil/wax mixture.

As for glue and joinery, I use TB III and just plain edge to edge joints.

John

[Prashun Patel]

Personally, I think an island can work for this kind of application. Some add'l things to think about:

- An end-grain surface will look better for a longer time. It takes knife edges more gracefully than face grain.
- I would so an oil-varnish finish, wiped on, and wiped off to seal. Then I'd use oil/wax for the top layers. Of course, if you believe that varnish is not foodsafe, then just do the oil/wax.
- I would prep by sanding to 600grit. Any higher and a sheen starts to develop that eventually dulls down to 600 anyway.
- I would prep the client by advising them they'll have to wax and refresh it every few months. Fortunately, since it's an island, it should go quick and easy.

- You didn't ask this, but I will also say that an end-grain cherry top will offer you a lot of striking design possibilities, from subtle to dramatic.