Water based stained how to make food safe

[Sterling Wong]

Hi everyone I am in need of advice
I have a project to make serving plates for a restaurant

Im using birch plywood and ill be staining them with Saman water based stains.

How do I make sure it is food safe? I usually use minwax polyurethane oil modified finish

If it is cured and the coating gets damaged overtime would the "stained part" be harmful with food contact?

And lastly they asked if they can be used in the dishwasher after it is fully sealed with coating

Thanks

[Jim Becker]

All finishing products sold today are "food safe" once fully cured. But water soluble dyes are going to re-disolve if wetted. You must top coat.

Dishwasher? Not a chance...which makes wood a difficult material for a restaurant to use for food handling, especially since restaurant dishwashers use much hotter water (typically ~180ºF) for sanitation purposes.

[Sterling Wong]

ok so I won't take a chance with water based stains. How about oil based stains?

[Jim Becker]

Regardless of the type of stain you use, they are still not going to survive the dishwasher...especially a commercial unit.