I'm pretty sure it's a cleaning product issue. From Waterlox's website: "Avoid ammonia-based or bleach-based cleaning products like Lysol, Fantastik, 409, Windex (ammonia and bleach-based products will soften the oil finish if used frequently)."

If it's sticky, that sounds like a softened finish to me. I bet you could sand and reapply the Waterlox and you'd be fine. I've had wonderful experience with writing to Waterlox for advice and they've been very helpful with advice and tips. You might want to try that. I'm sure they are salvageable. You just have to be really careful about only using soap and water to clean them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox FAQs

Thanks for the reply! I've used a lot of Lysol all purpose cleaner on them. I switched to a "green" cleaner not too long ago, but I bet I ruined them with the lysol. I don't know how I didn't see that warning.

Having cats that I can't keep off the counters I felt like I needed the lysol to kill any germs, but I soap and water will just have to do next time. I will have to sand and re-stain then reapply the waterlox when I sell this house.

Here's more info from their website

Sticky/tacky countertop troubleshooting.

This can be due to two basic reasons:

Poor/Inadequate Ventilation. If the surface was tacky or sticky during the finishing process, this could be due to poor ventilation during the finishing process.

Incompatible Cleaners. If the finished surface has become tacky or sticky after it has dried and cured, this may be from using cleaning supplies with bleach and/or ammonia. Cleaning products based in ammonia or bleach can soften the film and make it tacky/sticky. Therefore, you will want to discontinue their use immediately.

To fix a tacky or sticky surface, clean the surface with vinegar and water (and a clear water rinse) and wipe down with mineral spirits. Next, buff the surface with 4/0 steel wool or 320 grit sandpaper and let the surface dry out for 24 - 48 hours in a cross ventilation situation. Next, top coat the surface with more Waterlox Original Tung oil finish.

I just watched a boos video on how to clean - just the way my gp did years ago in his butcher shop.
Course salt - the video used a rag- gp used a steel brush.

I am in the process of finishing a table with waterlox... therefore have been avidly reading all their suggestions.

Yes, avoid the windex/bleach/ammonia...

they suggest a water/vinegar mix for a spray cleaner. I **think** it was 1-2TB vinegar to 1 gallon water. You might want to double check that though.

Not to hijack but we've had our Waterloxed island a few weeks and I'm surprised how many scratches we have already. Our dishes are ceramic from Pottery Barn and if you slide them at all it scratches. I'm wondering if any of you have the same thing? I'm hoping they will all just blend after a while.

2LittleFishies, how many coats of Waterlox do you have? We have a *lot* (six, I think) and went almost two years before our first noticeable scratch/ding...courtesy of me dropping a bread knife on the counter two days ago. (Luckily, it landed with the dull side; unluckily, it still made a palpable dent in the wood...) We have stoneware dishes that are on there frequently--not sure how they compare to yours but they do not scratch the finish. We did go easy on the counter until it had fully cured--which can take up to 90 days. Were yours just finished before they were installed a few weeks ago? If so, they may well not have cured yet (in which case I would go ahead and put another coat on and let that cure the full time--annoying now but better in the long term). If they cured in the shop, though, that shouldn't have been a huge issue. Wish I had better advice!

BTW, we clean ours with 50-50 vinegar/water solution--but I didn't realize that you couldn't use the heavy-duty cleaners, so definitely am taking note! (I might have read that at some point and failed to process it since we use vinegar anyway, but now I'll pay closer attention!)

You don't need lysol to kill germs, and you shouldn't use it on food surfaces it will probably kill you faster than anything on your cats' paws!

A damp microfiber cloth will remove bacteria, toss it in the wash.
When you need to ensure a surface is disinfected, first spray hydrogen peroxide and then spray white vinegar, and wipe them up together. Do not premix them you want to products to combine in small amounts on the surface. They form peracetic acid, which is a short-lived and nontoxic disinfectant. It breaks down leaving no toxic byproducts, and is even more effective at killing bacteria than bleach - and much more effective than Lysol.

Can't you just sand down the countertops and re-finish them, and then avoid the Lysol?

Littlefishes, I have tons of scratches, but I don't know if that's normal or if it's because I've softened the finish with the cleaner.

I have a cherry top finished with waterlox that I've been working on for a few months. I clean it with dilluted simple green. I really like simple green, but after reading this I am wondering if it's too harsh. Anyone know? I will probably switch to vinegar and water just to be safe.

2LittleFishies - I'm seeing scratches and scuffing with my Waterloxed counter, but as the gloss gets less glossy - as they promised - they are less conspicuous.

Some mysterious round scratchmarks turned out to be the bottoms of wine bottles slipping as I use the corkscrew. The cats using it for parcour have left a few claw marks, and it's well on its way to patina.

I wipe it off with a damp towel, but will have to tell the housekeeper to avoid her standard counter cleaners on it if it's going to go all sticky.

Breezy has had her walnut island top for a while. Maybe she can weigh in too.

Arrghh, the dreaded double post. My fault...hit the Back button. Beware.

This post was edited by linelle on Fri, Jan 18, 13 at 10:42

This is all very informative. I already knew hydrogen peroxide H2O2 is a great disinfectant. I didn't know about mixing it with vinegar.

Oxyclean and the other oxygen bleaches are also primarily H2O2, so don't forget about them.

OT: lazygardens, thank you for introducing me to the concept of "parcour." It is a force to be reckoned with. My hardwood floors reveal where my cats race at full speed and then turn on a dime. One of them, while racing down the hall, will leap and bank off the wall, adding variety and unpredictability to her game.