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Which Waterlox on Butcher Block Counters?

16 years ago

Forgive me for not saving the post on whomever installed the DIY Butcher Block Counters from Lumber Liquidators. But they were GORGEOUS. I remember that they used Waterlox (5 applications?) as the finish. I will have butcherblock on my island (from a local lumber yard) and would like the same finish. In looking to purchase Waterlox there are several finishes. Do I need "original" or Satin? TIA for your help and I greatly apologize for forgetting who has those magnificent counters!

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Comments (10)

User
16 years ago
If you plan on preparing food and cutting directly on top then, don't use Watlerlox. Use mineral oil.

If it's mainly for serving & show then you are simply choosing the sheen or gloss with the waterlox. DO you want the top to shine or look or dull?
luvnola
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, I don't plan to cut on it but do plan to use as prep. Is Waterlox unsafe? I have read where others used on their counters as well.
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we just had our wooden countertop delivered. I am very glad we broke up the granite with wood, and we placed the wood on the island for the very same reason vickimp stated- it is warmer. Use a good sealer, and it should be no problem. We do have an induction in the island and bar sink- waterlox is what we are using to seal the wood.
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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!)
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As long as the top is wax free, Waterlox will work just fine. I also have a 40+ year old BB table that I refinished with Waterlox and people comment on it all the time. We left all the old "distressed" marks just like you wish to. I knew mine did not have wax, (it was my fathers since new), so all we did was clean it real well with soap and water and then applied Waterlox directly on the old surface. If you suspect wax then just clean it real well with an ammonia/water solution and that should take off the old wax. The problem with some of the other non Waterlox remedies mentioned above is that the table will still be sensitive to water/moisture whereas Waterlox applied correctly will be just about waterproof. Chronic water exposure wold still be a potential problem but not casual exposure. If you would like to discuss this further, please call us at the factory to discuss. 800.321.0377
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I love the Monocoat finish - gorgeous. It doesn't need a sealer, NC? There's also Osmo, which is Rubio's big competitor. I think they also have a white. No, it is a standalone product, one coat only (it sticks only to raw wood so no point in putting it over itself). What they told me (about using it on stairs) was that it will wear off eventually but that reapplication is simple -- you don't have to refinish the whole piece, just wipe more Monocoat over the center of the treads where it's worn off. And it is supposed to act as a sealer; it is essentially an oil finish. They told me that [major chain restaurant, name withheld because I could be remembering it wrong] uses Monocoat on its countertops. I am of course interested in this conversation, because I have a lot of it left over from the stair treads (a little goes a long way) and it is not cheap and I want something to use it on. :) So I might have to put in wood countertops just to use up my Monocoat. lol. (Mine is the Pure = clear.) What I don't know is how well it would do around a sink, especially an undermounted one. So if someone calls them to ask (or has used it themselves on a countertop), I hope you post about it! There is a thread somewhere around here about Osmo; maybe that poster will see this too. (I don't know anything about it.)
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rhome410
16 years ago
Waterlox should be fine, from what I've read here, as long as you're not cutting into it. That's what I'm putting on my island. You need to use the Original Sealer first. You can use just that, but after a few coats, it starts to get shiny. If you want the more matte, satin finish, use 2 coats of the Original, then use the Satin. For our interior woodwork, I brushes on 2 coats of the original, brushed on one coat of the Satin, then handrubbed the last coat of Satin. For the island I think I'll do more of the Satin since it'll get more abuse and more exposure to water than the woodwork.

Mondragon did a table with Waterlox. He started with a few coats of tung oil, so the protection really soaked in, then handrubbed the Waterlox over it. If you want to see that described, go to 'my page', then 'my clippings' and scroll down to the post. It has a photo of his table.
luvnola
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks so much rhome! It's exactly what I'm looking for.
kren_pa
16 years ago
we have original waterlox. but it took many coats and the finish is not equally shiny everywhere (ikea birch BB). it might look better with satin over that. it definitely is waterproof though! we don't cut on it, because that would allow water to get underneath the finish. the other BB that we do cut on is mineral oiled. kren
muscat
16 years ago
All of my cabinets are done with Waterlox. I tried the original and the satin, and ended up going with 6 coats of the original, since the satin dulled the wood too much for my tastes. My understanding of the two is that there is NO difference in protectiveness, etc. I agree, though, that I'd not use waterlox on a cutting board, since although it is oil based, it is not pure oil, and has lots of stuff in it that I wouldn't want to eat.
rhome410
16 years ago
I do know that the Waterlox instructions state to use 2 coats of the Original (which is called Original Sealer/Finish) before putting on any Satin (which is only labeled as Finish), so there must be some difference for the primary layers-- but I don't think it makes any difference after that, except for appearance. We've got it on our cabinets, too.
napagirl
16 years ago
bump
rhome410
16 years ago
Napagirl, what additional info are you looking for? Just more opinions or do you have other questions?
kisaacs
16 years ago
Well, I don't know if it was me or not, but I did do BB tops from LL with Waterlox. We went a little overboard and used the Marine sealer and finish. It's shiny, but dulls over time (2+ years so far). We went overboard because we did an undermount sink, so we wanted to be sure. I'd bet the original finish and sealer would be fine.

My step by step instructions are over on IKEAFANs with pics...I'll link to it instead of recopying. They're midway or so through this thread.

Kristen

Here is a link that might be useful: Kristen's pics and instructions

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