wood counter top finishing

pearl2007

15 years ago

We just installed a beech (butcher block) wood counter top we purchased from IKEA. Would you recommend applying any kind of a sealant or finishing of the surface? maybe oiling it with something? Thanks.

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Comments (8)

chloe_s_mom
15 years ago
My understanding is that it depends on whether you want to chop directly on it. If yes, food safe oils like good old fashioned mineral oil. Or a beeswax and mineral oil combo (spoon oil? salad bowl oil). If no, then there are many options that are less labour intensive!

We put the IKEA oak counter in, around a sink. Have used the mineral oil and beeswax combo oil, but I'm monitoring the sink and faucet, wondering if I chose well wrt a finish.
elizpiz
15 years ago
Pearl, do a search for Waterlox. Many here (including me) have used this to finish wood counters, islands, etc.

Eliz
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I made my own hardwood kitchen countertop out of sycamore. Sycamore provides of nice combination of a wood that is moderately dense, beautiful and yet still reasonably priced. I began with rough quater sawn lumber (which was also book-match cut) and had them finished down to 1" thick planks which I joined together. The finished counter was 12'x2' with sink centered in the middle. Based on strong encouragement from an expert friend in the hardwood business, I sealed it with Waterlox. Following his advice I block sanded the counter down to 1,000 grit paper, to a near glass finish and then applied 7 coats of Waterlox tung oil. The oil will need to fully cure between coats so this can take a bit of time (it has a strong odor too). Waterlox indeed seems to be some impressive stuff. Very waterproof, and cleans pretty well too- (I use vinegar). The only problem I have noticed is that a particular type of soap was spilled and sat overnight on one spot and it seems to have eroded the finish. Despite 2 years of frequent use the counter still looks good. Yes, it is susceptible to dents and gouging, but wood seems to have an odd way of naturally "healing" over time too. All said and done, I'm happy with the results and would probably do it again. It definitely makes an interesting look for my kitchen.
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I would consider Waterlox. We have used various finishes over the years for wood care projects for our clients. We have settled on Waterlox as our finish of choice on most interior wood surfaces including floors, countertops, and cabinetry for two main reasons. First and foremost is the awesome look of natural beauty it gives to wood surfaces. Almost a "sparkle" effect with the colors in wood, but it's really hard to describe; you just should see a sample yourself on wood. Most other finishes look "plastic" or manufactured. Waterlox is just an elegant look. Second, Waterlox is extremely servicable, and easy to touchup or recoat if scratched or abused. Even the hardest coatings will become scratched or worn eventually. Many of our clients do the maintenance themselves. Most other coating options for interior wood including polyurethane, epoxy, or moisture cure urethane are more unpleasant and difficult for our crew to apply initially, and a major pain when it is time for recoat. While MCU and epoxy may be a harder surface, scratch repair is impossible, and they are in my opinion something we do not want to use in a home or resturant. A Waterlox coated surface is rated "food-grade" after 30 days of drying. I even read that it is used for wood salad bowls and the like. We serve quite a few custom countertop companies that use the Waterlox as their original finish. Once you see Waterlox on most wood, the choice of finish is obvious. Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox on Counters
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sw_in_austin
15 years ago
We have a section of beech (or maybe oak; I'm amazed that I can't remember) butcherblock counter from IKEA and we finished it with many coats of tung oil (after a lot of sanding to prepare it). It's not in an area where we do any food prep and would never be used as a cutting surface but I think the tung oil would be okay if food came into contact with it (although apparently those with nut allergies may react to tung oil). It looks good though and is quite waterproof -- at least for the minor spills and condensation from glasses that's it's received so far.
rhome410
15 years ago
Great suggestions so far. We don't cut directly on our wood counter and have a sink in it, so used Waterlox and love it. You certainly do want something on it.
mfrog
15 years ago
I just finished finishing my new Ikea wood counter top. This is the second one I have done. The first one I used mineral oil, I was not very happy with it, it always looked dry & I oiled it constantly.

This one I decided to use polymerized tung oil, this time I have a beautiful finish which is water resistant. There is some debate on food safe, most of the wood finishing forums now agree that most finishes are food safe once cured.

If you are going to use your countertop as a cutting board you might want to use mineral oil, but I use my counter like any other counter & I use a cutting board.
pearl2007
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I should have mentioned in my original post....
yes... we do intend to use it as a cutting surface.... so it would be subject to food contact.
remodelfla
15 years ago
Then as stated above you'll need to use mineral oil or some kind of mineral oil beeswax finish.
chris_harper2
15 years ago
I would just use a mineral oil and beeswax combination. Some people prefer the look of tung oil as it has a darker more amber color to it.

And by tung oil finish I don't mean Waterlox. I see a lot of posts calling Waterlox a tung oil finish which is really not correct. Waterlox is a varnish, just like the oil based Minwax Polyurethane you find at any hardware store. But it uses phenolic resins instead of polyurethane resins and one of the oils in the forumulation is tung. But it is very different than a 100% tung oil finish.

Don't get my wrong, I love the look and repairability of Waterlox compared to many finishes but I would not put it on a food prep counter.

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wood counter top finishing

Comments (8)

chloe_s_mom

elizpiz

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wood counter top finishing

Comments (8)

chloe_s_mom

elizpiz

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