Thanks for all of your input. I've discovered what was in the container that came along with my countertop - mineral oil. Which explains why the countertops have not performed up to my expectations. After talking to my contractor and the fabricator, I believe the breakdown in communication was with the office staff of the contractor who actually placed the order for the top. They did not specify a waterlox finish that I had emphatically requested. So...my contractor has agreed to refinish the tops himself with waterlox. During this discovery process, I talked to the man who owns the company that made my countertops. He said the process to re-do the finish would be to go over the wood with mineral spirits a couple of times to draw out the oil as much as possible (I have not added any more oil). Go over the wood with a fine grit sandpaper to smooth the roughness and then proceed with the waterlox application. One coat per day. Can anyone who has experience with this process give me advice? Will these steps be enough to get a professional finish on the tops? I am disappointed that I will not be able to finish the undersides of the counters because they are already bolted down to the cabinets. I am afraid that may cause problems down the road. Any input from experienced users of waterlox would be greatly appreciated!!

Little late to the rodeo here, and I guess you got the butcher block finished already. When I installed kitchens, we used a product called "Good Stuff" that Bally block recommended . It was kinda an oil based paste that you rubbed in then buffed off. Several coats provided a nice matte finish. Cant attest for how long the finish lasts, but I've never got a call back to re apply.

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

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.)