We've talked about the white with the waterlox on woodworking, but....how much white, surface area-wise, are we talking here? Is it one countertop? I say this because I wonder if you can do the white stain with another top coat (not polyurethane, as that will yellow also). A different top coat will not be as water safe, but depending on its location, you may rather have what you want looks-wise. Also, the original latex may still be a choice, but you must let it cure, which, as mentioned, can take quite some time. However, if it's going to be exactly what you want, it'll be worth the wait.

Another option altogether for the top coat on the white is an epoxy resin that is used on bar tops and bowling alleys. Woodcraft or your local paint store should have it. It is incredibly shiny though.

Now, you said you don't like the finish on the pure Waterlox, how many coats of Waterlox did you apply? Did you use steel wool between your penultimate and last coat? That can help significantly, depending on the surface preparation you did on the bare wood. Which sheen are you using?

Do your homework on any "salad bowl finish" - some of them are tung oil, which is, ironically, not food safe, apparently, they're for the outsides of the bowls. (Since you're considering Waterlox, I assume food safe isn't an issue, but jut fyi.)

Don't know if this will help any, ravmd, but my favorite clear finish of all time is the relatively new PolyWhey by Vermont Natural Coatings. It's waterbased and clear, no amber at all. Apparently they've figured out how to use natural whey (yes, from cheesemaking) instead of urethane as the base.

It claims specifically to be safe for countertops, and I believe them - never applied a finish that had so little odor (as in, NO odor at all, and it dries in about 1.5 hours), quite in contrast to stinky Waterlox. I did my wooden stairs with it a few years back and it's worn like iron. No yellowing yet, even window trim in direct sun. I've switched over to using it for any interior wood finishing that needs doing.

So if you are up for trying another product, I can very warmly recommend giving PolyWhey a shot. It works great for me over opaque white milk paint, and I can't see why the same wouldn't be the case for your white stain. (For that matter, have you tried white milk paint if the white stain isn't satisfactory? I'd prefer that a thousand times over latex for a food surface, and it will give you the nice whitewashy feel you can't get from any paint.)

This sounds like a total shill for PolyWhey, doesn't it, but I promise I've been a kitchen forumer for years. ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: PolyWhey wood finish

whups, cary beat me to the milk paint while I was composing. Marvelous stuff!

I have been wondering if the milk paint would work.. and I think it would absolutely give us the white (semi-transparent) type of look. But I guess the problem will still come back to the seal/top coats. That PolyWhey sounds like it is worth checking out. I have read some not so great reviews on the stuff Ikea sells for the butcher block (pls. correct me if I am not remembering correctly as my brain is on overload from all the info here).
I do think that our priority has to be:
1)FUNCTION and sealing the wood properly -it is a 40x90" surface that is actually 2 pieces of wood biscuit joined together) So. ~25ft2 of surface. With a prep sink in it so that concerns me.. And it will get a lot of use/abuse with kids (3 boys), plus entertaining.. so wine stains etc!! So waterlox came to mind from the protection stand point (we will not be chopping on it, preparing food directly)

So if it is not possible to get the white + good protection then we will just have to go with good protection. The last think I want is a white countertop with red wine or koolaid stains!

badgergrl: re. the waterlox only. I am very pleased with it and we plan to use it on the all the perimeter countertops.From reading on GW , it seems like the best option for protection especially around our 2 sinks. On my sample pieces I used 3 coats so far without sanding. it did get a shiny look which is ok so far, if it got more shiny I may want to tone it down.So the steel wool will be kept in mind. We are using the "satin" one. Funny about the Salad Bowl finish..the guys at Wood Craft were more than surprised I was considering a "marine Waterlox " coat vs. a "salad bowl food safe coating". They thought I was nuts.

So still sounds like it is worth trying

1)my current water base white wash stain with waterlox, but after it has cured. However amber coloring is likely
2)current stain +Poly whey (maybe less amber/yellowing)
3)milk paint + ??? protective coating
4)epoxy resin top coat (but more shiny) and ?? is this going to protect it enough?

Very curious about the milk paint...do i mix it with mineral spirits for less opaque? or wipe on/wipe off type thing?

You increase the amount of water (you gotta love milk paint) to reduce the opacity.

Aaahh.. makes sense! Now that I am thinking about it, I am surprised the answer isn't .. more milk!
Now if i do try milk paint, what do I put over it to protect the island countertop+sink area? This is what it said on a milk paint website re. sealing:
Not too helpful!

DO I REALLY NEED TO SEAL A SURFACE THAT HAS BEEN PAINTED WITH MILK PAINT?

Milk Paint will water-spot white spots if it has not been sealed and something gets spilled on it. It will also spot if it is wiped with water or washed. Decorative pieces, walls etc., do not need to be sealed, but any painted surface subject to spills should be (or if you want to be able to wash the surface). A bench, chair or similar piece of furniture can be waxed or oiled, which provides a nice finish and helps prevent water spotting. We carry a clear acrylic finish, Clear Coat, which has a satin finish and is suitable for most furniture and woodwork applications, but a tabletop, kitchen cabinetry, etc. should have a much tougher finish such as polyurethane for best protection.

We do not know of anything that is incompatible with going over our paint. For best results, test an area with the topcoat you plan to use to make sure that you like the end result.

DO I NEED TO SEAL A SURFACE THAT I'VE CRACKLED?

If it is a functional piece, or if you will later want to be able to wash the surface, yes. You will need to use a non-waterbased sealer over what you have crackled. This is very important, as a water-based sealer, such as our Clear Coat, will reactivate the crackle and not seal the surface properly. Be sure to use an oil or solvent-based clear finish, or wax.

Are the white/pickled colors of Rubio Monocoat light enough for you? It is very very easy to apply and has only a faint odor similar to veg oil, and the company rep told me it is fine for countertops. (Disclaimer: my only experience so far is with *applying* it, not using it yet, because the stair treads I finished with it are still waiting for DH to have time to install.) You can order small sample bottles. Here's a link to the colors. It's a matte finish and very possibly not as white or opaque as you need; if that's the case, apologies for the sidetrack.

Here is a link that might be useful: Monocoat colors

Sorry -- me again -- this photo from the Monocoat website is what made me think of it for you. It looks paler here than on the color page I linked in the last post.

(after preview) Bah, it won't link straight to the photo, just the page. Look at the 2nd row; there are two pictures of white finish on oak.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Monocoat

NC-at first I thought it was not "white enough" more grey. But I actually liked how it looked on the floors that you linked. So something to consider. Thank you! They showed me a similar color at the store yesterday called White Mist in a Gen'l Finish oil stain. But I thought it was too grey.

I wonder if I consider something "less white" will that allow me to Waterlox on top still? I guess I have to play around with it.

Seems there are more options for the white, but less options for the Sealing and protecting on top without causing an amber color?

What about Hemp Oil? I have yet to get around to visiting this company so I have no experience with the product (their varnish sound like it may be the better choice). They do mail order. A couple of Lee Valley products sound like they might be good - they also sell milk paint.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homestead House

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.

Rav, the PolyWhey will go over almost anything, and I promise you it's a tough protective finish just like polyurethane with NO trace of ambering. I like the General Finishes products a lot, and Waterlox is great for certain things, but I'd honestly prefer PolyWhey for a food surface over both of them. You can pick it up at Rockler, Woodcraft stores, etc.

Here's a dresser I did in light gray milkpaint - if you did all white it would be perfectly white, no gray:

Just a thought, have you checked out marine paints and varnishes?

Also, the products my cabinet maker used for my driftwood finish cabs came from Sherwin Williams, they were from the professional line but they may be able to help you at one of their stores. My cabs are gray but white would be easy. You can still see the wood grain in my cabs.

caryscott: Hemp oil -just not sure it will give me enough protection in the kitchen /sink area. I don't know much about it, but their website does say "Not recommended for areas with a lot of water, such as a bathroom, kitchen or front door area unless special care is taken and extra applications are applied*
I don't mind adding extra applications as we had planned this with the waterlox .

circuspeanut- the dresser looks great in the milkpaint. Will definitely check out the monocoat and polywhey.
If we can get a protection as good as others say they get with the waterlox than it sounds like a great combination!

wizardnm- no I havent-just the waterlox. And I hadn't explored paints yet, just stains. So that is a possibility too.

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.)

Another thought, and I don't know if this would work: reshal sealed her BB with benite before staining it, but maybe it could be used after staining, before the waterlox? You could ask them if that's possible.

thought I should update you all .. I am sad to say :(... I didn't have time to explore all these options. My DH was ready to move forward quicker than I thought and it would have taken too long to test everything out and give it the proper cure times.
So we went ahead with just the waterlox finish on the island so he could get 6 or more coats on and then do the sink cut out.
It turned out great and I am very happy with it. Maybe in a few years when we are ready for something else I can play around again with the white finish.

I will post the photos in another posting so you can see. Moving on to the other counters, lighting, etc now....

Thanks again for trying to help... we really appreciate it.

I know it's too late, but I think I remember the Waterlox site mentioned somewhere (maybe about floor finishing) about mixing the stain in the first coat of the Waterlox? That might've helped with the subsequent clear coats, but not with the ambering concern, of course.

I'm glad you're happy with the result you have.