I sanded down and Waterloxed the sill of our existing bay window last summer, so I felt comfortable doing the counters in place. They were not yet attached to the cabinets below, so I could slide them out from the wall an inch or two to work on them. This was pretty critical because you need to apply to all 6 sides (top, bottom, 4 sides). I did the bottoms before they were installed (2 coats) then did about 2 coats on the edges that would be against the wall and 6+ coats on the visible edges and top.

You need good ventilation (open windows, fans, etc.) or I wouldn't attempt it. It's pretty smelly. I'm not sure why Waterlox suggests fewer coats, but I did feel that lots of coats were necessary for the look I wanted. I started with the Original until I ran out (about 3 coats tops/sides and the bottoms) and then finished with Satin (3 more coats).

I tried lots of application methods (t-shirt, foam brush, bristle brush, lambswool applicator) and the widest foam brush (about 3") worked best for me. Make sure you allow plenty of time to dry in between coats. The wood is going to suck up the first couple of coats so be generous with those and allow extra time in between to make sure it is good and dry.

Good luck!

I used low-gloss Waterlox, which provides a lovely finish, and that should be only 2 coats. The reason is that the low gloss is achieved by suspension of particles and with more coats it becomes less and less clear. Two coats of low-gloss really show off the wood nicely but will have to be redone sooner.

I mostly waterloxed ours in place, so only tops and front edge most places, but I was careful to do all sides in the sink, DW, and stove areas. They've done very well.

Definitely get a professional quality mask with filter for this work, the Waterlox brochure/label probably specifies the mask #. The chemical smell is VERY strong, and although it goes away completely pretty quickly, it's easy to imagine it eating your brain cells. Protecting yourself is the hardest part of the job. It goes on very nicely.

It makes no difference to coat the unused sides of a wood surface with finish.

6 coats will always be more protective than 2. The thicker the film build on the surface, the greater the protection.

Waterlox contains a lot of solvent so that it can be applied easily in thin coats as a wiping varnish. For greater protection in fewer coats, apply a coat or 2 of Waterlox, then apply Minwax fast-drying poly, then sand smooth. Or just apply a couple coats of the poly.

I would have to disagree about having differing amounts of finish on each side of a slab of wood. Wood is constantly taking in and realeasing moisture, expanding and contracting as it does so. Layers of finish inhibit- but do not eliminate- this behavior. Leaving large portions of a piece of wood unfinished will lead to irregular uptake/loss of moisture and may lead to warping, bowing, or cracking of the piece.

beachbum-

We finished our counters (salvaged southern yellow pine, formerly bowling alley) in place with Epifanes, a marine finishing system that's food safe. We did the top, the sides, back and front, but not underneath, honestly, I never even thought about doing underneath, but it hasn't been a problem yet.

It wasn't difficult, but as has been mentioned upthread, keep the windows open and try to do it on a cool, dry day.

Epifanes has two products, the first makes it glossy, the second dulls it down. We did (I think) 5 coats of the gloss and 3 of the other, but because it was a working kitchen, we used it between applications, with no ill effects.

Good luck-

sandyponder

Here is a link that might be useful: Epifanes Website

Did my antique bathroom floor with Waterlox -- one side only. It's routinely used on floors and no one does the underside of those boards. It holds up wonderfully, looks great and help resist a flood we had really well. I used 3 coats of low sheen.

It does smell terrible no matter which of the Waterlox formulas you use. But, especially if you are using it indoors, suggest you get the low VOC formula. Don't now about you but I cannot afford to relinquish any more brain cells. We are using Waterlox on our cabinets and probably on our butcherblock counters as well.

It IS important to finish all sides of BB. Butcher block is not a wood floor. They operate on entirely different principles. Individual strips of wood flooring expand & contract--hence the seasonal differences in the gaps between boards. Floors are nailed down which helps to keep the boards from warping & cupping. And the tongue & groove of flooring is designed to accommodate wood movements (as well as making the floor somewhat stronger.) Individual floorboards are never glued together (exception being some engineered products) because this would inhibit the movement of the wood & lead to splitting along grain lines.

Butcherblock, OTOH, is glued & laminated w/, often no mechanical fasteners. Think of the used cutting boards that most of us have seen that are beginning to fail on the edges, when the laminations are separating because the glue joints have failed or the wood has split along grain due to the exposed end grain of the wood drying out at a different rate from the rest of the board.

That said, IMO, a couple of coats of finish on the underside is sufficient. The finish underside is not subject to being worn down/ worn off/ chipped/ nicked, etc. Obviously, more is probably better but I'd rest easy w/ a couple of liberal coats bottomside. Also very important thing is to liberally & repeatedly coat any exposed end grains. The end grain is particularly thirsty & needs extra attention.

Good reasoning ci lantro. Thanks.

Finishing all sides of wood, any kind of wood, any item made from the wood, makes no difference whatsoever for potential warping.

This has been proven scientifically, and there is absolutely no doubt about it.

Many a door or cabinet door finished equally on all sides has warped. And many a cutting board NOT finished on all sides has warped. Many a table top finished on top but not on bottom is still flat as new and not split apart.

I hate water damage on wood and go to great lengths to prevent it (and fix it), but finishing the bottom of a table or countertop is a complete waste of time.

"Finishing all sides of wood, any kind of wood, any item made from the wood, makes no difference whatsoever for potential warping. This has been proven scientifically, and there is absolutely no doubt about it."

And where was the research published?

Be sure you never cut food on these counters if you Waterlox them. Always use a cutting board, don't set bare food on the wood, etc. Based on the descriptions here it seems highly unlikely that Waterlox is food safe.

As wood dries, it shrinks twice as much around its rings than perpendicular to its rings. So plain-sawn boards cup on the sap side; the shrinkage causes the rings to partially straighten out. Quartersawn boards shrink without warping.

Old tabletops always cup concave on the top, even though the heartside up and lack of finish on bottom would have predicted bowing rather than cupping. Also, deck boards cup and warp concave on top even though they are laid randomly, some heart side up, some sap side up, some quartersawn. The reason for the concave cupping is the uneven moisture level on top, from being wet and wiped with damp cloths hundreds of times over the years. As the finish ages, it becomes more porous and lets moisture through. The top of the wood swells, and the cells of the wood are compressed from their original cylinder shape into an oval shape, and subsequently shrink (called "compression shrinkage"), pulling the board concave.

So a finish on the bottom surface, which is never getting wet, does nothing to prevent compression shrinkage from the top getting wet and drying out repeatedly. The important thing to extend the life of the piece is protecting the used side on the TOP from repeatedly getting wet and then dried out. And protection is directly related to the thickness of a film finish. The thicker the film build, the greater the protection. Waterlox is thinned for easy application, so requires a lot of coats for a good film build. Mineral oil does absolutely nothing to protect wood, it simply darkens the color temporarily as it is absorbed.

The reason some wood surfaces hold up without warping or splitting, while others warp and/or split, has little to do with the finish; it's the wood itself. Some species are much more dimensionally stable than others. That is, they swell much less when wet. Also quartersawn boards are more stable and have a different direction of force when they do swell and shrink. Furthermore, old-growth and slow-growing trees have much tighter growth rings, so are more stable. Also, narrower boards are more stable than wider boards. An ideal butcherblock top, for example, would be made from old hard-rock maple trees, quartersawn, into narrow boards glued up. And guess what, that's what butcherblock is usually made from, and this is why you rarely see butcherblock warping or splitting. I have one cutting board that's perfect despite years of use, while another one is warped and split. The split one is made from large-pored plain-sawn wood. You can clearly see the large grain pattern. The perfect one is hard-rock maple.

What you have to worry about with a butcherblock counter is cosmetic damage to the finish from water or absorption of stains. A film finish like Waterlox will protect when it is new. But it will become more porous and gradually lose its protection. Water-damaged wood will turn gray.

Finally, all film finishes are food-safe once cured. The cured film is fully crosslinked by oxidation and is inert. Full curing takes about 30 days, or less in warm weather. However, I would never cut directly on a permanently-installed butcherblock counter because it will leave cut marks on the counter.

For a more thorough discussion, see "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner, and "Understanding Wood" by R Bruce Hoadley. Flexner has published articles on this topic in Popular Woodworking over the years, and in a booklet "Finishing & Refinishing: Simple Steps, Pro Results."

Wow, a lot info. I wonder if a salad bowl finish might be easier?

Here is a link that might be useful: Van Dykes salad bowl finish

For a little perspective on how to avoid Waterlox and still end up with a gorgeous and foodsafe finish, take a look at my post a few weeks ago on my Walnut island top:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0913354730186.html?7

Here is a link that might be useful: My post on my Walnut Island

Easier than what?

A finish that's "easier to apply" is just a "wiping" varnish which is simply varnish that's been thinned with solvent. You can buy any regular varnish and thin it with solvent yourself to make your own wiping varnish, usually cheaper. However, remember that film thickness equals protection. So the thinner the wiping varnish, the more coats have to be applied to achieve a thick enough film to protect well.

Nonetheless, it is still easier to get a good-looking finish by applying more thin coats than fewer thick ones.

No matter what marketing terms are used, "salad bowl finish" or whatever, all these finishes are varnishes made up of curing oils and resins processed together.

By the way, nowadays you will see instructions "Do not thin" on some cans of paint or varnish. The manufacturer simply reduced the amount of solvent in the paint or varnish to comply with VOC laws and added the instruction "Do not thin." The thicker paints and varnishes, without enough solvent to make them flow out and level, are IMPOSSIBLE to apply a good-looking coat. You MUST thin with enough solvent to get flow-out in order to get a smooth, good-looking film of paint or varnish. How much solvent? depends on your weather conditions and application skills.

Thought I might chime in.

Waterlox finishes are non-toxic and food-safe when dry.

The only “toxic” portion of the formulation is the mineral spirits, a petroleum distillate, which, evaporates in order for the finish to dry in the first 2 to 4 hours. A minimum of 7 days should be waited before using the surface. While 95 to 98% of the chemical resistance properties are reached within the first 7 to 14 days, full cure, film hardness and chemical resistance properties are achieved in 30 - 90 days.
Hope this helps.

Chip Schaffner - Waterlox Coatings

Chip,

Thanks for chiming in. Another question, though: how long should you wait between individual coats of waterlox? And how many coats do you recommend?

Thank you!