My butcherblock countertop is maple. I clean it with liquid dish detergent and water, dry fully, then apply some Mineral Oil (the only food-grade wood finishing oil), let stand about a half hour, then wipe with a soft cloth. The finish stands up to anything, is never sticky or gummy, and looks beautiful. Good luck!

I have to agree with Casey's recommendations. I used mineral oil on our maple counters for about 9 months, and if I had a paper on within a day or two of oiling, the paper would get oily and translucent. I don't think it would work well for a desk top. Ours is finished now with waterlox, and I think that would work well, and be one of the drying oils.

I super highly recommend the natural Waterlox finish. Specifically the Craft Art method (link included). It dries hard, not sticky like mineral oil will be when properly maintained (especially if you are using it for a desk ie. paper going on it). This finish "penetrates the fibers of the wood and makes the wood surface itself waterproof." - Craft-Art.com website

You won't get watermarks from glasses etc because the finish doesn't sit on the surface like a polyurethane finish does. It goes down into the wood surface. So when you touch the surface, you are actually touching the wood. So, there's no where for condensation to form and = no white rings are even possible. It dries hard like a poly, but it's the actual wood. So, no grease or sticky mess on papers.

I used the wood from the company who gave me the directions on how to finish it, too, but I recommend their finishing process even if you don't have their wood.

Be sure to sand off any other finish that's on there first.

All you have to do to clean the is use a solution of white vinegar and water mixed together. It's a super inexpensive and natural disinfectant, and you can use it on all the surfaces in your kitchen.

I actually learned a lot from other threads here on G W and from the Craft Art website, so I hope that helps. Maybe someone else has more links to other threads that are similar...?

BB

Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Art do it yourself Waterlox finishing instructions - waterproof, dries hard

I went with General Finishes "salad bowl" finish on my Ikea Oak countertop. This was sanded smooth and no stain applied, only the rubbed on finish.

This is six coats.

I would have liked to use Waterlox, but with the shipping it was very expensive. I got the GF from Rockler when they had a free shipping deal going on. It's been a year now, and it's holding up very well. I use my baking center all the time, and it gets lots of wet spills on it.

I also put my big mixer on it when I'm making bread.

macybaby, what are your cabinet and wall colors? They look great!

I second the General Finishes salad bowl finish from Rockler. I used it on my end grain cherry butcher block and it looks great and keeps it from absorbing quarts of mineral oil. Then I periodically put oil/beeswax on the butcher block.

For the first application of salad bowl finish keep applying it until the wood won't absorb any more. Then wipe it off and let it dry for 1-2 days. Then apply successive coats letting the wood absorb all it can before wiping it off. Make sure you wipe off each coat before it dries on the surface.

The salad bowl finish soaks into the wood and locks into the wood grain. Now I recommend this for ANY butcher block, particularly if it is not maple. You will use much less mineral oil and feel more secure knowing "juice" cannot sink deep into the wood grain when you haven't kept up with the oiling...

For a desk, skip the oil after the salad bowl finish dries.

Billy

A heartfelt thank you to all for your input - it appears I have 2 options, Rockler's General Finishes salad bowl finish or Waterlox. A bit of research is now on my to-do the list to see what is available in Canada.

Macbaby and Billy - you both have beautiful kitchens, thank you for posting your pictures!

Thanks EdeLa -- I'll chime in on Waterlox as well. I've used Waterlox on cherry countertops over white cabinets but this was in a study, not a kitchen. The Waterlox builds a film finish which can be satin or glossy. It will scratch easier than the salad bowl finish, which has more of a flat natural look.

So part of it boils down to which look you prefer in your kitchen.

Good luck!

Billy

@billy_g: I do not believe you are correct. Waterlox does NOT leave a film finish. It is a penetrating finish, which then polymerizes to form an extremely durable surface. The surface, especially with the satin finish, looks and feels like natural wood, with a very low level of gloss. From the Waterlox website, "Waterlox finishes penetrate deep into the pores of the wood forming a bond from within. This penetrating feature gives the wood an âÂÂopen poreâ appearance that is desired by those seeking a natural-looking wood surface." This is exactly in line with my personal experience with WL.

As for scratching, I believe you are again incorrect. I have waterlox not only on counters, but also on about 2000 s.f. of hardwood floor. After four years, the surface is essentially perfect despite two kids and a big hyperactive dog. So, no, I don't think scratching is an issue with WL.

Waterlox, which I put on my kitchen floor, is a film-forming oil+resin finish. It can diluted and used as a rubbed-onfinish, which a lot of people here have done for counters and furniture, but straight out of the can it is a varnish.
I used Behlens (now GF) salad bowl finish on my work table top (maple butcherblock) and only put on 4 coats, the recommended number, and it is a very thin varnish, which dries crystal clear (waterlox is amber) and it gave a very nice satin gloss. They recommended that it be brushed on then smoothed/wiped with a cloth. I deem it a fairly delicate finish, better than clear shellac but not as waterproof as waterlox or poly. But it's 100% food-contact safe, and virtually no smell compared to w-lox which stinks to heaven!
Casey

linelle, the cabs are BM Atrium white, and the walls are BM Blond Wood.

Billy G - so you put Salad finish on a cutting block? I have it on my baking center, the have only been putting mineral oil on the maple butcher block island. I was afraid the salad bowl would start looking bad since I do cut directly on that surface. Dh periodically hand sands this lightly this and reapplies the oil.

Hi Macy,

I did put a salad bowl finish on my cutting block. I had a thick maple butcher block for 30 years and treated it with only oil or oil/paraffin wax. Then I bought a cherry end grain block to be integrated into an island. I was worried about going with a block that wasn't maple because maple's high density is ideal for block.

So... I got the cherry lock from Boos and sanded it down to get rid of the imperfections. Then I oiled it, and oiled it and oiled it and oiled it. Cherry is less dense than maple and it kept absorbing all of the oil I put on it. I also used oil/wax blends but the cherry would absorb it all and lose its water repellency very quickly. After using almost two quarts of mineral oil on the bock I envisioned oil pouring out of the end grain on the bottom of the block!

I researched all over the internet and didn't find much information about problems with non-maple blocks. Then I found a woodworker's website that mentioned using salad bowl finish to lock together the grain in a butcher block to reduce its ability to absorb water and oils. I tried it and it worked fabulously! The trick is to keep adding all of the finish the wood will absorb during an application and then wiping off ALL residue from the surface before it dries so there will not be a film left on the surface.

Now I don't have to oil the block very often and it is easy to get water to bead up on the block. Cleanup is a breeze.

I've done a lot of woodworking and worked with many types of wood finishes including spraying and it is impressive to see how well this works. Believe me, I was concerned about ruining my block but the end result is better than I would have guessed.

Billy

By the way, I don't see any problems caused by the finish when cutting on the block. But it is an end grain block and it might be different when cutting on edge grain. Because the salad bowl finish penetrates into the wood rather than sits on the surface, I think it would be easy to repair your surface by sanding and applying more finish, or by sanding and applying miineral oil, but you would need to test it somehow first.

Billy

Billy, what is your stunning stone portion of your island?

Thanks you, GreenDesigns.

It is soapstone -- Barroca from Bucks County Soapstone. The floor is soapstone, too.

The island sink is a soapstone slab sink and the main sink was carved out of a single block of soapstone. The Bucks County folks are real craftsmen and nice folks too.

The counter is drying from a good cleaning before applying mineral oil.

I need to put together a post with photos of the kitchen and house renovation. I got so many great ideas and I owe it to everyone. I've just been sooo busy finishing the punchlist the contractor hasn't finished and tweaking things that I think need tweaking and now getting ready for Christmas that I haven't had time to do it.

I promise I'll do the post sometime before 2011 is over!

Billy

I just want to point out, since the idea of cutting on a block treated with salad bowl finish has come up, that its MSDS sheet lists urethane as a main component and the General Finishes (manufacturer) site itself recommends using only butcher block (mineral) oil on a surface that will be used for cutting.

Here is a link that might be useful: General Finishes salad bowl finish

Hi northcarolina,

Thank you for this information. That's a bummer. The General Finishes site also says "Dried film is non-toxic for food contact 72 hours after drying" so I think the risks are almost nonexistent in my particular application in an end grain block.

With the information you provided I can't really recommend this to others for use on cutting surfaces. (Perhaps a problem could occur if the finish flakes off into food? Or perhaps General Finishes is playing CYA?) For myself and my guests I'm perfectly comfortable. I did not leave a film on the surface of the butcher block and the finish is bonded tightly to the wood fibers. The only thing I'll change is to not use serrated knives on the block.

Thanks for this information - I appreciate it.

Billy

I have used an oil based product called Daley's Profin to finish a maple counter. It was recommended to me by a local furniture maker. It is very durable and very smooth. It can have a matte finish or glossy. Easy to apply; brush on wait no more then 10 min. and wipe off. Let dry 24 hrs and sand. Put on as many coats as you need. I used 6 coats around a sink and 4 on my desk top. It is food safe also. Here is what their web site says.

ProFin [Specs] [MSDS]

Exceptionally durable hard drying, quick set oil finish. Easy to apply, it produces a professional finish, and is often used where spraying is not practical. ProFin is recommended on furniture, cabinets, doors, millwork and paneling. Can be used on reasonably protected exterior surfaces such as doors. 2-3 coats suggested. Compatible with most stains.
Key Benefits

Interior
Interior woodwork and furniture
Cabinets and millwork
Protected exterior applications

"Dried film is non-toxic for food contact 72 hours after drying"

This is true of many finishes, including waterlox, as long as you don't cut on them.

I agree that it's true but manufacturers don't typically advertise this and they sure as heck don't recommend them as salad bowl finishes subject to solvents ingested by humans such as balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil. :-)

As a practical matter most finishes become pretty inert after they dry and it's pretty unlikely there would be any harm from ingesting small amounts, but that's a personal decision. After all shellac is used to coat medicines and candies.

Bill

Yea, but shellac is from bugs, so technically edible to begin with.