Waterlox!!! I have a gorgeous walnut top on my island that was installed when we built 8 years ago. I went round and round on that and was talked into oil. It’s fine...but it definitely isn’t as “dressy” looking as the waterlox. I have to oil it every so often, which isn’t difficult or anything...but the oil finish isn’t as wipable for lack of a better word, than waterlox. To me, Waterlox makes it more of a counter surface, oil makes it seem like furniture. And I don’t love wiping furniture with cleaner/water. Lol.

All of these finishes are beautiful. Will your island look like a furniture piece, with different door profiles etc...?

Because generally it is considered a good idea to have one unifying element, either cabinet color or counter material, to relate perimeter and island cabinet runs. The one exception is a kitchen (often vintage) in which the island is meant to resemble a piece of furniture.

As for the finish on the walnut, I would go with oil. Waterlox original tung oil finish is food safe when dry, but food grade mineral oil and "board tonic" fractionated coconut oil are food safe always.

Thanks! I guess my question is how do you touch up Waterlox if needed? I know the food safe oil is easier that way, but how much easier? Eam44, thank you. It's a big kitchen, and I am toying with bringing the walnut elsewhere too, to pull it together. It will definitely be on the step-back for the built-in china cabinet with glass door uppers, and possibly on some feature door fronts. I may also do the china cabinet in Hague Blue. If I do soapstone sinks, the undermount one in the island will tie in with the perimeter counter & sink. The main big sink will have a 9' stretch of windows looking out into nature, and to the right of the fridge will be a 3-panel french door, also looking out to nature. The final details to mull over. I welcome your thoughts. :-)

Waterlox doesn't need any prior prep work for touch-ups unless it has been scratched in which case you buff out scratches with the appropriate material depending on depth of scratches, then re-apply. If a scratch has gone to bare wood, you'll need to re-apply several coats of Waterlox. The first round of finishing with Waterlox to a new butcher block installation requires about 4 coats that must dry in between. Check the Waterlox website for more specific directions. If you're using this on an area where food will be prepared, Waterlox isn't food safe as mentioned above and some other finish should be utilized.

So much like our kitchen! Dark Julia soapstone counters, cabinets in Medallion White Chocolate and peninsula in butcher block Brazilian Cherry. Our peninsula was treated with Waterlox and installed in 2010 and still looks fantastic. No food prep directly on the top, but with twin 10-year-old boys at the time, it definitely hasn't been babied.

So much like our kitchen! Dark Julia soapstone counters, cabinets in Medallion White Chocolate and peninsula in butcher block Brazilian Cherry. Our peninsula was treated with Waterlox and installed in 2010 and still looks fantastic. No food prep directly on the top, but with twin 10-year-old boys at the time, it definitely hasn't been babied.

Any wood counter that will have a sink in it needs a robust film forming coating. Top, bottom, and especially the cut area. Waterlox is at the bottom of the scale for durability, but at the top for easy touch up. Don’t cut on your wood counter. Use a cutting board.

What about Rubio Monocoat? My soapstone & wood guy is recommending this as perhaps the better option to oiling them regularly. He thinks the Waterlox is not as user friendly for touch-ups. I don't mind oiling around the sink weekly, if that would keep the area as nice as my 20-year-old walnut salad bowls (which still look gorgeous).

Any wood counter that will have a sink in it needs a robust film forming coating...Waterlox is at the bottom of the scale for durability, but at the top for easy touch up.

@User: Would you care to share what’s at the top for durability?

The Cooks Kitchen - I love to clean up a pretty kitchen. I will be meticulous. And I'm told as long as it's a high quality walnut and I oil regularly or use Rubio, and wipe up water, I'll be fine.

@AboutToGetDusty Rubio Monocoat involves an extra recoating step called "water popping" that Waterlox does not. Water popping for Rubio Monocoat requires extra time to perform and time to wait for drying. This step opens the grain to make the wood more receptive to the sealant, and this is neither required nor recommended with Waterlox. Waterlox is a wipe-and-go recoat unless you have scratches in which case you buff them out before reapplication, same as you would do to address scratches prior to Rubio Monocoat recoating.

@Sammy The previous commenter is referring to a "robust film-forming coating" like conversion varnish. My aunt has butcher block around her kitchen sink, and she treated it with five coats of gloss lacquer before using it, for example. It's not a finish that looks natural for those who want the natural look, but it is the finish most impervious to water.

@AboutToGetDusty Be careful with the recommendation that walnut is fine for use around water. Walnut of any quality is naturally a tight grain but not classified as a closed grain like maple, cherry or hickory, which thus makes it more vulnerable to water contact since water is capable of entering and traveling through the pores. An oil-based finish mixture with some wax-type substance added to it like Waterlox will work better for you than a straight oil finish as far as lasting between recoats, even if you are recoating weekly. I've read several reviews of people who have used butcher block around the sink, and one unexpected pitfall is mold from drips underneath the handle where the faucet is turned on and off, and sometimes this is from other members of the family who aren't as careful about wiping away water as is the primary cook. You could consider a touch faucet to help prevent this or place a tray underneath that area to help prevent mold. Also be aware that tap water is usually acidic unless it has been treated, and repeated contact of acidic water with walnut wood can create a chemical reaction that may cause brown discoloration. Using an effective sealant and keeping the area dry will help guard against this.

Thank you all. I was so excited to go with black walnut, and continue my meticulous ways...but then I remembered I want to use the big island for rolling out Christmas cookies...and well, the dough stuck to the oiled walnut sample and I had to use a Dobie to get it off and now it's splotchy...sigh. My dreams are crushed. For entertaining/general use, walnut would be fine for me. For my cookie & bread needs for parties & holidays...nope. Thanks for your advice! I've decided for my whole kitchen, I'll be using the same harder variety dark soapstone that was as bullet proof as it gets (used in my former kitchen before we moved).