Butch Block Countertop w/ Tung Oil finish feeling dry
Hello,
I recently installed a new butcher block countertop in my kitchen and finished it with tung oil (tung oil + 50% citrus solvent as recommended by tung oil supplier). We’re about 3 weeks after we finished applying the tung oil and we start using the kitchen sink 3 days ago. Curing isn’t done, but the instructions said you are okay after 15+ days for light usage as long as we quickly wipe up any water.
However, we’ve noticed that the butcher block around the sink is a little dryer than everywhere else. We’ve tried to avoid getting water on the countertop and wipe anything off pretty quickly, but we are noticing the difference.
We want to make sure the wood is okay and have wondered if we should apply something to the countertop in these areas that currently feel dryer? We talked about putting a little mineral oil on it (but would wait until it completely cures) or maybe doing another coat of tung oil (with another 3-4 week waiting period).
Or do we just not worry about it?
Replies
Hello,
It's normal for areas around the sink to feel drier due to water exposure. Applying a maintenance coat of tung oil and citrus solvent https://www.my-milestonecard.com mixture can help. Wait until the initial finish fully cures, then apply a thin maintenance coat to rehydrate the wood and maintain its protection.
If curing isn’t done and you have been using the sink ever so slightly, it’s only normal that there is less oil around the sink and it has dried before the rest. Now two weeks to cure is a long time, usually an oil finish will cure in a matter of days if the excess is wiped out after 30 minutes or so, once dry, you can apply extra coats but the excess oil has to be wiped for each coat to dry otherwise it seems to never dry.