Am building a large kitchen countertop of 3″ oak butcherblock. The edge detail will be combination of ogee, etc. Would like to stain medium and maintain a semi-gloss look.
The top will get some strong summer sun through a southern facing casement window. Naturally, it will also see a fair amount of food and fluid abuse. The finish needs to be hard as a rock.
Based on these needs, what would some of you experts suggest. I have spray equipment so that is not a constraint.
Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions.
Replies
Robbie:
We built an island with a maple top on it in 1995. It has a sink in it, and we do almost all of our food prep on top of the island. Our was finished with 6 coats of polyurethane. It has stood up very well. We have one spot about 3/4" dia where some oven cleaner was spilled on the counter, and it ate through to the maple, but that should be easy to repair, when I get to it.
Good luck with your island.
If you're really sold on using oak, fine, but consider the fact that oak has a really open grain structure vs such other woods like maple. Most people I've talked to about finishing a wooden countertop have recommended epoxy type material but I don't like using it.
Dennis in Bellevue WA
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Robbie
Most of the guys in this area use 2 pack polyurethane due to its ability to stand up well in these situations. But with an open grained timber either a grain filler/stain or lots of sanding back between coats to counter the poly's inability to 'bridge' may be appropriate.
Don
Robbie,
If you've already purchased your wood, I sure hope it's WHITE OAK. One of the water-permeable oaks would seem inappropriate.
For a rock hard countertop, though, it's hard to beat the virtues of good old hard rock maple.
Good luck with your project,
Paul
Haven't done it yet. Certainly appreciate the affinity for hard rock maple, particularly when it is an oiled finish. However, if you have a tough enough, waterproof finish, why wouldn't oak be an equally appropriate top material? It would certainly better match other kitchen furniture we have. Interested in the response here.
If you put only a coat or two of varnish on the oak, the varnish surface isn't flat. It still has creases in it where the coating ducks into the coarse pores of the wood. That might make it a little more difficult to wipe clean. If that seems like an issue to you, there are several solutions. One is to use more coats of varnish, sanding between coats so that the varnish builds up thicker in the pores. Another is to use a wipe-on grain filler before you varnish. I'd use the can of Goop-on that I have from installing oak flooring.
At the beginning of this thread, you asked about varnish recommendations, and said you have spray equipment. If it is HVLP and you'd prefer water-borne for its low smell, I suggest Enduro from Compliant Spray Systems (http://www.compliantspraysystems.com). It sprays well (for waterborne), cures quickly, and is very hard and water-resistant. Like all waterborne varnishes, it is nearly colorless. If you have plain oil-based varnish on the other furniture, it will look yellow compared to the Enduro.
Robbie,
I appreciate your concerns, as well as your desire to consistently use oak throughout your kitchen.
When you mentioned you wanted to use the counter for food prep, I though about the way most of the people I know use their kitchens -- if "it looks like a cutting board" folks will be fairly likely to use for cutting and chopping.
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a waterPROOF finish that is also compatible with cutting and chopping. A granite, stainless steel, or wood countertop with a hard finish won't be compatible with cutting and chopping. In commerical kitchens they use stainless steel counters in conjunction with NSF-approved cutting boards that are sanitized after every use.
If you'll be cutting or chopping, it won't take long to render a sealed surface anything but waterproof. Also wouldn't want to combine food with the parts of the finish that would be chipped-away in conjunction with knife work.
If you were using an oiled maple cutting board, an occasional sanding and re-oiling with mineral oil would be all that was needed to maintain its appearance and utility (Vegetable oils should not be used because they can go rancid). The look of a well-used cutting board has a certain appearance that sounds like it may be inconsistent with the aesthetic you're trying to achieve.
If you'll be satisfied with a beautifully-sealed [white] oak countertop AND the need to consistently use accessory cutting boards instead of cutting directly its surface, I'm sure one of the two-part finishes that are available will meet your needs.
Good luck with your counters,Paul
Conversion varnish is typically used on kitchen and bath cabinetry (in the U.S.) and offers exceptional durability. Chemcraft (.com) has a very good product; but if you don't have a local distributor you can get "KemVar" or "Super KemVar" from Sherwin Williams. Two part urethanes are also a good option. Both Chemcraft and Sherwin Williams stock these also.
You can spray a couple coats and sand it back until smooth and level, for a full fill on the pores, then spray a couple more coats for build and protection.
If it's not something you want to spray yourself, you can probably get a local cabinet shop to do it for you. If you find a local shop that uses polyester, that's even better.
Paul
F'burg, VA
I had a course last week on kitchen design and we talked about counters and countertops. Wood is NOT the ideal material if you are going to use the area for food prep. Once you cut or slice the surface to the wood, start finishing all over again. Open grain woods like oak suck up the fluids from meats, poultry and bacteria grows like crazy in those open pores. My suggestion to you is, if you really want a wooden countertop go with Rock Maple and use a smaller cutting board for food prep and keep it clean and finish it with either walnut oil or peanut oil. Get a solid surface material like corian or marble. Check out your local Home Depot and talk to a kitchen designer about how cheap marble and corian are.
Dave in Pa.
I sell Corian for cutting boards. I just wanted to say that first because wood is best and safest for cutting boards. I have been following the scientific study of this for over 20 years. It is true that open pore wood will soak up meat juices. The bacteria dies within seconds on wood. Bacteria lives for days on unwashed glass.
Many scientists have not believed this and have made test after test. They have no reason that wood kills bacteria but it does. So a scarred Maple countertop is perfectly safe though it may not look good long.
I hope this helps
Ken
http://stonewood.safeshopper.com
Ken, To read some past threads on this subject, you'd think folks were dropping like flies from using wood cutting boards. Glad to hear your point of view. I found a laminated oak cutting board in the trash 30 years ago and we're still using it daily. I'm sure I removed any finish with the belt sander back then and have never added any finish. Now I wouldn't want my countertops to look like that board but it's like an old friend. Its had many a scrubbing with scrub brush and detergent.
Robbie, Our coutertops are maple butcher block. When we moved in, they were dry and needed attention. The finishing guru at Highland Hardware recommended Waterlox tung oil. I wiped on 4 coats about a year ago and have been very pleased with the maintenence. They are not adjacent to a sink, which I think is the downfall of most wooden countertops.
I also used Waterlox on a maple island countertop I built for my kitchen. Just put on the number of coats that gives you the sheen you are looking for. If you want to use the surface for cutting and food prep just a bit of periodic sanding and a fresh coat will keep things looking fresh and keep the maple sealed against excessive moisture intake.
And yes, Waterlox is food safe once its cured. I checked the specs on the manufacturer's website myself. Same is true of most oil based finishes. Personally, I think the marketing of "food safe" finishes is a bit of a scam since they are mostly the same stuff a lot of woodworkers are using anyway. Polys are probably the exception.
Sam
Thanks to all. I would not / will not cut directly on the countertop. For that purpose, I will use either a maple or Corian cutting board. But one thought now is to actuall inlay the corian into a small section of the Island top. My ultimate goal here is to have something that looks like furniture, dresses up the kitchen and is functional from two perspectives: 1) got to be able to accept a few bar stools and serve as a casual eating area and 2) got to be able to work AT the island -- not necessarily directly ON top it.
Will let you know what we decide and how it turns out.
Robbie
Robbie,
Did you ever build this island and can you share pictures? I am in the process of building the same type of island. Thanks.Regards,
Buzzsaw
Hey there! I refinished an old kitchen cupboard earlier this year in oak and used a 3/4 birch plywood for the top. Finished it in clear with a waterbased finish (Minwax brand) and after about 4 coats it had turned out to be pretty hard and durable finish and quite nice looking.
There are several things that should be considered with this Island countertop . You said the top will be used for food prep and such . The tanic (sp) acid in oak render it not a great specie for food contact . Also the finish you use needs to be non-toxic .Butcher block type tops are great but require some degree of maintanence a hardfinish in a non toxic product is going to be hard to find ,unless someone can help us on this.I use mineral oil with parrifin or beeswax melted in and applied liberaly. Then wipe off excess . This will need re oiling 3 or 4 times a year maybe . If you do consider maple , but are price consious look for natural Maple it has color and character at a lot less cost than white Maple. We all want you to use Maple , the insert of maple in Oak may save you if you already bought the Oak . good luck
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