*
My wife and I will be tackling a DIY kitchen remodel in the next year. I will be making all the cabinets in my shop, and I would like to build the countertops as well.
Our kitchen does not have a great deal of natural light, so we are planning to build painted white cabinets. For contrast, and to tie in with the wood floor, we are considering maple countertops. But I know that wood can be high-maintenance, and may not hold up well around moisture. My idea is to apply a heavy, durable translucent finish, like is often seen on restaurant tables (so thick that if often has coins or beer coasters set in the finish). I have several questions – I hope someone can shed some light on this for us:
What is that finish – is it an acrylic? Some sort of epoxy??
Is this a viable option for protecting a wood counter?
What is the process? I’m not even sure if it is an applied coating, or cast like a thermoplastic.
Is it a DIY task, or better left to a professional with an industrial ventilation system and the ability to handle large volumes of coatings?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can steer us in the right direction.
-Paul
Replies
*
Paul; I refinished a maple countertop for someone a few years ago. I used Varathane 3 coats over 3 days. It still looks fine. use a good quality brush and follow directions. I assume that you are using solid maple.
*"Bar top" varnish is available from several mailorder suppliers such as Woodworker's Supply, and Garrett Wade. There is a kit available at Home Depot as well that uses the term "decoupage" on the box - this will work also. You are essentially buying a heavy bodied varnish with a very high solids content that builds thickness in one to two coats.
*I once was fortunate enough to get a long term refinishing contract to remove that thick, clear, high gloss finish from restuarant tables as part of a change in decor. Seems the new owners did'nt like the fish bones and seashells that were imbedded in that original finish; there's just no accounting for some people's taste. It was a varnish and it washed off quite easily; I don't recall what we did with the fishbones and seashells. I have used the product available from WW supply; it is very thick and very glossy. Have you considered installing removable butcher block counters that could be taken out for sanding and oiling every few months?
*I too want to build a maple counter top for the kitchen. It will be used for food prep and things like rolling out dough. Will a varnish or something like Varathane be safe in direct contact with food?
*I just procured a butcher block for a client. The manufacturer, Boos, offers blocks unfinished,to be treated with mineral oil; and with a varathane finish. I'm not so sure that any finish would hold up to daily food prep in the long run. (When I did a lot of refinishing our shop joke with regard to a mistreated tabletop was that it looked like somebody was cutting lunchmeat on it.) In the long run I don't think you can beat a readily renewable surface like an oiled butcher block which can be sanded and reoiled.
*Maple butcher block really does not need a finish. If you use it as a butcher block and for food prep it will become stained and marked by knife use. My advice above notwithstanding, I'd be hesistant to apply a thick varnish and then use the area for heavy food prep work. The varnish on the surface, no matter how thick, will take a beating and look worse than if it (the surface) had been left unvarnished. Hey, a working kitchen is going to look like a working kitchen - commercial or residential.The only surface that I can think of that does not show wear, or very little wear, would be a dark solid granite, or perhaps soapstone.
*Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions!We do not intend to do food prep directly on the maple counter (yes, solid maple), but to use separate cutting boards for that (probably made from the sink cut-out). A bar-top finish sounds ideal. Of course, maybe bar tops look great for the same reason the clientele look good at closing time :) Anyhow, I'm glad to hear that such finishes can be applied in only a few coats - I was envisioning having to apply a dozen coats, and keeping the kitchen out of commission for an extra week!One other thing we plan to do to help the wood counters last - next to the oven and on either side of the range top we plan to inset marble or granite (pieces about 12"x20" or so). Our idea is that this will give a place to set hot pots or dishes, yet be much more economical than doing the entire counter in stone.Thanks again!-Paul
*My cutting board is between my sink and range top--30 inches of unfinished butcher block. Why not just do that? I have had it for 30 years--had it sanded and "levelled" 2 years ago, only because I was putting in new counter tops and backsplash in the rest of the kitchen. I put hot pots on it, water rolls off it--have a few marks from something but in a few months they will be scrubbed away.
*I cant imagine how a thick bar like /restraunt finish would look good in a house. It looks tacky in the restraunt. My advice to you is to get better taste. By the way, I bet you have all your upholstered furniture covered with that thick plastic.But if your decide to go with that finish you might consider the following knickknaks to add to that special look:a painting of the last supper on velvet for above the table, a olive green refrigerator, a light up beer sign for accent lighting, plastic dishes and cups, plaster the walls with playboy centerfolds( altough that might be a good idea), put up a string of plastic fruits and veggies, hang a net on the wall with plastic sea creatures, imbed coins from around the world in the finish, lots of plastic flowers, use one of those lamps that if u touch the base it dims. Well I hope I have been helpfull----ENJOY
*Well, that is rude. All this came so easily to you it must be all around you.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled