How to finish a wood counter top
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My husband is building a kitchen island with a wood counter top. What is the best stuff to finish it with, that will hold up to wear and tear and be food safe ?
6 answers
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You can either use a food-grade oil made for cutting boards, or poured resin made for table and bar tops. The oil doesn't protect it from scratches, though.
Darla
on Apr 22, 2015
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I use a mineral oil / wax mix made for butcher block. It protects and repels water. I have had the butcher block for 2 years and had no problems. I keep a row of tempered glass cutting boards along one side which is a food prep area. The other side is where kids eat snacks. If the butcher block gets badly stained or scratched, I can unscrew it and take it to my friendly neighbor cabinet maker and have it planed. There are several DIY home blogs that have installed wood countertops. Search "wood counter blog" and you can see what others have done.
Jhmarie
on Apr 22, 2015
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Jhmarie does what I did, do it regularly and it will last for years and years. And look inviting. If you use it as a cutting board then better get use to nicks and knife marks, if you use other cutting board, then it will last forever. Enjoy !
Pivoines
on Apr 23, 2015
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WATCO Butcher Block 16 fl oz Butcher Block Oil Copied and pasted straight from Lowe,s website. It protects and is food safe.
Trudy
on Apr 23, 2015
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@Janice... that's going to be beautiful! I just redid my counter tops with wood and after months of researching, I ended up using OSMO top oil. The reviews are excellent and I really liked how easily repairable it is if you get a spot of damage that bothers you... as well as low maintenance (you don't have to keep applying it.) I used four very thin coats and it looks beautiful. It's very low odor (kind of like a nutty smell... not a toxic smell), it's food safe, super easy to apply, and water/etc. just sits on the surface. I bought a .5 liter can and have a bunch left over. A little goes a looong way! I would stay away from anything with a polyurethane in it, even though they are all food safe once cured. They look great at first, but if you get a scratch, you'll have to strip the whole thing down and refinish to get rid of it. Besides, I love the look and feel of wood. Plastic, not so much. ;)
Kayte
on Apr 24, 2015
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i protected the top of my dish washer with verathane (sp) my father told me what to do . i started with a fine sand paper and then took the dust off ....i applied the verathane with a soft cloth , very thin coats , using the sand paper before each coat ....i applied at least 10 to 12 coats , letting them dry in between ....it had dark and light wood , and it looked beautiful , and i could cut anything on it with no damage ....i hope that helps ..
Wendy Harris
on Apr 24, 2015
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