Finishing a Butcher Block Countertop

Nov 18, 2022
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I bought partially finished butcher block counter top from Home Depot to make a desk. It’s got a light gray rustic stain on it, however I don’t like the sharp edges. I think I’ll router the edges to a smooth rounded edge.

That being said, would you then restain the block and then put a few coats of polyurethane on it ...

or would you do a coat of epoxy on top?
 

Mr Doof

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Are these blocks removable?

If so, I thought you just needed to clean then and then rub them down with a little mineral oil. No using any vegetable oils as they will spoil.

PS
A friend of Sweetie-pie has them. A few years back they replaced all the old blocks and the husband refinished a block and gave it to us for Christmas. Repurposed our old butcher block for use with the drill press.
 
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elcalvo

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If you rout the edges, the top will look very different from the edges. You might want to sand the top back to natural color, then rout the edges and then stain to taste. Top may still look different from the edges, depending on how deep the original stain penetrated.
As to the finish, depends on the look you want. There are a wide variety of products available. You can make it appear to be a very natural wood or go all the way to making it look like plastic. Try a few products on sections of the bottom of the slab to see what you like.
 
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Matilija

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I plan to use this on a piece of live edge bar top in my kitchen remodel. I Hear great things.


 
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npsp

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I plan to use this on a piece of live edge bar top in my kitchen remodel. I Hear great things.


Rubio Monocoat is a great choice. We refinished the floors in the rooms of our house that still had the original oak hardwood with it. It has held up great for over 3 years. Easy to apply and maintain.
 
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Norm'

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hammies

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No polyurethane. I have had good success with this. Light sanding and re-coat annually.

1671574241407.png
 

hammies

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Just remember, wood is almost like a living thing. It changes with time, even though the tree it came from is dead. People want to freeze a beautiful piece of wood in time by covering it with poly or epoxy or something, which is fine for some applications. I poly all the furniture I make, for example.

But a countertop is best with a natural oil. It will bring out the beauty of the wood and not get in your food or react negatively with tomato acid or whatever, and in the end the wood will still look beautiful with an annual buffing and recoat. It will also tell a story over time - meals and parties and kitchen disasters and the whole gamut of life in your kitchen will live in that wood.

Post a pic when all is said and done.
 

doc_flavonoid

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nice reading comprehension. guys got a butcher block to use as a desk.

without solids all ur oils regardless type will leave the surface open and wont protect the wood from damage and discoloration.

heres a hand rubbed oil and urethane top i built 15 or 20 years ago. surface is inert bombproof and beautiful still with zero maintenance
737461F2-297C-45A2-AF29-1A0E822E8378.jpeg
 
Nov 18, 2022
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This is for my son's desk. I built him a gaming PC. So far the butcher block has been a huge pain in the ass with the staining and waiting for poly-u to dry. I didn't realize poly takes so long to dry and now I had to special order all types of grit to sand out the polyurethane. I like the look so far but the last topcoat left and expected "orange skin" effect. I'm really looking to get it smooth like glass so that he can do his homework on it.

Our end product will look something like this with a nice herman miller aeron chair and we will add some cool rgb on the walls:

Screen Shot 2022-12-21 at 10.07.05 PM.png

This is the block with the topcoat but its actually more brown in person

IMG_0806.jpg

as you can see its got some nubs to be sanded out.
 
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Mr Doof

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nice reading comprehension. guys got a butcher block to use as a desk.

Hahha, I totally misread that, or rather, saw the title "Butcher Block Countertop", didn't note the 'desk' aspect, and thought this (except as a countertop, not a roll-a-way)


1671733221861.png.



For a desk, polyurethane away, but there are a lot of other choices out there. Maybe a long cure epoxy finish...long cure so it has time to soak in?
 
Nov 18, 2022
73
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For a desk, polyurethane away, but there are a lot of other choices out there. Maybe a long cure epoxy finish...long cure so it has time to soak in?
I was thinking about epoxy but Im just going to sand it down with some high grit sand paper and call it a day.
 
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doc_flavonoid

Billy Hamilton status
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Hahha, I totally misread that, or rather, saw the title "Butcher Block Countertop", didn't note the 'desk' aspect, and thought this (except as a countertop, not a roll-a-way)


View attachment 144389.



For a desk, polyurethane away, but there are a lot of other choices out there. Maybe a long cure epoxy finish...long cure so it has time to soak in?
i like general finishes oil and urethane. not poly. its a wipe on and can be wet sanded with thinner or turp between coats. not sure if the formula hasn't changed over the years as the industry embraces water borne
 

hammies

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i like general finishes oil and urethane. not poly. its a wipe on and can be wet sanded with thinner or turp between coats. not sure if the formula hasn't changed over the years as the industry embraces water borne
Danish Oil??