We just put in a big butcherblock island. I love the way it looks, but I think we got the wrong finish. I think if you get a waterlox (poly) finish, you can do your rolling and prep on it without any problems at all. You wouldn't be able to cut directly on it with a poly finish, but you could do anything else and clean it right up. Our mistake was that we thought we might want to cut on ours, so we got the oiled finish. Although that finish is food safe, I'm finding it to be too much maintenance, such that I'm reluctant to even use the prep sink in the island.

The confusing thing is that the waterlox finish isn't technically "food safe" which just means you can't cut on it. The oiled finish is "food safe" but it stains easily. Get the waterlox!

For rolling and kneading dough marble and granite dusted with flour work well. Stainless might be good too, though I haven't tried it myself.

I'm fine with not cutting on the butcher block- I can leave out a smaller cutting board. I just don't know if the dough will be (more of a) mess on the counter. The island is going to be enormous, and I thought that butcher block would be more economical than granite. But it will be the obvious choice for prep work with the kiddos. (My husband really wants Zinc countertops, but that got a pretty negative reception from the TKOs here...)

I agree with ellene613. We have an end grain lyptus island top. We love it, but it's not so great for rolling out pie crust. I urge you *not* to get the Waterlox finish if you plan on using this for a baking surface as your dough scraper will trash the finish. Also, if your kids are small, they will trash a water lox finish by banging there flatware on the wood.

I disagree that an oil finish is high maintenance, unless you want your butcherblock to look as nice as a dining room table. In that case, waterlox is one way to go, but the nicks and scratches that will eventually appear in the varnish-like finish would drive me nuts. And then, talk about high maintenance, you will have to sand the damaged area and refinish.

Sorry to hijack this post...

Soigne, we are planning on an end grain lyptus island top too (though may have to settle with edge grain as we're so over budget), and plan to cut directly on it. I'd love to hear more about your experience, including how large your island is, where you got the top, if you have a sink in it, etc. Thanks!!

soigne - tell me about your wood island top! Our kitchen table is maple with a hard poly finish, and I don't have any problem kneading dough on it - the finish seems rock solid. My kids do bang it with forks, but it doesn't seem like those dents break the finish. My plastic dough scraper definitely doesn't do anything to the finish. On my island, I feel like I have to do the beeswax/mineral oil thing at least once a week, and I really rub it in, so it takes forever (my island is huge). My son got a pencil mark on it which I can't get off. I feel like it's really high maintenance with little kids, but maybe I'm handling it wrong. Don't get me wrong - it's beautiful, and we'll just have to figure out how to handle it.

To whitneymac - our maple top was about the same cost as granite would have been. I was really surprised by this - we also had been hoping it would be a pretty and economical choice. I don't regret it, but I definitely worry about the finish.

I am also confused about not using Waterlox where you'll bake. Have you had experience with that particular product being 'trashed' by using a plastic scraper and having spoons banged on it? It isn't technically a 'poly' finish, I don't think, and many here have it as a finish on tables and kitchen counters. I have been using it on all our doors and trim, and my dh (a very experienced wood worker and shop teacher) is very impressed with the hardness and toughness of the finish it creates. We are planning it for our island's wood top, where I plan to do plenty of baking projects, so am extremely interested to hear the specifics. I wouldn't use lacquer or standard poly, but I was convinced from testimonies here that the Waterlox would be great. If not, I'd like to know...and fast.

Thanks.

First of all, I'm sorry for any confusion, but I have a lyptus *EDGE* grain butcher block top for my island, not end grain.

Second, I received some BB samples in lyptus, pecan and Brazilian Cherry with 3 coats of Waterlox. I thought it was beautiful, but a little too tacky (as in adhesive) for what I wanted. I know there are lots of testimonials here for waterlox, but all I am saying is that I don't think that waterlox is appropriate in my kitchen based on the use and wear that my island top is going to have.

I've had my oil-treated (100% tung) island-top since August 2007 and I have already put a few nicks in it by, for example, catching the corner of a metal dough scraper in the surface of the wood, by accidentally dropping a utility knife over it that landed point down, etc. I speculate that little nicks and gashes that penetrate the finish will happen all the time. Eventually, there will be enough of them so that your finish will look like crap and have to be done over. November, if your family is like my family, then your kitchen table is not exposed to the same wear that the prep side of your island top has. Just wait until your happy houseguest decides to cut limes for a round of margaritas at your next barbecue on it.

If you have no finish, you don't have to worry about that. It will take many more and larger nicks and gashes to make an unfinished BB countertop look like it needs to be sanded. Also, I like the feel of a tung oil finish.

These are just my opinions. I repeat: I have never owned a waterlox-finished counter or surface, so my opinion is speculation.

One of the advantages of Waterlox is that you don't have to strip, or even sand much, to repair or refresh it, which is why we're using it for the woodwork I know will get nicked and scratched by dogs and 8 kids. If the Waterlox finish you received was tacky, I'm wondering what was wrong with it, as I don't have that result at all. It soaks into the wood in the first 2 coats, then makes a very hard surface on top without looking plasticky or as if it's floating on top of the wood. I don't plan to cut on that surface, or have anyone else do so, but I am interested in how it does for rolling out doughs.

soigne, I might try tung oil. I'm afraid my mineral oil/beeswax isn't getting my top oiled enough. I feel like there was a reason why I wasn't doing tung oil, but now I can't remember...

I have talked about and shown my teak countertops several times in the past 1 1/2 yrs. I sealed it with Waterlox and have had no problem at all. As you can see in the thread on "using your kitchen" we use it hard, We have the teak by all the cooking and cleanup areas...including the soapstone sink. It looks like it did when installed. I am not sure why it would be tacky since as rhome says it immediately soaks in and binds to the wood. There is no surface sticky finish. Also as to safety with food I can't think why it would not be perfectly safe since it is in the wood and I guess you would have to scrape down and dig into the wood to ingest it. Hope this helps clear up the issue. c

This is probably way more info than you want but if you are interested in waterlox composition. Sorry you have to cut and paste I don't know how to link.
http://www.waterlox.com/Portals/images/default/MSDS%20TB%206044%20Satin%20Finish%20INTL.doc

What I used on an old kitchen table and what I'd use on wood countertops is several soak-in coats of pure tung oil thinned with citrus solvent, then a couple of rubbed coats of SATIN waterlox thinned with citrus solvent.

I think the issues some people have with waterlox is they used the shiny finish which will definitely show cuts and scratches (but can be touched up without stripping, unlike a poly finish.) With the wood protected deep with pure tung oil and the non-shiny look of the satin waterlox I think you'd get something durable and maintainable and pretty.

Possibly some of the confusion about Waterlox is because there are several different Waterlox products....from the Original penetrating sealer to oil modified urethanes. For a butcherblock that was going to get used, I'd opt for the original formula. I've never used a Waterlox product but I have been using various penetrating oil finishing products for years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox

november - is your island end grain or edge grain? If it's edge grain, disregard my post. I installed an end grain maple countertop on my island in Sep. (read - not much experience so take my words at face value). Pencil marks - just take some very fine sand paper and sand them out. Also, when I oil my counter top (mineral oil) I don't rub it in. I generously apply it, let it set for an hour or so, then take a paper towel to redistribute excess, then in another hour wipe any remaining off. I don't use beeswax. Anyway, I only oil about once a month and mine still looks brand new. And I chop on it.

I use my maple butcherblock counter (oiled finish) for dough and pizza making at least once a week. I chop on it all the time. My kids bang on it more frequently than I am aware.

There are times when the dough is pretty sticky and I dribble water on it to loosen, then go at it with a scraper and a green scrubby. Reoil when it looks thirsty (or before, when I remember) and all is good.

Personally, I like a counter that I can use and have guests (and small kids!) use without worrying about marks and stains. Patina is the name of the game in my house!

Good luck!

Hi everyone,

I discovered the GardenWeb not long ago, and love it! This is my first posting, and I'm hoping I can get some good advice. We are very shortly going to be doing a major kitchen and remodeling. I do lots of canning and baking, and I love the idea of having a big butcher block island. I would love to have a prep sink in the island as well, and found a picture of my dream island in a magazine--butcher block with undermount prep sink. I want to use the island for chopping, as well as rolling out bread doughs. Would it be foolish of me to put a prep sink in a wood countertop, if I can only use food grade mineral oil on it?

Whitneymac, to answer your question about whether cleanup would be a disaster, no. As people have said, moisten it and scrape it and it'll come clean. But I think doing it often will result in a "worked-on" appearance. It won't, I think, look as pristine as the day you get it. But that's the beauty of hard maple butcher blocks (I don't know about other woods as work surfaces.) They're real workhorses.

BTW, you can ease the cleanup by using a large (but light, for ease of use) board on top. This can get all caked up and then taken to the sink to be washed. By the same token, you can avoid knife marks directly on the countertop.

Agwife, welcome! Are you concerned that the water will damage the wood? I'm not an expert on this, but I have seen brown areas on butcher block counters that are next to sinks. One had a poly finish, I don't know about the other. You could use a non-toxic waterproof finish. There are several companies that make them and I don't know how the quality compares among them. The link below is for LIVOS, which might have been the first company to develop such products. I believe their quality is high, but it may be more costly than others....

Here's something you may find useful: KUNOS Oil Sealer

Thanks, egganddart49, for the link to the Kunos oil sealer website. Yes, what I am mainly concerned with is water damage to the butcher block from having a prep sink in the island. What I am hoping is that if I keep the top well oiled and don't use the prep sink all that often, it won't be a problem.

Agwife: Have you considered using a different material, such as stone or stainless, just around the sink?

No, I hadn't really thought about having two different countertop materials for the island. I'm not sure that it's going to be big enough for that. Plus, it's hard for me to visualize how it would look. It's definitely something to think about though. Has anyone else combined a waterproof material with butcher block on their island?

One thing we had somone tell us (doesn't apply to most people) if you have a guest that requires gluten free be sure no food touches the butcherblock if you've used it at all for baking (even after washing etc butcherblock will still hold some gluten). Its not a show stopper for butcherblock just something to keep in mind.

I posted pics of mine while I kneaded bread today. Have a look. You can use Waterlox to seal the wood if you like. I used it on all my teak countertops. You would have to dig into and eat particles of wood and even then I don't see it being harmful and your wood will stay pristine forever. c