Behlens Rockhard Tabletop Varnish. It is a old-fashion oil varnish, no poly. It can be rubbed out with pumice stone for a satin finish. If it gets scratched, it can be polished back with rottenstone, rubbing compound and wax to a full gloss finish.
Big drawback for some is the slow dry time.
Casey

I did not write that article.

If if were mine, or I was doing it for someone else, I'd probably go with Waterlox Original (a varnish). I used this on a dry sink turned vanity last year.

Oil by itself is not waterproof, in fact, it's hygroscopic. So I would stay away from oil-varnish blends such as Danish Oils. In addition, oil finishes will crystallize and slough off and therefore need to be renewed regularly.

If the finish becomes scuffed, you can rub it out, or sand and add another coat.

If remember correctly, both the above are a phenolic resin-tung oil varnish. If they are, they are much more alike than different. I would be much more comfortable recommending either of these over epoxy. (See the thread below on catalytic finish and problems therein)

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wood/msg011608486946.html?24

I will give my two cents here on Waterlox. We have used various finishes over the years for wood care projects for our clients. We have settled on Waterlox as our finish of choice on most interior wood surfaces including floors, countertops, and cabinetry for two main reasons.

First and foremost is the awesome look of natural beauty it gives to wood surfaces. Almost a "sparkle" effect with the colors in wood, but it's really hard to describe; you just should see a sample yourself on wood. Most other finishes look "plastic" or manufactured. Waterlox is just an elegant look.

Second, Waterlox is extremely servicable, and easy to touchup or recoat if scratched or abused. Even the hardest coatings will become scratched or worn eventually. Many of our clients do the maintenance themselves. Most other coating options for interior wood including polyurethane, epoxy, or moisture cure urethane are more unpleasant and difficult for our crew to apply initially, and a major pain when it is time for recoat. While MCU and epoxy may be a harder surface, scratch repair is impossible, and they are in my opinion something we do not want to use in a home or resturant. A Waterlox coated surface is rated "food-grade" after 30 days of drying. I even read that it is used for wood salad bowls and the like.

We have come across quite a few custom countertop companies over the years that use the Waterlox as their original finish. Again, once you see Waterlox on Zebrawood, Mesquite, or other exotic wood, the choice of finish is obvious. The guys we get our wood finishes from have small sample packets of Waterlox available, and they have some other information about Waterlox.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox Samples

Waterlox varnish is a great product and looks absolutely beautiful on Walnut. The only downside is the slow dry time and odor. I haven't used it on a food prep surface before, but right now I am working on a maple/cherry kitchen island and the previous poster's comment has me thinking about using Waterlox. I am going to do some research to confirm that it is "food-grade" before I commit.

regarding food-safe, see the link

Here is a link that might be useful: food safe finishes

Just as a followup from my end...my walnut top fabricators wouldn't use Waterlox because they didn't have the time & place to let it dry between coats (not to mention they were just being stubborn about using their own methods). So I negotiated some money back and I did the finishing myself. I'm a somewhat handy housewife...no previous experience with Waterlox....it went great! I brushed two coats of the original as a base coat. Very light sanding & tack cloth in between. Then I switched to the lower sheen and brushed on two more coats with light sanding in between. I now have a couple of scratches, etc. and my goal is to get a couple more coats of low sheen on before winter (fumes). I think I will rag apply the last two coats, b/c in just a couple places if you look hard, you can see some brush marks. I want to see if they will disappear with a rag application. Any tips or recommendations for this process - ie) adding coats after several months to remove scratches and just build up more finish?

By the way, this was my second top - the first I had used the product Good Stuff. I much prefer the Waterlox, despite the longer application and smell (which is no worse than oil based paint or varnish IMHO). The Good Stuff was kind of like applying a wax. Rub on, let sit, buff off. Has to be reapplied every 4-6 months when it is washed on a daily basis, and it started to look more uneven in appearance as it wore off. I did use Good Stuff in some other areas of my kitchen (but not a horizontal counter that gets washed several times a day), and it is looking great, too.

But, in conclusion, the Waterlox is beautiful!!!! Looks very much like a handworn, beautifully maintained patina on a cherished antique. I love it.

On a side note, I did some light distressing before applying the Waterlow - banged around with various objects, then added just a little stain to some of those divets and places with an artist's brush before applying the first coats of Waterlox, worked like a charm. I'll try to post photos later.

Thanks to everyone who has posted here, I found the right solution for me!

Very nice. Converting the world away from Minwax Polyurethane, one person at a time.

Stunning countertop dls!

Love the added "imperfections" too - great job!

I have a couple of antique walnut side tables that have needed refinishing for some time. I may consider the Waterlox for them.

Thanks guys - not bad for a rookie! Thanks again "bobsmyuncle".... your tips on this forum have served me well!

Be very careful with the rags you have used. They are flammable. Lay the used rag out flat on your driveway and let it dry thoroughly before throwing it out.

We have installed Marvin windows in the new house. wood inside/clad outside. I heard so much good about the Waterlox that I decided to try it. Many call it a wiping varnish so that is what I did, wiped it on with a rag. It looks great BUT my carpenter put on the base coats on the outside doors as I have been very busy. He brushed it on. Wow! What a difference. I feel really stupid now for not brushing it on the windows. I plan on going back and reapplying it to all the windows. The doors are Spanish Cedar and we can't get over how beautiful the Waterlox is on the doors. My carpenter, who is a wood craftsman, had never heard of the product. He loves it.

click, click... two more converts :-)

Interesting reading. I'm looking for a no or low VOC sealer for my living room and kitchen ceilings. I'd really like to find something that won't yellow over time. Though I don't particularly want it to look shiny. Any sugguestions?

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood ceilings

A ceiling is a challenging project, and you should try to "pre-coat" as much as possible before installation. Waterlox would make an excellent choice to protect and beautify the wood. While Waterlox will richen the wood initially, it does not continue to amber over time like most conventional oil finishes. Waterlox has a VOC Compliant product, but not a Low VOC version . I am told they will be releasing a Low VOC version soon.

The solvent in most Waterlox products is primarily mineral spirits. The VOC compliant versions contain a solvent shown not to contribute to ozone depletion, and that is why they are compliant in those regulated states. It is a very expensive solvent, and is actually more unpleasant to use than the mineral spirit versions. The challenge in applying Waterlox to a ceiling is the thin nature of the product, and generally requires spray and back brush application when applying to an already installed ceiling.

A truly low voc wood coating choice would be a water-based urethane, but those finishes typically do not bring out the natural beauty of the wood like an oil would. While the quick dry and low odor of the water-based finishes are attractive features, there are some downsides. Water-based finishes will usually result in excessive grain raising on many species of wood. Water-based finishes dry quickly and can be difficult to apply evenly over a large expanse of ceiling.

A great compromise for ceilings is to pre-coat the wood with (2-3 coats) Waterlox (even one coat backside) prior to installing, then apply a final coat of Waterlox after you install the wood. Waterlox Sealer Finish serves as a great sealer for a variety of topcoats, enhancing and beautifying the wood. Some clients choose to topcoat the Waterlox with a waterbased urethane after installing if application issues dictate. Every project will have it's own circumstances to consider when selecting your finish.

Great, thanks for the info.

Chalk another one up Bob...I also give my thumbs up for Waterlox as well (the Original is my product of choice). It is a superior finish with a very natural look. Maybe not as hard as some finishes but much more easily touched up than most finishes. I have used it on high grade furniture refinishes for several years with tremendous success. I used it on our heart pine floors (2500 sqft); it is absolutely stunning and is holding up well. The pic's of the walnut countertop (excellent work BTW) are a great example of the natural beauty of the finish imparted by Waterlox.

I have down a few jobs for a high-end kitchen cabinet company in town and it looks like I'm going to be their new go-to guy for touch-up repairs. I did a site visit yesterday and the kitchen had a walnut countertop. As I was talking to the designer, she told me their cabinet shop used Waterlox for the job. Looks like they keep good company.

bob - out of curiosity, have you ever run across John Boos butcher blocks and countertops in your endeavors?

Not that I know of. I've only done a few jobs for this Kitchen Company, most of my work is on furniture. I have heard of them, and may have even seen them in homes without knowing it.

I have to redo our wood island top this summer and have been looking at different products. When we did it originally I wanted waterlox but couldn't find it in our area. I used what seemed to be a similar product from Lee Valley. It hasn't been too bad but now looks dry and worn after about 2 yrs. Really wishing I could get my hands on some Waterlox after seeing dlspellman's gorgeous counter top. Oh, well.

Try an outfit called paintsource.net. They sell all finishes in quarts and gallons. They are very competitive and very helpful and knowledgeable folks. HTH

Thanks breezy, but I'm in Canada and Waterlox is on a list of things that can't be shipped here because of it's chemical make up I guess.

It can be bought in some parts of Canada, just not here.

budge1, the manufacturer can ship directly to Canadian customers. I'm not sure about shipping cost, but you could contact them directly through link provided.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox

dlspellman - - I hope you're still checking in because I just saw your beautiful built-in refrigerator on the Kitchen Forum and would like to know the finish on the handles and where you got them. Your whole kitchen is fabulous!

Napagirl -

The large vertical pulls are by Top Knob - the Pumpkin series in Rust. Are those the ones you were asking about?

The Horizontal were from another company...blanking out, but can look it up if you want.

I found this post regarding your countertop finished with water lox tung oil finish. How do you clean it and how is it holding up?

Dispellman, It's been several years since you installed your walnut counter tops and I'd love to know how they're holding up? We are in the construction process now and I really prefer the walnut tops to granite, but want to make sure they will be functional . I do not mind some care, but I don't want to be constantly having to baby them. Your input will be appreciated.

This has been so helpful to me. I just installed a walnut counter and put the mineral oil with beeswax on it with sanding in between. It's only been a few weeks and I hate it. Water rings and I don't feel it can be cleaned. Since I already have the conditioner on the wood, do I need to Sand it down again before applying Waterlox? Also, I have to leave it in place to sand and apply a finish. I have cats . Will this be something they need to be out of the house with, so that appropriate drying can take place? Thank yo.

Would love to hear the answer to this last question as I too am considering using Waterlox on a dining table that a wax has already been applied to.

suggest you contact Waterlox company on that question.

https://waterlox.com/contact

My feeling is that it probably says on the w-lox label if you can apply over previously-waxed surfaces. I'm thinking "no". Wax interferes with adhesion and drying. W-lox has pretty strict guidelines during the drying and curing phases.

I would follow up the sanding with a cabinet scraper. I think it will take both techniques to get all the wax out, esp if it was thinned down and got deep in the pores.

You are correct. Wax is not able to be coated over. Our Support page goes over in detail the directions for wax and our FAQ section is searchable.

Waterlox Original Resin-Modified Tung oil finishes can (and are) indeed used on working surfaces, including floors and countertops. You can check out the Countertop section at Waterlox.com.

This is dlspellman, the original poster. So after a decade of living with Waterlox, I would do it again in a heartbeat. We are family of four (teenagers). We have not babied the counter much at all. It has such a beautiful, warm patina. About every four years I have given it a fresh coat of finish. It’s a light hand sand, wipe the dust off, and a quick recoat. Not a big deal at all. You can tell when you need to recoat....a glass starts to leave a ring that takes longer to dry and disappear and it just gets more dull in general.
My counter has always received lots of compliments!

I’m sorry I forgot to answer the question about care. Just wipe it down like a wood table top. Really has not needed any special care over what you would do for a wood table. In fact my kitchen table top needed refinishing, I sanded it down and Waterloxed it, too!

This old thread is of interest as I contemplate refinishing several table tops - can you stain prior to applying waterlox?

I think I remember reading once that the waterlox itself could be tinted? Not looking to do anything extreme - its oak and Id like more of a dark walnut color... but not too dark.

I’m not sure....maybe call Waterlox and ask?

@Current Resident, Yes, you can stain BEFORE you apply waterlox, and you can tint waterlox itself. Both are mentioned directly on their website, and have some requirements as to what kind of stains you can use.

This question is for dlspellman... I just ran across photos of your beautiful countertop on Pinterest. I'm thinking about doing this for the counters in my laundry room. Can you tell me what kind of wood you used and what color stain? I know it's been a long time since you installed them but hoping you remember. Thanks!

To krod11 - In dispellman's post of Oct 1, 2008, she said her wood top was walnut. Her only reference to stain was that she used some on the divets (dents/holes) to make them stand out more. I don't believe she used any on the countertop - that's the natural color of walnut.

The countertops were natural walnut. And you will laugh, but all I did in the divots and scratches was use a black marker to color them in a little bit. I let that dry good, then just waterlogged over it all!

Thank you! I’ll definitely have to find someone in my area that can make these. So gorgeous.

Just an FYI. I’ve had a walnut island top that was finished with Emmet’s Good Stuff for four years now. It gets a lot of use, no cutting directly, but everything else - wet glasses and bottles, food spills, hot and cold pots, etc. I’ve had no problems whatsoever.

I just installed a maple countertop. After much research I went with the Good Stuff - I did three coats. Less than two months later the finish is mostly gone - I need to finish it with something that will last longer. Is Waterlox a good choice? I presume all I need to do is sand the counter to make sure all the Good Stuff is gone and then apply the Waterlox sealer using a brush. Any advice?

I used Waterlox on an IKEA butcher block countertop in a rental property four years ago. It still looks good. I haven’t freshened it up at all. In my personal home I had a well used walnut island for ten years before moving. I freshened the top up after about 5 years by doing a light sand and recoat. I’m still a big fan of Waterlox.

I did do about six or seven coats on my initial applications and I think three coats on the redcoats. It’s so simple. But I did wait 24 hours between each coat which is a bit of a pain.

was it difficult to apply? I'm no handyman but I will have to do it myself so I'm willing to give it a try.

Can anyone who used Good Stuff let me know how often you need to reapply it? Is it months? Years? Decades?