Regardless of stain and finish,as long as boards are visible the top will scream cutting board. That's near perfect for commercial kitchen look many are going to.

"What results can you expect by sanding.staining and waxing?" A cutting board that has been stained and waxed. Not counting the use of something you don't like,the first mistake was staining it. Search the world over and you will not find a top that has been stained in a butcher shop. Maple is one of if not the worst candidate for staining in the first place. Those facts should tell people something about home decorating. DON"T TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING LOOK LIKE SOMETHING IT ISN'T".

If you plan to keep the top don't put any more stain on it. Instead of asking what result to expect for doing something unorthodox tell us (A) what you would want the top to look like if you were replacing it. (B) if you are going with diy (C) your budget.

Thanks, klem. I didnt stain it.…came with the house. I’ve

soaked it with coffee trying to darken, and nothing else , but spray on polish. Neither did a thing, of course. White blotches seem bleach had at one time spilled, or? I’d wish it were darker , with a soft glow of wax….which is something it cannot be, Can’t blame a gal for wishing.. :) I don’t know its maple,just another’s opinion. Guess I’m resigned to replacing it or living with it as is. Photo below gtom etsy has ”live edge” which I don’t care about. Guess I’ll find a nice cloth runner . sigh. Appreciate your reply.

Research some finishing techniques and see what that provides. Ask a professional furniture polisher for an opinion? You could test any treatments after you’ve had some professional advice on a small corner. Doesn’t hurt to pursue this line of questioning to end up with a nice finish but that finish might not be the deep red of your inspiration pic.

If you want a walnut top, buy a walnut top and sell the maple. You can’t make this look like walnut. If this were my island, I would sand it down, tung oil it , and let it shine. If I wanted it to look like walnut, I would buy a walnut top. The two woods are totally different. Spilling coffee on it won’t do the trick.

Sand it back to clean wood, finish with pure tung oil (not "tung oil finish" which it typically dilute varnish) or with a hard wax product like Rubio, which holds up remarkably well on butcher block I'm finding. It will be beautiful. If you want it to look like walnut swap it out for a walnut top.

It's either divine intervention, pure luck or the stars simply aligned for me today that the very parties I've needed to help me showed up in this conversation. Cut to the chase I've began to wonder if age has taken my ability to reason things out and communicate. They claim the victim is always the last to know when dementia ,Alzheimer's and such take over one's life. I'm worried and you folks can help me if you will.

(A) @martinca_gw sunset zone 24 Do you feel I was overburdening , harassing or otherwise out of touch by asking those 3 questions? The only thing I was sure of from what you wrote was " I want it to be as pretty as a furniture top". In my mind that statement is very subjective,esp since we are looking at a butcher block as the starting point. Since there are other options that require equal or less expertise ,such as laminating, I need to know what you really like. before making meaningful suggestions. Do you feel the question of diy vs hiring pro is mute in a case like this? Do you feel it's irrelevant what you are willing to spend? How you perceive all this can be as benificial to me as refinishing that top is to you.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Would a 30 yo with average cognitive acuity recognize whether you are talking about one those big belt sanders cabinet shops run doors through as apposed to a 4" hand held commonly found in homeowner/handyman shops? If a cabinet shop machine, would you expect that 30 yo guy to own one? If hand held, should that average 30yo be able to do what you suggested without creating waves,hills and valleys in finished product?

I appreciate y'all for helping me know whether it's time I hang it up.

Ok. Let me restate my query:

If, though tough to do, you were to guess would you say its likely maple? If so, and won’t be used ifor cutting, could sanding with hand held sander,followed by anything , deepen the color and leave a soft glow? Not plain tung oil, which makes a flat finish and also, with no added color.

How about a colored wax? Rubio, that rwiegand mentioned, makes some sort of wax with 55 colors. Forget walnut. Would maple take it? Wanted is Just a warmer, richer finish.

klem, Im pretty certain your marbles are all in place . I did note you did not see my ” I

don't need or want it as a cutting board.” And, though my marbles are slipping a bit, I am aware that anything meat is placed on would not be stained. P.S shouting is not needed.. .but forgiven if your worrry is warrented. 😉 . Yes, my bad, very subjective ”…. want it to be as pretty as a furniture top". Cinnamon would do. Joesph, we have sanders and good ’nuff steady hands. Im saving your info . ty. As for budget for new top, not over $450, and have not priced any..

Thanks again all1

"If hand held, should that average 30yo be able to do what you suggested without creating waves, hills and valleys in finished product?"

I probably should have noted that a 40 grit abrasive on a 4" handheld belt sander could do some damage in the hands of the inexperienced. This is intermediate DIYer level work at a minimum.

Ty, Joseph. My dh could manage it .

Every couple of years I pull out my trusty #7 jointer plane and resurface my tiger maple island top. Way quieter, more pleasant, and actually faster than using a sander. I have to admit I haven't touched my belt sander in the last decade since finally learing to sharpen my plane blades.

Thanks to each of you for your response. I'm relieved to know the situation is paranormal and not something I should try to make sense of.

There are different ways of trying to even out the "blotchiness" of stain on maple. Some people people believe that you need to use certain types of wood conditioners, while others (General Finishes, for example) advises people to not use a pre-conditioning treatment prior to using a water based stain (one of the links below compares using a GF water based stain vs. oil based stain on a raw maple cabinet door - and provides info on the level of sanding that should be done prior to using the stains).

Other finishing experts believe that using a diy conditioning mix of pva glue + shellac (I think it was shellac + there might be another ingredient - it's explained/shown in one of the videos below) is the best way to prepare difficult to stain woods prior to finishing.

Toning is often used to even out stain color on maple - it can be sprayed exactly where needed + multiple layers may be added to even out the color. Many professionals use dyes instead of stains (some use aniline dyes that are typically used on leather) because it can pass through into the wood easier than the pigments contained in stains.

There were many suggestions for using a gel stain since it sits on the wood (it's more like paint) - therefore, it doesn't matter if the cells of the wood are closed and won't accept much stain.

Take a look at the videos below - they may help you figure out some things to try on samples of maple prior to using them on your butcher block countertop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjPX1byriM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAnNMKRjuEw

https://youtu.be/sR9K4LlVRJA

great info dani. Thank you.