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Sonny Sonny is offline
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Default finish for a shelf back of the sink?

On Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 7:53:13 PM UTC-6, pyotr filipivich wrote:
Greetings

Planning some "hunnydews" - one is to put a shelf behind the sink,
over the backslash, for holding scrubbies, dish soap and the like.
Wife is concerned about wood getting all "funky" (not her term). I'm
thinking that either spar varnish or one of the polyurethane would
work to prevent water from soaking into the boards.

What sayeth the hive mind?


Well, corian or PVC would work, but so will spar varnished wood (of your choice or to match what may already be in the neighborhood). How big is the shelf to be? It will likely be well away from most splashes. I highly suspect any problems will be with soap and other cleansers.

Part of my home is old, built in 1934. The kitchen sink didn't have a back splash. I installed a 1X12X8' salvaged cypress board, finished with 3 coats of spar urethane 30 yrs ago. It's still in great shape.

As for as a shelf, it can always easily be replaced if it get messed up, especially if it's not too large.

I vote to match your present woodwork or trim. Matching the counter top is a good choice, also. Wood finished with spar urethane may be your easiest and cheapest option. Subsequently, replacing a small shelf is an easy and cheap option, also.

Optional: If you are a classy guy, want to impress the Misses, go to an architectural salvage place and get some nice corbels/brackets for the shelf supports.

(The next thread will be what's best for finishing corbels. LOL.) Just kidding.

Sonny