MattH wrote in message news:1098211177.0i7UDaErb68Dbg7x09f3WQ@1usenet.. .
(Jim Brown) wrote in
om:

Gentlemen and you know who you are,

I am building a countertop with alternating cherry and walnut strips
glued together. Due to the sink in the middle there will be some
water splashing around. I like the natural look of walnut and cherry
so no staining. Planning to use many coats of polyurethane for both
top and bottom surfaces. Water based or oil based? Anything better?
Since I have little experience with wood finishing, please do not skip
any steps you deem as obvious.

Peace.

Jim

If this is a counter that will get a lot of abuse then your best bet is
probably something like walnut oil.

This is interesting. Would applying just oil protect the wood from
water?
My primary concern is not dents and scratches but water damage. If
this works, this may be the perfect solution for me. Any other
comments on this?

If it's just going to get a moderate
amount of abuse then maybe a short oil varnish like Behlan's Rock Hard
tabletop varnish will be okay. The problem with poly, conversion varnish,
etc, is that they are not repairable. So if it gets scratched you're
pretty much hosed. If you look at butcher block counters (which is what
you're making here), they usually don't have a surface finish for this
reason.
Matt