Bought an 8 foot by 25 inch 1-1/2" thick cherry butcher block.
It is unfinished.
Want to use it on a kitchen island with a small vegetable sink in it.
How should I go about finishing (sealing?) it.
There will be food on it but we do not plan to cut/chop on it.
Any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

Dick Keats
Euless, TX

In article ,
"Dick Keats" wrote:

Bought an 8 foot by 25 inch 1-1/2" thick cherry butcher block.
It is unfinished.
Want to use it on a kitchen island with a small vegetable sink in it.
How should I go about finishing (sealing?) it.
There will be food on it but we do not plan to cut/chop on it.
Any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

Dick Keats
Euless, TX


Mineral oil is the standard for food-safe butcher block.

"Dick Keats" wrote in message
...
Bought an 8 foot by 25 inch 1-1/2" thick cherry butcher block.
It is unfinished.
Want to use it on a kitchen island with a small vegetable sink in it.
How should I go about finishing (sealing?) it.
There will be food on it but we do not plan to cut/chop on it.
Any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

Dick Keats
Euless, TX



Mineral oil. Let it soak in, 24 hours later put on another coat and let
that soak and you are good to go. Do not buy butcher block oil as it is
mineral oil at a much higher price. Mineral oil is available at Wal Mart or
any drug store.

On Jul 10, 9:47*pm, "Dick Keats" wrote:
Bought an 8 foot by 25 inch 1-1/2" thick cherry butcher block.
It is unfinished.
Want to use it on a kitchen island with a small vegetable sink in it.
How should I go about finishing (sealing?) it.
There will be food on it but we do not plan to cut/chop on it.
Any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

Dick Keats
Euless, TX


Is it a genuine butcher block construction, i.e., vertical or end
grain up or is it simply a glue up of cherry wood planks with face
grain? The preferred finish for the two types will be very different.
It may be quite enlightening to consult a commercial kitchen
specialist. For glued up planks a hard two part epoxy bar finish could
give you the results you want.

Joe

On Jul 10, 9:47*pm, "Dick Keats" wrote:
Bought an 8 foot by 25 inch 1-1/2" thick cherry butcher block.
It is unfinished.
Want to use it on a kitchen island with a small vegetable sink in it.
How should I go about finishing (sealing?) it.
There will be food on it but we do not plan to cut/chop on it.
Any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

Dick Keats
Euless, TX


If you were cutting on it mineral oil is right, and may be best maybe
not, but mineral oil doesnt cure hard. The butcher block I use mineral
oil on ages, stains alot, every maybe 5 years I use a belt sander to
remove the stains and aged wood look. How you finish it depends on the
look you want and how well you want it protected from different stains
and abuse. Oils will be easiest to recoat but in years might need a
big sanding, finishes scratch. Tung oil is easy to do and seals, polys
protect even more, ive seen the 2 part super thick epoxy used, the
finish you see in bars last a long time. It depends on the style of
your kitchen, durability you need, and willingness to upkeep and
maintain it.

Dick Keats wrote:
Bought an 8 foot by 25 inch 1-1/2" thick cherry butcher block.
It is unfinished.
Want to use it on a kitchen island with a small vegetable sink in it.
How should I go about finishing (sealing?) it.
There will be food on it but we do not plan to cut/chop on it.
Any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

Dick Keats
Euless, TX



I don't see any point to using an oil finish if it isn't used as a
cutting block. If you want a natural looking finish, a matte or
semi-gloss finish would be best. Be aware that cherry can be very dark
with any clear finish, including oil. Matte can be a little cloudier
than semi. A varnish can be stripped easily if it looks scratched, so
it is a good finish long-term. I used oil based poly on an oak kitchen
table that was the only table for eating and kids' craft work. I cut
pastry, the kids painted and modeled clay. When it got too beat up, I
stripped it and refinished. For a counter top, I would finish all sides
to avoid warping from moisture on a bare surface.