we've got a cheap Ikea butcherblock island in the kitchen that's never
been right since we've owned it. we've applied mineral oil to the
surface maybe 10 times. it soaks right in and the top still feels
rough, never finished smooth. plus, spill coffee on it, or anything
else, and no matter how fast you wipe it up, you've got a stain left
behind.

my wife is sick of it and wants to sand down the surface and
polyurethane the damn thing, be done with it. how's that sound? okay
for food prep work and liquids? if okay, might anyone suggest a brand
of poly and # of coats?

and what about Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Varnish? i read about that
somewhere. has anyone used it?

thanks!

flipper wrote:
we've got a cheap Ikea butcherblock island in the kitchen that's never
been right since we've owned it. we've applied mineral oil to the
surface maybe 10 times. it soaks right in

So stop using mineral oil and use something that will set up and seal.
Like boiled linseed oil.
_______________

and the top still feels
rough, never finished smooth.

Ever thought of sanding it?
____________________

plus, spill coffee on it, or anything
else, and no matter how fast you wipe it up, you've got a stain left
behind.

my wife is sick of it and wants to sand down the surface and
polyurethane the damn thing, be done with it. how's that sound?

Of little use if you cut on it.
__________________

and what about Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Varnish?

Epoxy would last longer (way thicker)
http://www.uscomposites.com/

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

If you poly the thing, it will show every knife mark and will still stain
where the poly was cut. Mineral oil will not produce a finish as,
apparently, you are looking for. Decide if you want a cutting board or table
top. If a cutting board, live with it as it is. If a tabletop, sand and
finish it then DON'T cut on it.

"flipper" wrote in message
oups.com...
we've got a cheap Ikea butcherblock island in the kitchen that's never
been right since we've owned it. we've applied mineral oil to the
surface maybe 10 times. it soaks right in and the top still feels
rough, never finished smooth. plus, spill coffee on it, or anything
else, and no matter how fast you wipe it up, you've got a stain left
behind.

my wife is sick of it and wants to sand down the surface and
polyurethane the damn thing, be done with it. how's that sound? okay
for food prep work and liquids? if okay, might anyone suggest a brand
of poly and # of coats?

and what about Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Varnish? i read about that
somewhere. has anyone used it?

thanks!

I would be very careful of the finish you use. There are significant
health considerations associated with the type of finish, IT MUST BE
NON_TOXIC. Petroleum based products could result in health problems. I
would also be concerned with Poly.. Mineral oil would still be my
choice, perhaps other types of vegetable oil products would work
better. You did not mention the type of wood used for the butcher block
top. Maple is traditional because it is very hard, is closed grain, and
dense. These features are ideal for butcher block tops because there
have small pores, in the wood, thereby providing fewer spaces for
contaminants.

Good Luck, Let us know what you come up with.

Any finish, once cured, is non toxic.

"Buckwheat" wrote in message
ps.com...
I would be very careful of the finish you use. There are significant
health considerations associated with the type of finish, IT MUST BE
NON_TOXIC. Petroleum based products could result in health problems. I
would also be concerned with Poly.. Mineral oil would still be my
choice, perhaps other types of vegetable oil products would work
better. You did not mention the type of wood used for the butcher block
top. Maple is traditional because it is very hard, is closed grain, and
dense. These features are ideal for butcher block tops because there
have small pores, in the wood, thereby providing fewer spaces for
contaminants.

Good Luck, Let us know what you come up with.

First, sand it. Then use a salad bowl or butcher block finish. General
finishes make a few, or I've used equal parts of beeswax and mineral oil
melted together. I applied it hot and let it soak in for a bit before
buffing it out. Worked well for what I wanted. You may also want to check
out a few other resources like:
http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/butcherblock.html or
http://www.woodzone.com/refinishing_butcher_block.htm or
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/ButcherBlock.htm

or the most useful of them all:
http://www.just****inggoogleit.com/


"flipper" wrote in message
oups.com...
we've got a cheap Ikea butcherblock island in the kitchen that's never
been right since we've owned it. we've applied mineral oil to the
surface maybe 10 times. it soaks right in and the top still feels
rough, never finished smooth. plus, spill coffee on it, or anything
else, and no matter how fast you wipe it up, you've got a stain left
behind.

my wife is sick of it and wants to sand down the surface and
polyurethane the damn thing, be done with it. how's that sound? okay
for food prep work and liquids? if okay, might anyone suggest a brand
of poly and # of coats?

and what about Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Varnish? i read about that
somewhere. has anyone used it?

thanks!

wrote in message
...
On 13 Nov 2005 05:19:19 -0800, "flipper" wrote:

we've got a cheap Ikea butcherblock island in the kitchen that's never
been right since we've owned it. we've applied mineral oil to the
surface maybe 10 times. it soaks right in and the top still feels
rough, never finished smooth. plus, spill coffee on it, or anything
else, and no matter how fast you wipe it up, you've got a stain left
behind.

my wife is sick of it and wants to sand down the surface and
polyurethane the damn thing, be done with it. how's that sound? okay
for food prep work and liquids? if okay, might anyone suggest a brand
of poly and # of coats?

and what about Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Varnish? i read about that
somewhere. has anyone used it?

thanks!



If you are not using it as a cutting board poly is fine

I'm betting that all that mineral oil he put on it will keep the finish from
adhering properly. Even if he gets something that looks decent now, first
sunny day could bring it right up. No amount of siccative is going to cure
mineral oil.

Might be best to burnish the surface with 400/600 paper, then heat beeswax
into it with a rubbing pad on a vibrating sander and settle for low luster.
Beeswax is an excellent antibacterial, in case you want to use the beast,
though I'd use a cutting board with the BB as a table, myself.

Option two to assuage SWMBO would be to warm the thing with an iron over
two-three thicknesses of paper toweling until it's no longer bleeding oil,
then a detergent wash and sand. Thinned poly to get some footing in the
wood for the first coat.

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 07:17:47 -0500, "George" George@least wrote:


wrote in message

If you are not using it as a cutting board poly is fine

I'm betting that all that mineral oil he put on it will keep the finish
from
adhering properly. Even if he gets something that looks decent now, first
sunny day could bring it right up. No amount of siccative is going to
cure
mineral oil.



Wipe it down well with minerral spirits and use thinned poly for the
first couple coats. It will do fine. I did an Edsal work bench top
that was soaked in tung oil.

Tung is a curing organic oil. Different animal altogether. Same siccatives
that catalyze the poly will do the same for any uncured tung.