How our wooden butcher block counter tops have held up over the several years. (And how
to make them glimpse brand name new yet again!)
It truly is been virtually four yrs since we moved in to this house, can you imagine
it?
I’ve shared our wood butcher block counters a lot about the many years mainly because I
get SO lots of thoughts about them! I are not able to tell you how frequently I listen to
from readers who are hoping to use wood counters in their kitchen, but a
contractor talks them out of it.
Several will alert that wood counters are much too hard to keep.
But that’s simply not genuine. Of course, you CAN have wood counters in your kitchen area
and keep them looking terrific!
I promptly went back to my experimented with and genuine wood complete…Tung oil.
This is the matter…no coating will previous without end on wood. Even
polyurethane will wear down with a lot of use.
Ours have been eventually exhibiting some have on. It is been a year and a half considering the fact that I had
recoated the counters with this oil. I try to do it each 6 months, at the most when a calendar year. Even following
all this time, 90 p.c of our island counter even now looked Fantastic!
But we did have some stains in wood:
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They have been all on the counter closest to the fridge, so I am guessing the
stains were from oils from food items.
I ought to mention, I really don’t count on (or want) our butcher block counter to
be pristine. We never reduce immediately on it, but I welcome the
heat of a slightly worn and distressed wooden countertop.
Somewhat is the crucial phrase. 😁 I’m fine with dings (we really really don’t
have any), scratches (hardly any) and some darker stains. But for the reason that the
finish had worn so substantially, these have been excess apparent.
Very last time I reoiled the countertops
I didn’t have to sand
— if you do not have any big issues you can find no want to. Just clean up them
effectively and reapply.
I utilized a
fine grit paper (120 grit)
and most of the marks disappeared immediately. There ended up a pair (pictured
above) that were a bit additional stubborn, but I figured the oil would disguise them.
(I was appropriate!)
Considering the fact that I had to sand, I desired to get the fantastic layer of dust off of the
counters initial. A
tack cloth is ideal for this, but if you do not have a single, test to avoid employing a
soaking wet rag to wipe off the dust. The moisture will elevate the wood and
you may drop the smooth end you just attained by sanding.
At times h2o popping is a excellent thing, but for just sealing counters you
want to stay clear of it. Instead, use a a little bit damp rag to wipe down the
counters. This will preserve the wood from increasing.
Following sanding and wiping the counters, all you need to do is grab a lint
absolutely free rag and liberally wipe on your Tung oil. I like to pour it immediately on
the counter and then implement:
Not like stain and spray paint, you can use a hefty hand with Tung oil. Do not
be afraid to use a whole lot of it! You are going to wipe it down to get rid of the added
anyway.
Use the light-weight to see where you may well need to have to insert a lot more Tung oil — some spots
in the wooden will soak it up more quickly:
I’ve utilised all kinds of Tung oil about the several years. My favorite was Formby’s but
they were purchased by Minwax. I have made use of
the Minwax oil
as effectively and like it. This time I made use of
the Watco brand
due to the fact it can be what I experienced on hand.
Just isn’t it mad how considerably the oil warms up the wooden?:
Right after permitting it soak in for a little bit — anyplace from 5 to 15 minutes —
you are going to want to get started removing the excessive and buffing the finish with a further
thoroughly clean fabric.
I’ve uncovered the super economical kitchen area towels from IKEA do the job Excellent! I use
them in the kitchen area and after they are stained they go in the rag pile.
They are also excellent for staining:
If you are oiling a bare countertop for the to start with time, you will want to do
a lot of coats, at least 12 hrs aside.
As soon as you have accomplished it a handful of moments in excess of many years, one coat will be enough each and every
time:
And it will not acquire practically as extensive to entirely dry!
I oiled our counters to start with detail in the early morning and by evening I was capable to
use the sink no challenge:
I reduce some of our magnificent hydrangeas and rinsed them in the sink. 😍
They ended up dripping almost everywhere — this is a visual of how effectively Tung oil
shields against drinking water. It beads up and will not soak in:
I still want to transfer our faucet deal with to the entrance, in excess of the sink. This is
the only spot that I at any time fret about because of the drinking water that drips from
our palms when we transform off the h2o:
But as you can see, it’s in wonderful shape, even following four decades!
We test to wipe up excessive drinking water throughout the day, but don’t generally
maintain up with it.
The warmth of wooden countertops is difficult to conquer!:
That wood all around the sink has also held up fantastically — just make certain to
deal with that section as you do the relaxation of the counters.
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