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Poly for the long haul, and make a darn cutting board and MO/wax it for best use, reapply as needed. You'll have a long lasting finish on the counter top, and a workable finish on the cutting board. If you want to be tricky, make the cutting board a mirror image of the counter top.
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya
GW
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Steve N said:
Poly for the long haul, and make a darn cutting board and MO/wax it for best use, reapply as needed. You'll have a long lasting finish on the counter top, and a workable finish on the cutting board. If you want to be tricky, make the cutting board a mirror image of the counter top.
I have several plastic cutting boards that are small enough to go in the dish washer. And I have several silicone trivets for the hot pots. It's just a few months and it looks fine. I used this same finish for the local Starbucks tables whic h looked fine after 9 years of commercial use. I'm only worried about putting a hot frying pan on the surface.
Refinishing poly is not much more work than refinishing a wax/oil finish. Light sanding and brush on another topcoat. The hard part is scheduling the process right before vacation so it will cure while you are gone.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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John did some good tests on heat resistance and durability on several finishes. So It depends on what your "how hot" pan is. It also depends on how your kitchen operates. Generally I have three areas: a basic prep and plating/finishing area this can be either a good waterborne or an oil and beeswax finish, my hot area which has soapstone tops, and my clean up area which has a mix of stainless and waterborne. If this sounds like a restaurant that's because it is similar.
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closed for business said:
The gent that has been down this road, how long have you had yours fully cured and any moderate/major marks?
We've been using the countertops since January of this year. I don't see any major marks but we have so much stuff on the counters that it's hard to tell.
We always use cutting boards. Even if I had granite tops, I'd still use a cutting board. We don't put hot pots on the tops without a trivet or cork pad. We were well trained from when we had laminate countertops. I try not to drag plates across but at the same time, it's a kitchen countertop, not a piece of Chippendale furniture. I am not too careful about putting hot plates or bowls from the microwave onto the counter before moving them to a plate or table. I haven't seen heat rings from that. The only area I would say needs careful attention is around the sink especially around the faucet handle.
These tops are beech wood which is nearly 50% harder than cherry. Our coffee area which is a completely separate counter is solid cherry. I do see dings there from the mugs that get placed on them.
Paul
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Cooler said:
[blockquote]meackerman said:
[blockquote]Cooler said:
The poly is not safe for food.
since when?
once its cured its food safe.
[/blockquote]
What I meant is it not safe to use as a cutting board where chips of the poly can get into the food. It is safe to put food on poly finish. You would not want to eat it though.
[/blockquote]
Ridiculous. Half the food you eat has been packaged, transported, or processed in urethane on its way to you.
Since you can't digest it, it passes through without a problem.
Better to follow the leader than the pack. Less to step in.
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®smpr_fi_mac® said:
Mineral oil doesn't cure. I wouldn't use it.
Correct, mineral oil provides no surface protection.
For that matter, an oil based varnish like Waterlox provides little protection if the counter top is used for food preparation. Knives will cut right through the finish dings will show if the counter top is pounded on.
All in all, a wood counter top is not a good idea for a kitchen counter top. It will require continual repair and maintenance.
Howie.........
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Howard Acheson said:
[blockquote]®smpr_fi_mac® said:
Mineral oil doesn't cure. I wouldn't use it.
Correct, mineral oil provides no surface protection.
For that matter, an oil based varnish like Waterlox provides little protection if the counter top is used for food preparation. Knives will cut right through the finish dings will show if the counter top is pounded on.
All in all, a wood counter top is not a good idea for a kitchen counter top. It will require continual repair and maintenance.
[/blockquote]
I agree. I used it because it was cheap compared to all the other choices except laminate. And I thought it looked better than laminate.
I really did not want to replace the old laminate counter top but my stove top failed and none of the replacements would fill the opening so I had to replace the counter top.
The big L-shaped counter cost just $400.00 plus the finish which is about $30.00. Far less than any of the stone or quartz options.
I do have to replace the counter with the sink and dishwasher. Too much water and steam for wood in my opinion. I'll probably go with quartz.
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>>>> The poly is not safe for food.
Sure it is. Since the mid-1970's all finishes used in household applications is required to be non-toxic when fully cured. "Poly" is nothing more than an oil based finish where a urethane resin is used for the oil component in the mixture.
Howie.........
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>>>> You would not want to eat it though.
It probably wouldn't taste very good but it would not hurt you as long as it was dried and cured.
Maybe salt and pepper would improve the taste though.
Howie.........
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Wondering how different a dried woodworking finish is from what is on all the drugs we ingest. I know Shellac to be edible, from it's use in meds. As said before dried it poses no threat, worst case is you don't break it down, and it comes out close to how it went in
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya
GW
