Walnut countertop finish

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Hi all,

I have a friend who has some beautiful walnut slabs that he’s (we) are making into kitchen countertops. He’d like to use Rubio Monocoat as the finish. Thoughts, other than “don’t use wood for kitchen countertops”.

Thanks,

Damon

[jteneyck]

Hi all,

I have a friend who has some beautiful walnut slabs that he’s (we) are making into kitchen countertops.  He’d like to use Rubio Monocoat as the finish.  Thoughts, other than “don’t use wood for kitchen countertops”. 

Thanks,

Damon

I think RM would be a great choice.  It's very durable, but very easy to repair when needed.  And it looks great on walnut, too.  You might want to play around with how fine you sand it though.  If you use RM's recommendation to sand no higher than 180 grit it comes out pretty matte/flat.  Higher grits will give you more sheen but at the expense of absorption/durability.  I think I remember a YouTube video where the guy used 180 grit for the first coat, rubbed it with a red abrasive pad after it had cured, and then applied a second coat.  The sheen was definitely higher.  

John

[FS7]

I know Monocoat is all the rage, but I'd recommend multiple coats and at least a semi-gloss finish. I've used regular hard wax oils (like Osmo and Fiddes) and I will roll on two or three coats, sand with 220, buff in a hand coat, sand with 500, and buff in a final coat. It comes out with a moderate sheen and very durable protection, including moisture resistance.

[Willyou]

"don’t use wood for kitchen countertops"

[alnandy]

Hi all,

I have a friend who has some beautiful walnut slabs that he’s (we) are making into kitchen countertops.  He’d like to use Rubio Monocoat as the finish.  Thoughts, other than “don’t use wood for kitchen countertops”. 

Thanks,

Damon

[alnandy]

Rubio Monocoat would be a very bad choice for a countertop.  We’ve used it on vertical surfaces, never horizontal ones.
Reasons:
1.  It is a single coat finish.  How much protection will it provide against water?
2.  Rubio is a matte finish, I.e. essentially no gloss.  A matte finish does not do justice to walnut’s fine color.

We’ve done hundreds of bar and tabletops of walnut for both residential and commercial customers.  NO customer has ever requested Rubio as their finish.

Rubio Monocoat is a quality finish, but a special purpose one, despite its popularity.  We have used a different matte finishing product made by ILVA on white oak.  However, we use multiple coats for protection.

[jteneyck]

Rubio Monocoat would be a very bad choice for a countertop.  We’ve used it on vertical surfaces, never horizontal ones.
Reasons:
1.  It is a single coat finish.  How much protection will it provide against water?
2.  Rubio is a matte finish, I.e. essentially no gloss.  A matte finish does not do justice to walnut’s fine color.

We’ve done hundreds of bar and tabletops of walnut for both residential and commercial customers.  NO customer has ever requested Rubio as their finish.

Rubio Monocoat is a quality finish, but a special purpose one, despite its popularity.  We have used a different matte finishing product made by ILVA on white oak.  However, we use multiple coats for protection.

Actually, RM provides amazing protection against water, alcohol, and a whole bunch more.  Do some testing before you ditz it.  The stuff is used on floors for Pete's sake.  

Yes, it's a matte finish, it's greatest detraction in my eyes.  It still looks great on walnut but it's not a look many would choose.  

No finish is perfect on wood countertops in a kitchen.  If you use a film finish it will get chipped, burned, cut into, whatever, eventually, and repair is not easy.  If you use RM it will never get chipped, but it will get burned, worn through, and/or cut into eventually.  BUT, it's really easy to repair, and the repair is invisible.  Try it.  You'll see.  When you start getting calls to repair some of the countertops you've installed with a film finish, RM might look a lot more attractive.  
  
John

[kencombs]

I'm experimenting with the pour on epoxy type, but thinned to allow brush and roller application. So far it looks like it's going to work. Sanded the first coat with 180 until , all grain filled and evenly flat. Second coat sanded with 360 on a palm sander. these coats went on all 6 sides/edges. Final on the top will be a couple of coats of automotive clear for UV protection, rubbed and buffed to the sheen I like. Not sure what that is going to be but not flat and not mirror gloss.

This is going into a pickup bed of all places! Way overkill but I have the Walnut and finishes on hand.

Should be tough enough for most any environment. For a counter I'd consider auto grade urethane clear alone.

OTOH, I've done counters with plain old spar varnish over old growth pine that held up well. But the owner understood the limitations and treated then accordingly.

If any of the 2K auto stuff is used, be sure to protect yourself from breathing that stuff.

[kencombs]

I'm experimenting with the pour on epoxy type, but thinned to allow brush and roller application. So far it looks like it's going to work. Sanded the first coat with 180 until , all grain filled and evenly flat. Second coat sanded with 360 on a palm sander. these coats went on all 6 sides/edges. Final on the top will be a couple of coats of automotive clear for UV protection, rubbed and buffed to the sheen I like. Not sure what that is going to be but not flat and not mirror gloss.

This is going into a pickup bed of all places! Way overkill but I have the Walnut and finishes on hand.

Should be tough enough for most any environment. For a counter I'd consider auto grade urethane clear alone.

OTOH, I've done counters with plain old spar varnish over old growth pine that held up well. But the owner understood the limitations and treated then accordingly.

If any of the 2K auto stuff is used, be sure to protect yourself from breathing that stuff.

[FS7]

Actually, RM provides amazing protection against water, alcohol, and a whole bunch more.  Do some testing before you ditz it.  The stuff is used on floors for Pete's sake.  

Yes, it's a matte finish, it's greatest detraction in my eyes.  It still looks great on walnut but it's not a look many would choose.  

No finish is perfect on wood countertops in a kitchen.  If you use a film finish it will get chipped, burned, cut into, whatever, eventually, and repair is not easy.  If you use RM it will never get chipped, but it will get burned, worn through, and/or cut into eventually.  BUT, it's really easy to repair, and the repair is invisible.  Try it.  You'll see.  When you start getting calls to repair some of the countertops you've installed with a film finish, RM might look a lot more attractive.  
  
John

To add to this, the finishes in this family (hard wax oils) are very durable. I have not found Rubio to look all that attractive with a single coat. For that matter, I have not found the others (Osmo and Fiddes) to look any better, and I usually do at least three with those. But they at least come with gloss options, which I find very attractive.

So the moral of the story is that durability is not (or should not) be much of an issue with these finishes provided it is treated properly (wood is not a heat-friendly countertop) and moisture should be cleaned up. I don't have to worry about either of those things with my granite. I think the issue is with the use of wood itself for that purpose, though the choice of hard wax oil as a finish is probably the best one you can make.