I've got a section of counter space I want to make into a 'butcherblock' style countertop.
I've been reading all over and getting different opinions on how to finish the wood.
So far what I have gathered, is that I need to 'seal' the wood to protect it and make it food safe. But I've come across many websites saying they stain the countertop, but not all stains are food safe. So they recommend sealing it. But, some sealing techniques is just using oils, while others it's a sealent that makes a hard coating?
My question is, can I stain the wood, and then seal it, and what type of sealant do I use?
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=food+safe+butcher+block+sealer&t=fpas&ia=web
This just brings me back to where I started... evey other link gives different opinions.
so read up on them and make a decision you useless fricking moron. christ, grow the frick up.
I can't that's why I came here, as a last resort. No one seems to have a definitive answer.
because there is no one single way.
what the hell is wrong with you?
See what I mean...
the frick is this.
Can I stain wood any color I want and then seal. Or is stain enough, or is sealant enough.
I'll give an example, how does ikea (puc related) get that finish, that's food safe and stained.
Use pine tar. It seals it, and is antiseptic. Do not use mineral oil, or polyvinyl poison. Use pine tar.
>can I stain the wood,
no
>and then seal it
no if you want to put food on it. wood is naturally anti bacterial.
mineral oil is just motor oil without additives.
There are oils and waxed and oils for wood that are food safe. Use those,
Don’t use stain and don’t use polyurethane
>don’t use polyurethane
I did my countertops a couple months ago with oil based polyurethane. Why do you say don't use it?
The package did not say food safe but polyurethane is generally considered food safe. We don't plan on putting food directly on it anyway.
>But, some sealing techniques is just using oils, while others it's a sealent that makes a hard coating?
I DIY'd a butcher block a couple months ago. AFAIK none of the "sealants" say food safe because it's too much of liability if some other industrial chemical accidentally gets mixed in.... even though the core mixture is safe according to FDA. Maybe you could find one with lots of searching? So the options for food safe are certain oils meant for cutting boards or butcher blocks and specifically say food safe on the label.
I went with oil based polyurethane (because its more durable than oil apparently) without stain on hivea/rubber wood and it looks very similar to
Are you going to actually use it as a butcher's block or cutting board, or just as a countertop that happens to be made in that form?
The latter can be stained and finished the same way you'd finish a table or any other furniture.
Food safe materials only matter if you are actually putting food directly on it...if thats the case theres a few food safe materials and methods that can color wood but it's kind of pointless.
For something that actually gets used as a food prep surface, sealing isn't nearly as important as thorough cleaning and can trap moisture and juices and promote funk. Also any vegetable based oils can turn rancid and taint the flavor and smell of foods that contact that surface.
>Are you going to actually use it as a butcher's block or cutting board, or just as a countertop that happens to be made in that form?
That's a very good, and in retrospect blindly obvious, point. Staining and sealing don't make any sense if you're literally going to use it for cutting on a traditional butcher block would traditionally be used.
On the other hand if you're gonna use it as a modern piece of kitchen styling and do your cutting on a board, as seems to be the predominant modern way where the block is just a cosmetic thing, then staining and sealing makes sense.
So is OP going for 'butcher block style' as they say, or a functional butcher's block?
This'll be why they found so much conflicting info.
It will be used like a regular countertop, so no chopping food on it. Maybe rolling some dough or something, but nothing that will cause it to chip or whatever.
So I guess stain, then seal.
Yeah then that is the way. 3x or more polyeurethene and let it dry out for a week or two in the workshop before installing it if you don't want the smell inside your house.
Not all woods are suitable for food contact, eastern maple is good but red oak not so much. The cell structure of many woods allows bacteria to penetrate into the wood and thrive. Many polyureathanes are ok for food contact but not if you will be cutting on the surface. Generally wood is not a great choice for kitchen counters, eventually moisture finds a way to penetrate the finish and get into the wood which leads to staining swelling etc.
Thats why you oil your worktops. A fresh coat should see water bead on the surface and not penetrate when wiped off.
OP use walnut or danish oil, pour on, brush evenly, then wipe excess off. 3 coats minimum before installation, then do a top up every 3-12 months.
More often you reapply, the better it will look and less water damage and staining you will get.
Poorly treated wood will warp from moisture, and go mouldy near sinks so its very important you regularly maintain solid wood worktops.
Look you numbskull, are you using it for a cutting board" No, then seal and forget, you're not using it to eat off of or to prepare food on like a cutting board. Otherwise do not stain anything ever. Use nothing if you're using it for a cutting board.
What about baking or making pasta?
Top of our island is maple, stained, and sealed with waterlox. Smells like death while curing but is technically food safe at the end. If you want as food safe as possible you want a wood like maple, no stain, and a sealant that's primarily natural ingredients (e.g. beeswax butcher block sealers).
I've done a kitchen island and a pantry countertop, both pine. I just used a couple of coats of water-based stain then 3x coats of matte polyeurethene on top. Came out great, looks great. Smells for a few weeks until the polyeurethene dries/cures properly.
As far as I'm aware this is food safe, and it's held up very well on the kitchen island for about 5 years now.
Butcher block sucks for counter tops
Use rapeseed oil