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Butcher Block Tables

OverKnight | Posted in General Discussion on June 24, 2002 04:24am

We’ve had a good-quality butcher block table for over a dozen years. We used to occasionally rub it down with some oil, and this maintained a good, fairly impervious finish. However, when we started having children, well, nothing stands up to them and the messes they’re capable of. I finally dragged the table outside, sanded it down, and applied one quart of butcher block oil (about four coats). This lasted about one month, after which the gain would raise if it was cleaned with too damp a sponge. So I sanded again, and applied three coats of Butcher’s Wax. My coats were probably too thick, because when my guys did their homework, their pencils would leave indentations in the wax, and again, didn’t stand up to the damp sponge. So, I stripped that off, sanded again, and applied a wax that sounded good from Minwax. After less than one month, it too does not stand up to the regular cleaning that is now needed. I know, butcher block is probably not the right kind of table for this household, but it’s a good table, looks good, is very study, and outside of the now high maintenance, we like it.

My next plan, unless anyone has a better suggestion (which is why I’m writing…), is to sand it down again, apply a sanding sealer and then a few coats of a semi-gloss polyeurethane. Yes/no? Any ideas?

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  1. spinnm | Jun 24, 2002 04:41pm | #1

    Depends upon whether you ever want to use it again for a chopping block.  If no, nothing wrong with your plan.  If yes, knife marks will make the poly look ugly.

    Here's what works for me, tho I have no children around.  Just keep it oiled.  If that's once a week for you, so be it.  I've got a small plastic bucket under the sink with my red rag and oil bottle.  Slop it on at night b4 bed and wipe off any residue in the a.m.  If wiping it with a damp sponge affects it, sounds like it's not well oiled.

    Don't bother with Butcher Block Oil.  High priced mineral oil.  Just buy the mineral at a drug  store.

    Shelley in NM

    1. OverKnight | Jun 24, 2002 06:51pm | #2

      Thanks. We use it as a kitchen table to eat on, do homework, etc., no chopping. I may try your suggestion about buying mineral oil from the drugstore; the "special" stuff I've bought in the past was expensive, and certainly didn't hold up.

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